A friend of mine owns a stake in a few race horses. He has asked me to come along to the stables for a weekend and shoot some pictures with a view of getting a few good ones to enlarge and put on his walls (and sell some to the other stakeholders). I will be able to take pictures in the yard and stables, but also on the gallops. If this is successful it might lead to more commissions.
So my question is do any of you have experience of photographing horses and are there any tips you can share? Race horses are supposed to be high strung, nervous animals, so any tips to make me fit into their environment without upsetting them are welcome. I will bring some Polo mints... (this probably does not mean anything to the readers/posters from across the pond).
My advice on being around horses, esp. race horses, is to move slowly, avoid using flash, and don't get too close. Talk softly, with a soothing voice as you move around and/or watch for the pose. Seeking advice from the trainer or a groom is advisable as they know their horse's temperament very well. Since you will be focused on your viewfinder, it might be wise to work with the groom or other handler, as (s)he can alert you to move away if/when necessary. Shots on the track? Use telephoto for the close action, expression of horses and riders and flying dirt and stuff. Work the turns and the finish. And practice your panning technique a lot before the shoot. Up the shutter speed and ISO as needed. It's way fast action, as you know, and through a camera's viewfinder it happens faster than that!
That's what I'd try to do. Good luck.
One thing I saw at a horse show was the photographer using what looked like a cheer leader's pom-pom to get the horse's attention. The pom-pom consisted of both paper and metalized strips.
He was taking photos of the winners. After waving it around and over his head to get the horse's attention, he would toss it about 3-4 yards to his right. It seems that the horse would continue to look at it instead of straight at the photographer and his camera.
I have not needed the technique, but it might help for the more formal portraits.
Ruud, you've gotten good advice so far. I'd also add a reminder (and if you already know this, sorry) to take as many different poses/compositions from as many different angles as possible. People who want portraits of horses are no different than people who want portraits of people — they'll want to choose the one they like best, and the more you have to offer, the better.
Also, horses have distinct personalities and, as mentioned, the handlers and those familiar with them will know if they tend to adopt distinct and unique expressions or poses, ones that will immediately tell someone familiar with the horse that, YES, THAT IS MY HORSE!
Good luck in your start, and congrats for having a start to make.
Posted by James Hersey on March 13, 2007 at 4:24 PM
I have two small bits of advice from my experiences.
1. I was shooting a famous racehorse for the owner to put out for stud services. I looked at the trade magazine/publication and duplicated what I saw, the owner was very pleased. I also shot what I wanted to and the owner still hangs that print on his wall.
2. The first time I shot motorcycle road racing I had no experience or preconceptions of what I was trying to capture. Everyone said my images were different and I sold a lot of prints and received a good job offer shooting races for two national magazines.
I would ask the owner if he has an example of what he would like to see and try to duplicate that then let your own creativity take over and give him something better than he had imagined.
Good luck but most of all have fun it will show in your images. You are right about the racehorses being high strung just ask before you try anything too different. I don’t even remember using a fill flash so you might check before.
Thanks for some great help! I was not planning on using flash (the 5D has got great high ISO performance after all...) I'll buy a couple of horse magazines to see what the norm is and then produce some shots with my own slant as well (don't know what that will be untill I get there). The owner and grooms will be a good source of info about the individual horses and I'll be sure to ask them what the behavioural do's and don'ts are.
Posted by Mike Leakey on March 14, 2007 at 5:43 PM
Discussion
6 repliesSo my question is do any of you have experience of photographing horses and are there any tips you can share? Race horses are supposed to be high strung, nervous animals, so any tips to make me fit into their environment without upsetting them are welcome. I will bring some Polo mints... (this probably does not mean anything to the readers/posters from across the pond).
Ruud
That's what I'd try to do. Good luck.
He was taking photos of the winners. After waving it around and over his head to get the horse's attention, he would toss it about 3-4 yards to his right. It seems that the horse would continue to look at it instead of straight at the photographer and his camera.
I have not needed the technique, but it might help for the more formal portraits.
Also, horses have distinct personalities and, as mentioned, the handlers and those familiar with them will know if they tend to adopt distinct and unique expressions or poses, ones that will immediately tell someone familiar with the horse that, YES, THAT IS MY HORSE!
Good luck in your start, and congrats for having a start to make.
1. I was shooting a famous racehorse for the owner to put out for stud services. I looked at the trade magazine/publication and duplicated what I saw, the owner was very pleased. I also shot what I wanted to and the owner still hangs that print on his wall.
2. The first time I shot motorcycle road racing I had no experience or preconceptions of what I was trying to capture. Everyone said my images were different and I sold a lot of prints and received a good job offer shooting races for two national magazines.
I would ask the owner if he has an example of what he would like to see and try to duplicate that then let your own creativity take over and give him something better than he had imagined.
Good luck but most of all have fun it will show in your images. You are right about the racehorses being high strung just ask before you try anything too different. I don’t even remember using a fill flash so you might check before.
http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/06-2006.htm
http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/0605.htm
http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/0406.htm