free..., a photo from Cotopaxi, North

Photographer's Note

a young, lone wild horse minding his business in Cotopaxi National Park.

if you see my other captures from cotopaxi park you will notice, that the weather there is constantly changing. the sky is featuring random "blue" spots here and there, not guaranteed to persist for more than a few moments. unfortunately, the overall light turned quite gloomy when this horse appeared.

to the left of the composition: a piece of limpia-pungo lagoon. in the background: the great cotopaxi volcanoe.

PS. a note to Polonaise. speaking about running with horses, i had to literally run with this guy to keep up. i even succeeded to take this shot, but in the end the horse decided to show me my place... ;)

--
general information: larger and smaller herds of wild horses (i guess, they would be called mustangs in the US) roam the paramo in cotopaxi national park. if feeling safe in their numbers they seem not to mind human presence, but smaller groups tend to keep their distance, like the fellow in this foto.

Elanor, soledad, avene, belido, scobert, Floydian, jusninasirun, bibiweb, Charo, fulvio52, alainh, gunbud has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Elanor (270) 2008-02-05 6:28

What a splendid photo full of freedom! I love the clouds "embracing" the mountains. The horse is beautiful. How amazing it must be to ride a horse in such a beautiful area. Fantastic POV!

TFS,
Anouk

smarcell (19875) 2008-02-05 6:32

A very wild image, with many great ingredients: the horse, the desolate landscape, and the clouds which partially hide the mountain.
Great. Stefano

PixelTerror (0) 2008-02-05 6:37

HI Kristaps,
Nature with open space and the lonely horse moving into it do indeed deliver that sensation of fredom, and the well placed horse is a powerful lead into the landscape, if you'd not list Ecuador next to it I'd tell Iceland !
Have a nice day JY

Merline (0) 2008-02-05 6:42

Indeed it has resemblance with Iceland...very beautiful image Kristaps, with all the ingredients I love, volcano, immensity, wildness, free running horse. Natural colors andi Ingelligent composition that makes us a close spectactor. Those clouds caressing the heights are superb. I put it in my favs theme.

TFS
Take care
Michèle

indraajeet (1883) 2008-02-05 6:49

wonderful conception. great shot. great colours and mood
indrajit

avene (12671) 2008-02-05 6:51

best horse photo I've seen in a long time, the feeling of wide open space made for running is truly astonishing. love the elegant colours and how you have composed the shot, the placement of the horse and frozen motion fits the title perfectly. excellent work, my compliments.
best,
K.

belido (19934) 2008-02-05 6:55

Hi Kristaps,

Yes, free or freedom are the best word to describle your composition. The view by itself is woderful and a reference for the title but the inclusion of the wild horse enhances the image in a way one no other animal or element could do. "This is the world of Kristaps!" :))) Very well done!
Regards,
Carlos

matt_moi (318) 2008-02-05 7:18

Hi Kristaps !
Nice shot well composed and which gives the sensation of freedom.
Regards,

Matthieu

scobert (5355) 2008-02-05 7:30

Hello Kristaps,
This photo is awesome! The wild horse running toward the huge volcanic mountain with the dramatic clouds is stunning! This is a very exciting image and one that I am sure will receive at lot of attention. Outstanding!
Stan

crckt (7216) 2008-02-05 8:30

Hi Kristaps,
WOW! This is an awesome shot! The clouds are magical, looks like a national geographic image.
Well done,
Shaeri

Bluejeans (64231) 2008-02-05 14:11

Ola Kristaps,
Fantastica visão de natureza no seu esplendor , ficou muito bonito o cavalo selvagem na foto , parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

lousat (57626) 2008-02-05 14:29

Your Ecuador's gallery is great,i hope to be there one day,incredible landscapes and thanks to your winderfull work to show us,Luciano

danyy (0) 2008-02-05 15:25

Un peu symbôle de liberté ce cheval qui galope sans aucune clôture aux alentours.
Et puis j'aime ces nuages qui ont l'air de capturer les montagnes.
Belle photo sauvage.
Amicalement.
daniel.

mesutilgim (67960) 2008-02-05 15:35

Hi Kristaps,
Great capture ! Very good pov and compo. Amazing scenery masterly captured.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

jusninasirun (17138) 2008-02-05 17:29

Hello Kristaps,

Award winning shot in pristine scenery. Sharpness and details observed well here. Please allow me to add this to my personal theme.

