How to do equine show jumping/eventing photography?

So I've done a little, and I really do mean a little. Now whilst I've made some improvements I'd rather like to hear how others approach this area of photography. How you conduct yourself; perform; select the shot; compose the shot etc... A general idea as to the working practice of others and how they go around getting their shots.

I'd like to discover other approaches; ideas and concepts as well as to uncover a few more tools that will help when out shooting these tricky events.

Overread wrote in post #17433298
So I've done a little, and I really do mean a little. Now whilst I've made some improvements I'd rather like to hear how others approach this area of photography. How you conduct yourself; perform; select the shot; compose the shot etc... A general idea as to the working practice of others and how they go around getting their shots.

I'd like to discover other approaches; ideas and concepts as well as to uncover a few more tools that will help when out shooting these tricky events.

As with other action events, the most interesting stills feature the action heading toward the camera position. Examples:

As to how to conduct yourself, with with other events, the photographer should be invisible to the event. And it's best to avoid the use of flash around potentially sensitive horses.

Thanks DC - when you're at events though how do you deal with the backgrounds? Especially indoors I end up with many very much like the two demonstration photos you've posted; where the horse is captured in the moment yet where the background is highly distracting and often impossible to blow-out of focus (even when shooting at f2.8 as I often am)

I'm by no means an expert with equestrian events, having only shot a couple, however I think general shooting principals are to be considered in that you want to shoot as tight as possible, and have as much separation as possible between subject and background, so that even busy backgrounds make the subject "pop". Good lighting also being a big consideration.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …kephotography/8​695260552/

Kelowna Riding Club Spring Classic 12

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Kelowna Riding Club Spring Classic 9

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Kelowna Riding Club Spring Classic 6

Dealing with backgrounds at events is always a challenge. I go looking for composition and lighting, you can not always control all of it. All the eventing around here tends to be outside which helps. I show reined cowhorses, strobes don't bother them. The closest instance I have had with a horse reacting to a strobe was I was on one of my two year olds at a show and the photographer had one x3200 strobe that made a good crack when it went. We were walking around the arena and it just got his attention, they don't notice the flash just like I don't when I'm in the show pen.

My thanks guys - yes inside and outside makes a big difference; even as I glance around other pros the inside shots are nearly always less in quality than the outside; by a fairly significant margin (At least for event style shots not posed ones).

Jake your point on flash is one that I share, although most horsey events/places typically have a no-flash rule. There's always that one horse who might react or the rider might react and set the horse off (even though I suspect horses today are flashed from mobile phones/cameras almost seconds after they are born). Indeed most animals seem to show no interest in flash; but some do and its oft on an individual basis.

I'd use flash in a more formal one-on-one shoot (with due caution etc...) but not for the events

None of the events I show at have a no flash rule, we show at NRCHA, NCHA, NRCHA, and AQHA shows. I have been at the Will Rodgers where Forrest has had 16 yes 16 strobes in the rafters. All x3200's on full power it was a bit overkill, but that is what they were running.

Biggest thing I see with photog equipment at events is making sure things are secure like light stands, cords.....so things cant fall or get tangled....

It seems like it is more of the english crowd that goes for the no strobes, I don't know why...my horses are broke better than that.

jakefreese wrote in post #17441499
It seems like it is more of the english crowd that goes for the no strobes, I don't know why...my horses are broke better than that.

Heh them's fighting words

That said I agree most horses should (in theory) be more used to flash; however you can't discount the random few who are not. It might be over-cautious to some and it might just be that people need to get more used to it (and horses) but eh I'll just raise the ISO

I read somewhere that because horses are prey animals, they naturally get upset by bright flashes of light, and that's why strobes are not recommended when shooting horses.

That being said, I've seen a number of photos of horses –portraiture mostly– taken with strobes, so go figure.

last night, NRCHA worlds greatest horsemen finals. 10 alien bees 1600's in the arena on full power.

Alveric - I think its more true that as a prey species that relies upon flight and a herd for protection horses basically tend to kick and bolt when paniced; doubly so if others in the herd are worried/unsure/bolting themselves.

I wouldn't know if bright light is a specific trigger, but I'd suspect not unless the horse is conditioned to associate bright lights with a bad experience. (though I do recall seeing a documentary on wild horses bolting crazy all over the place during a thunderstorm but storms are somewhat different and come with a lot of noise).


Jake - gah well I won't be jealous I haven't even got 1 alienbee to make a start on that kind of setup; would be great to work with more lights though!

jakefreese wrote in post #17444498
last night, NRCHA worlds greatest horsemen finals. 10 alien bees 1600's in the arena on full power.

Why are American's insist on calling themselves "the best in the world" when it's just their own country. And in this case it appears to be just Texas. I'm not trying to be rude, but lets face it, compared to the rest of the world......you're not.

Alveric wrote in post #17442552
I read somewhere that because horses are prey animals, they naturally get upset by bright flashes of light, and that's why strobes are not recommended when shooting horses.

That being said, I've seen a number of photos of horses –portraiture mostly– taken with strobes, so go figure.

OK, if you take the time to expose a horse to anything that it naturally finds "upsetting" which might spook it, and let the horse become accustom to it that horse will have no problem with that in future. That said, you never can tell with horses. At an event, I would never use a flash, can you image what would happen to you if a rider fell off because your flash spooked their horse?

24alpha wrote in post #17444796
Why are American's insist on calling themselves "the best in the world" when it's just their own country. And in this case it appears to be just Texas. I'm not trying to be rude, but lets face it, compared to the rest of the world......you're not.

I didn't name the show.

And there were Aussies in the show too. There are guys from around the world that enter this show. Anybody can enter get off the computer and enter next year.

24alpha wrote in post #17444796
At an event, I would never use a flash, can you image what would happen to you if a rider fell off because your flash spooked their horse?

Or a horse shies from a jump - even if the flash has nothing to do with it at all, you can't ask the horse. If you're there and a flash pops at the same time something else spooks the horse then you will be very likely to catch all the blame and guilt.

But I'd say its time to put flash aside; for better or worse its not a factor in the event shooting I can do and would only become a factor if I ever did any kind of more formal shoot, which is really a totally separate affair.