Tips for Photographing Horses
Assuming you've learned how to operate your camera in manual mode, I'm going to give you some tips and tricks for photographing horses.
What should your camera settings be to photograph horses?
This question can only be answered first with another question. What is the horse going to be doing? Is it going to be standing still for conformation and head shots or is it going to be running full speed around a barrel pattern? This is where our knowledge of the exposure triangle comes into play. If you're not sure what that is, click the button below to learn more.
Always try to get the ears up!
If you are photographing a horse for sale or promotion, the ears being forwards are a must. It really gives an interested and focused expression. Of course, if you are photographing a horse and rider session, there are definitely times when the ears being in a relaxed position look great as well, like this picture to the left.
Timing is an important factor.
When photographing horses in action, either during a performance or at liberty, timing is very important as well as stride placement. Each discipline typically has a desired "look" or stride placement for each gait. When I was a beginner, I would just hold the shutter down and rapid fire, hoping that one out of ten would be ideal. This is not preferred because #1, you're going to have tons more pictures to sort through which means more time invested and #2, you're also causing additional and unnecessary wear and tear on your equipment. Those shutters don't last forever! When you really start developing your skills, you'll learn to count with the horse's stride and will KNOW when to take the picture, or at least significantly reduce your shot count.
I really hope these tips have been helpful for you.
Of course, these are just a few basics. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I am hoping to start either a routine social media or blog Q&A and would love to answer any questions you may have.
