Dust, dander, sneezing animals, spooking animals, and the undeniable fact that a 1,200 pound creature is around your camera gear (which values to the cost of your car) are some of the many facts when shooting equines. I’ve had a handful of people ask me for pointers when shooting horses, and generally these are people who know nothing about the animal. They seem to think the portraits will be easy, and the action photos even easier. So many logistics come into play when shooting these majestic creatures. Are you doing portraits? Great! What’s your lighting? Are the horses ears up? Is he standing in a way which he looks best? Best of all, how are you about taking the sleeve of your shirt to wipe green slobber off his mouth? How about show photos? Which discipline are you shooting? Is the horse hanging a leg over the jump? Cantering on the correct lead? Do you want him trotting in a full extension, or how about a collection? And oh yeah, watch out for the dust… It’ll kill your sensor!
Today I did a shoot focusing on some Fine Art style photos. I used two different horses, and got a few great shots. These are the lessons learned today with shooting, which anyone can take into account.
- Keep about 10 pounds of carrots on hand
- Have a handy assistant (this one is key)
- Be prepared to spend h-o-u-r-s to get just a few photos
- Expect to be sneezed on, and potentially stepped on
- Keep plastic bags and whips handy that can assist in getting said horses attention
- Most importantly: Be ready to contort yourself into yoga like positions to get “the” photo
A fine example from today. Whip in hand with a bag, a step stool, loose horse, and awkward positioning!
