Judges Comments

An image with impact and presence with the author aiming to capture the action of fast moving horses. The image has a great tonal range from true blacks to true whites with strong
contrast in the mid tones and the subjects are in sharp focus while the background has a slight depth of field blur. There is also a contrast in the settled poise of the riders against
the obvious efforts of the horses. The shutter speed has been fast enough to freeze the action, including the spray of dirt from one of the hooves striking the ground.
Generally textual elements will draw us away from the subject but here it gives context and is low in contrast and slightly blurred so it does not dominate the image.