Equine Photography

Thanks.......got a bunch of keepers that day. As far the track letting me in with my gear, there was no problem. This was Phila Park & we were there most of the day. Great place to shoot. Had a great time. Also bet on a few long shots & tried to scream them into winning. Must not have heard us

What track are you near?

RacingMoose wrote in post #8019645
Great shot. As someone who rarely attends horse races but has a track nearby, do they normally permit you to enter with a camera to take photos? That's something I've never done and would be fun to try.

We're near Penn National, which is now the Hollywood Casino at Penn National since they opened the casino part last year. After the first few races I'll probably be broke and will have plenty of time to take photos.

Well worth the trip out for the day.........Beautiful graceful animals.
I went to the Devon Horse Show last week & was kickin myself in the butt for not bringing the camera. Lotsa shooters there also.

Not sure if this has already been said, but defiantly work on panning action shots and leave as much room as possible on around the horse to crop in. I took this on a film a few years ago in photography class when I was still learning ( hence the cut off of the back leg I was panning too quickly). Also you want to spend a few minutes trying to get the horses personality, it helps when trying to play up the shots and get character into the picture ( the paint being truly just that lazy )

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Make sure the eyes are in focus more than anything. If the eyes are sharp, then everything else falls into place. If you are shooting jumping, you can use one-shot to get the action but if your DOF is not wide enough you should expect the horses head to be slightly out of focus. If you are shooting indoors or in evening light this does not work as well. AI Servo and pan with the horse in these conditions or if you are trying to shoot a horse running in the pasture or race track.

Most of all practice, practice, practice and remember your settings when you practice.

For events, my favorite lens is a 135 f/2L. I've use a 70-300, a 70-200, a 100-400 and an 85 f/1.8, but the 135 has become my favorite.
For horse portraits, I like either the 135L or the 200L.
I normally shoot AI Servo to handle the movement and aperture priority so I can control the DOF.

Here are a few sample shots taken with a 30D.
Event shot with 135L- 1/1600s f/2.0 at 135.0mm iso100

The 135 F/2 is definitely on my "next list". Everybody that I talk to that has it says there is something just special about it.

These are all great shots. That first one I'm surprised you got that much in focus at F/2. I guess the cropped sensor gave you enough more. Great use of DOF.

matonanjin wrote in post #8222330
These are all great shots. That first one I'm surprised you got that much in focus at F/2. I guess the cropped sensor gave you enough more. Great use of DOF.

Thanks. You can get by with f/2 on side shots since nearly everything is on the same plane. Shooting from the front requires a little more DOF to get the horse and rider in focus. The following shot was also taken with a 30D and 135L.
1/2500s f/4.0 at 135.0mm iso400

bob_r wrote in post #8222763
Thanks. You can get by with f/2 on side shots since nearly everything is on the same plane. Shooting from the front requires a little more DOF to get the horse and rider in focus. The following shot was also taken with a 30D and 135L.
1/2500s f/4.0 at 135.0mm iso400

I understand that it is all on the same plane but was still just wondering how much you felt was due to cropped sensor. You've got just perfect DOF in all of these. In this last one seems like the edge of the focus plane is just about her blouse. It is just starting to soften there.

The portrait of the roan horse has absolutely gorgeous background (bokeh) with the 200 f/2.

So you never answerred my question although I guess I posed it more as a statement than a question. Is that 135 F/2 as special as everyone says? I'm shooting the Central Plains Reining Futurity next month and the South Dakota cutting futurity the month after that. They're indoors and that F/2 is a necessity. Last year at the cutting I used 100 F/2 and it was a little short. I'll probably rent it first but then I know I'll want it

btw, on this last one and the last one on your group of 4 you might want to do a little straightening.

matonanjin wrote in post #8226468
btw, on this last one and the last one on your group of 4 you might want to do a little straightening.

If you'll look at the fence posts, you'll see that they are straight and the rails will follow the lay of the land. They may be off by a degree or so, but not as much as the rails make them appear.

Not sure what you're asking about the DOF, but it will be less on a crop camera than on a full frame.

I just skimmed the replies, so I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this. One of the most important things in shooting a whole horse, moving is to time the gait or the stride such that the legs are in a good and pleasing position. Generally you need to see some separation in the legs, and usually in a wide spread (versus the point in a stride where the front and back legs may almost be touching). Just my 2 cents.

Hi, I am new here and while this thread is old... this is the place I think this belongs to continue the topic. I just purchased my first SLR camera and would like to learn to use it to shoot my horses. Not only for good sales ads but for my own brag book.

What are good exercises to start out with to get to know the camera besides just getting out there and using it (which I have)?

It is still winter here now and I won't take the camera out unless it is a nice day with about 32+ degrees in temps. Am I babying the camera by doing this? I am pretty sure taking out in the rain without some type of protection is out of the question.


Thank you for your help.

Carrie

First off, welcome to potn carrie.....

get out there & shoot away.....don't be afraid to experiment with settings, lighting ect..... you have a green box setting on the camera to get you started, use it. I don't know how much you know about your new camera or photog for that matter. If you are just starting out, there is a ton of info here. There are also some great books to give you the basic understanding of exposure, light, shutter speed ect.....

Horses are great subjects & rarely complain....have fun & get out & shoot.

Also, you camera will be fine out in the cold

post some pics when you get & chance & you will get alot of feedback & suggestions.

Mark

Thank you Mark. I was out with my camera for the 3rd time about 3 weekends ago and took some shots. I will post a few...

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handyhaver wrote in post #9722279
First off, welcome to potn carrie.....

get out there & shoot away.....don't be afraid to experiment with settings, lighting ect..... you have a green box setting on the camera to get you started, use it. I don't know how much you know about your new camera or photog for that matter. If you are just starting out, there is a ton of info here. There are also some great books to give you the basic understanding of exposure, light, shutter speed ect.....

Horses are great subjects & rarely complain....have fun & get out & shoot.

Also, you camera will be fine out in the cold

post some pics when you get & chance & you will get alot of feedback & suggestions.

Mark

Hey Carrie,

Nice shots....As far as reading goes, there's a book by Brian Peterson out called Understanding Exposure.....Never read it myself but gets great reviews on here... Again there is a ton of info on here, don't be afraid to use it...If it's something you don't quite understand, just post it. This is a VERY friendly place....

My daughter rides & I shoot all the shows for the barn she rides at....Can't get enough of them horses!!! Good luck & get out with that gear & use it up.

Mark