The Kelpies near Falkirk are huge 100ft tall metal sculptures created by Scottish artist Andy Scott. Named after the equine water spirits of ancient Scottish myth (but modelled on two beautiful Clydesdale horses) they rise majestically above the Forth and Clyde Canal and pay homage to the areas industrial and working past.
I’ve wanted to see these for ages, and they lived up to all my expectations:
© Mark Simms Photography (2019)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
© Mark Simms Photography (2017)
A few more shots from the Polo at Chester Races a few weeks ago:
© Mark Simms Photography (2016)
I get very few opportunities to practice my panning technique against fast-moving objects, so when we went to see a Polo Match at Chester Races a few weeks ago I couldn’t resist. The idea is to choose a slow-ish shutter speed in combination with a smooth horizontal panning motion to try to capture the sense of movement, but at the same time keeping some part of the subject in sharp focus.
They say that practice makes perfect, and I definitely think it does with this particularly challenging technique, which is why I would rate the following three images as only partially successful. However I think they are just about worthy of posting and sharing:
© Mark Simms Photography (2016)
To round off my series of posts from the Somerford Park Horse Trials, below are a few shots depicting some of the spectators:
© Mark Simms Photography (2014)
I love the expression on the riders face in the first image below…..concentration and determination through gritted teeth:
By the time I took this shot the rain was starting to fall, hence the reason why I’ve gone with a dark; de-saturated, contrasty treatment with the post processing:
© Mark Simms Photography (2014)
Mark Simms Photography 