Horse pictures

[fullintent]

I’m new to the forum, and I’ve recently returned to photography after many years. I’m trying to adjust to digital photography (I previously used a manual film camera) using a Rebel XS. I have only a portrait lens and the zoom lens the camera came with. My goal is to take better pictures of my horse and his buddies at the stable. The two attached pictures show my horse, Fly, and his buddy, Risky. I like the pose I got from Risky, but was upset about the distracting latch to his door. I’m making a lot of mistakes, so would appreciate support or advice.

[matonanjin]

I'm not crazy about the angle/composition with the horse on the left (sorrel). The one on the right is a lot better. The latch doesn't bother me at all. If it continues to bother you should be an easy clone out.

Thanks for sharing these.

[Lineypi]

I've never really been one for photos of horse heads over stable doors... it just seems to make them look decapitated (sorry). If you're going to try for nice photos of horses, get them outside in good sun (photographing horses is one of the rare instances in which harsh sun looks great, since their coats come up so shiny) and have someone with you as an assistant to position them & get their ears forward. Shots that show off their length of neck are usually pretty attractive, so see if you can get some nice 'stretching forward' head shots.

Eye shots are also nice, especially if you get good blur in the background and a nice, sharp reflection in the eye. I'm not sure if your focus in the first shot (the chestnut) is quite sharp enough on the eye, but if it is then I'd try for a close crop there and see how it looks.

The best thing about digital photography is you can take as many photos as you like, and you can view those photos instantly. So if you take a shot & don't like something in it (such as the latch on the stable door) then just recompose the image & try again :)

[Rainyday]

Hi, there. I've got horses, too. Here's my opinion...the advantage to digital is cost. Shoot, shoot, shoot some more. Shot at high noon, at night, in the fog, at sunset, lots of shooting. The more you practice, the better you will get. And don't forget abstracts. Close ups of saddles, barn equipment and stuff like that makes for fun and interesting shots.