Regards,
Jusni

bibiweb (8) 2008-02-05 22:16

Hi Kristaps,
A very peaceful looking place which reminds me of my trip to Ecuador back in 1995. I remember the constantly changing weather which was in fact what prevented us from reaching the summit of Cotopaxi. High winds started in the middle of the night as we were climbing and one of my friends was starting to freeze so we had to turn back when we were only 300 meters from the top. :o(
The wild horse seems to live a happy life here and I like the way the presence of the mountain, partly hidden by the clouds is just suggested.
Have a nice day.
Brigitte

ifanik (21673) 2008-02-06 1:39

Very beautiful photo Kristaps
Wonderful place and nice colours and lighting in your photo
Very well done
Thank you for your wishes to me
Best regards
Nick

Floydian (30970) 2008-02-06 2:13

Hi Kristaps,
Seems he is on his way to the top, which is a long way to go. And although you placed the horse very good in the frame, it are the clouds which are a strong part for me. The Cotopaxi is often deep covered with clouds and so here which makes it mytical to see it again...i like it.
Regards, Henk

Charo (51174) 2008-02-06 2:20

Hola Kristaps,
Estupenda escena la de este caballo caminando por tan bello y solitario lugar, teniendo toda esa gran naturaleza sólo para él.
Magnífica perspectiva y colores.
Cordialmente
Charo

Polonaise (5796) 2008-02-06 11:08

And they say a bird is the symbol of a freedom...

I'd say: A gallop of a horse is the symbol of how to enjoy that freedom...

Millions of mountains on TE...
Just a few mustangs of freedom...

Lets cherish that rarity.

g.

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-02-06 14:57

Hi Kristaps,
those clouds are simply magnificent!
Awesome landscape, excellent positioning of the horse (frozen in motion... great timing!) annex perfect title!
IMNAAHO : this picture should be in the manuals.
Dynamics of an empty landscape : page 1... FREE!
Cheers,
Fulvio.

marietom (34603) 2008-02-07 0:42

Hello Kristpa,s

Seul, dans ce paysage immense, superbe composition !
Marie

DFilip (101) 2008-02-07 7:42

Nice colors, and good composition. The sky is beautiful there.
Good title.
TFS
Filip

denisn72 (8300) 2008-02-07 16:07

Hello Kristaps
This lonely horse going towards the mountains is very nice. It is well located in the picture. Nice colours and point of view. Freedom!
Best regards
Denis!

alainh (35555) 2008-02-07 23:22

hello Kritaps
a true pleasure to travel throught your gallery. this one is a splendid one. the place, the movement, the clouds: very nice composition.
Friendly regards Kristaps
alain

gunbud (34052) 2008-02-08 13:28

Hi Kristaps,
Beautiful capture of this wild beast freely romaing the flat valley floor as he is seen surrounded by the magnificent Andes. The little bit of blue peaking through the mist contrast beautifully with the green valley. Excellent details and sharpness to this beautiful nature shot.
Regards, Tom

ag1993 (634) 2008-02-09 2:34

Hello,
Amazing place. Great colours and details.
The title is very good.
Regards
Andrea Gatt

batalay (32860) 2008-02-09 13:28

Hello Kristaps,

I like your collection of horse images in Ecuador. I just looked at the white horse that Kristina (avene) had posted also. It must have been a superb sojourn for you, but did you get to Galapagos on this expedition? Or is that a future trip.

Butterflyka (518) 2008-02-14 11:58

Hi Kristaps
This is very beautiful view to watch.I like it very much.I like the way the horse and the nature r combining.Great depth and sharpness.
Warm regards
Karina

chrisnet (21086) 2008-02-20 11:56

Hello Kristaps,
The wild horse is very well placed in this wonderful mountain landscape, this POV is vey nice.
Regards

giorgimer (34512) 2008-02-20 14:40

Hi Kris,

wonderful nature, extraordinary clouds touching the country. Good capture of the horse too.

Well done!

Gio

Angshu (51174) 2008-02-21 19:52

Hello Kristaps
Another wonderful image from volcanic park. Not only is the landscape breathtaking, but it is the wild horse who steals the show. Very well framed, the essence of free spirit, moving into the openness, bounded by the snowcapped mountains, with the low clouds which appear as waves, lashing onto the shore (saying this at the cost of repetition). Do I see some more horses way up front? Outstanding shot my friend!
Best Regards
Angshu

steliosk (4802) 2008-03-04 3:19

Hello my friend Kristaps
I was lost for a while but I'm here again.

This capture is amazing.
Honestly I don't have words to say.
Great placement of your objects and timing, and yes I can tell it from the horse movement.
Great capture my friend

Many Regards
Stelios

Pattyjy (2180) 2008-04-14 8:22

Wouaw, magnifique paysage. Ca donne envie de grimper sur le dos de cette splendide bête et de galoper sans fin dans ce magnifique paysage. Très réussi. Bravo, amitié Patty.

Hellas (6505) 2008-04-15 0:48

Both the weather and the horse are wild but so beautiful! The scenery is so lovely, my friend! I have encountered wild horses and believe me, I felt really at home. Animals are in most cases friendly to us more than the people themselves.
Your camera and the lens are expensive but very good tools for capturing good photos!
Congratulations!
Athanasios.