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03/16/2014 02:18:30 PM · #1 |
Hey all, I've got a question for all you horse photographers out there, I have been proposed the possibility of shooting the sport reining, it'd be a pretty sweet gig as it'd be every weekend until the end of the summer and the pay is pretty good. My question is basically just some general advice for shooting this sport but horses in general, and what types of contracts others may have had in the past.
Thanks so much! |
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03/16/2014 03:03:38 PM · #2 |
| All I know is I get in trouble with my mother in law (who has horses) when I don't have the front leg that's closest to me going forward when moving. |
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03/16/2014 04:23:44 PM · #3 |
You might want to PM  snaffles she used to do a lot of work with horses in these here parts.
Ray |
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03/16/2014 04:37:00 PM · #4 |
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03/16/2014 05:31:14 PM · #5 |
| Next week I am returning to Idaho. My future boss also has Cutting horses, similar sport. If I was to shoot my mentioned in action. I would shoot at F8 to capture both horse and cow. I would bump my ISO to where I could shoot at 1/2000 or faster. Hope that helps. |
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03/16/2014 06:07:46 PM · #6 |
LOL thanks for pimping me Ray! However, I have done relatively few reining events as it isn't that big in the immediate area. littlemav and  rmac are both seasoned pros in shooting Western events; it's only been relatively recently that I've begun to shoot the roughstock events at rodeos, mostly bulls and broncs.
Some basic pointers: first off, you probably want a lens like a 70-200 f2.8. You definitely want to be able to zoom in and out. If you're shooting outdoors, watch for whichever way any wind is blowing as you could end up with a lens full of dust, like my push/pull 18-200mm telezoom rodeo lens did!! If you're shooting indoors you may need a flash. In terms of speed, I rarely need to shoot faster than 1/1500. I've shot lots of barrel racers at 1/680 as they round a barrel. In terms of aperture, f5.6 is always safe.
From what I've seen of reining, you generally want to get the horses at the end of their runs - when they do a straight gallop then come to a sliding stop so they're almost in a sitting-dog position at the end. In N America it's sometimes called 'laying down the elevens' cause the tracks left by the horse's sliding hind legs look like the # 11. This can look great from a head-on shot, lots of times you see it in profile. That's the climax of their run, I don't know if they would be expecting you to shoot rollbacks too - again where the horse is going at speed, sits on its haunches then whips around and goes the other way. If they want you to shoot spins, well that's the horse spinning in place again with the haunches as the pivot point. An awful lot of dust/sand tends to get airborne so be warned!
Hope this gives you some idea as to what to expect. I'd also talk to the organizers and see if you can go and watch some reining horses go in the venue where this will be shot, so you have an idea as to what to expect. Or of course check out youtube videos of reining horses.
Good luck and by all means contact Katie and Ron, they know their stuff!
ETA: Your 75-300mm would probably be your best bet, but you know your glass best. For shooting horses in general, especially in competition, always try to get the whole horse in! No chopping off feet, ears, tails, faces...remember, any horse and rider are a team, and want to be shown as such. Shoot any requested portraits at either straight profile or, something that can look really great, a matching 3/4 angle for both. And never EVER shoot a horse standing there with the head more or less directly straight on to you, especially if the head is slightly lowered. This results in the dreaded and self-explanatory *moosehead*, where the horse's head dwarfs the rest of its body.
Familiarize yourself with the general proportions of horses. Quarterhorses, which is probably what you'll be shooting, are generally compact, not overly large but solid horses with nicely made heads that aren't big and lunky. They have big powerful haunches - that's where all that 0-60 speed comes from.
FWIW I can see what Wendy's mother-in-law means by getting the leading foreleg in focus. That can be tough because for a head-on shot you want to focus on the horse's face, and depending on the sport she's in, it could be difficult. For the time being I'd focus on the basics of catching the action, recognizing a horse's expressions and so on.
And, should someone ask you for conformation shots, they mean they want full-body profile shots of the horse. Stand it on level ground, with no tall grass (hides feet/ankles) or distracting bgs (obvious reasons). It should be well-groomed and wearing nothing more than a bridle or halter - no saddle or blanket, as that obscures the conformation, which is what you want to see. The forelegs should be more or less together or only slightly apart. The hindlegs are generally slightly offset which is fine. Don't have the head facing the camera - guaranteed moosehead will result! They can get you to take kutesy kritter shots later!
Honestly I have very little experience with contracts; rmac and littlemav are again your go-to peeps there.
OK, hope all this helps! :-) Feel free to PM me.
Message edited by author 2014-03-16 18:39:32. |
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03/16/2014 08:20:40 PM · #7 |
WOW Susan! Thanks you so much! That is exactly the kind of information that I'm looking for. I'm currently looking into buying a 70ΓΆ€“200 mm lens, as I know some friends in the business. I would love to get a 300 mm fixed lens, but I think I'll wait until I see if this sort of job pays off first.
I'll do a bit more research and then talk to Katie and rmac for sure, thanks so much for the help! |
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03/16/2014 10:21:04 PM · #8 |
No prob Chris, and here's one of the very few challenge entries that are also reining shots I do have, shot at a reining clinic some years ago. This little horse has just laid down the elevens:  so you can see the kind of posture to expect. Mostly the rider will be looking down at their horse like Steve is here; pay more attention to the horse. The butt isn't slammed right down cause this is a young horse, just learning, so the rider isn't expecting his butt way down just yet. But check out the spray of sand! That's what you want to get. Western riders seem to LOVE flying dirt :-) The horse's ears are at an angle that suggest extreme attentiveness.
Message edited by author 2014-03-16 22:23:45. |
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03/16/2014 10:41:54 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
But check out the spray of sand! That's what you want to get. Western riders seem to LOVE flying dirt :-) |
Kids too ...   |
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03/16/2014 10:45:51 PM · #10 |
In competition, they all run the same pattern. So, I'd familiarize myself with the pattern... then you'll know when the "sweet stuff" is coming up and you'll be ready for it.
They publish the pattern ahead of time. |
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03/17/2014 08:59:44 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by LydiaToo:
In competition, they all run the same pattern. So, I'd familiarize myself with the pattern... then you'll know when the "sweet stuff" is coming up and you'll be ready for it.
They publish the pattern ahead of time. |
Lydia beat me to it!! Yes, definitely learn how to read the pattern. On paper, it's probably just going to be some lines and circles with arrows showing the direction of travel. But it's going to be fairly simple. If you google 'basic reining patterns' there is probably something there that will show you roughly what to expect.
And though it's been some years since I last saw this video, try to find the bridleless reining one. Forget her name, and I know at one point the video was pulled (copyright infringement, they used a song without permission) but it's a girl in a white outfit on a black horse, doing a phenonemonal job...without saddle or bridle. Katie, Lydia etc probably know the video I mean.
Just thank gawd you're not being asked to shoot dressage!! From those two years that I did shoot a local dressage show, that I was very glad I had a riding background and ridden dressage myself, so had an idea as to what the riders would want to see.
Finally watch for OOPS! moments. Like this is NOT supposed to happen during a dressage test, but it did. