New Forest Show...

Wednesday 30th July

Not been to the New Forest Show for 35 years or so, where we used to go as kids with the family - an annual outing.

More commercial, bigger now and expecting 100,000 over three mid-week days (this was the middle one) it was an early start, train to Southampton, change for Brockenhurst then shuttle bus into the showground. Almost twenty pounds to get in on top of that - an expensive day out, indeed.

And a blindingly hot day it got, too.

Hundreds of shots, of almost everything, so why this one? Why not one of these handsome carts and wagons as they paraded about the vast ring? Where one was always in the wrong place and if someone wasn't obstructing your long lens, said object of interest would disappear behind something else. And then, there were the messy, bright. often very commercial backgrounds....

So, this is an attempt at something remotely clever. The horses were kept cool and quiet outside of the main public areas and only brought in for showing when needed. The main public thoroughfares ran almost the length of the whole showground but had gates that bored teenage marshals closed against this ebbing flow of humans, to allow livestock and exhibitors to gain entry to the main ring.

I simply looked over all the heads in front of me, far into the distance. Juggling in one hand a £2 can of coca cola, the other the Tamron SP 70-300mm VC lens and peered into the summery throng of hot heads and hats. Then, like a mirage, these posh people with their top hats and tails, floated above them all, silently, quite swiftly.

Focus had to be done manually, as the sensor went barmy hunting between what to latch onto, but never the right bit, of course. Got about half a dozen, this easily the winner.

Black and white to inject punch, brightness and contrast without making it look weird. It also adds emphasis to the main subject - how the mighty look down on all us ordinary mortals.... I liked that juxtaposition. And something a bit different too.

Speaking of 'different', thanks for all your "varied" comments on my shadow self portrait yesterday!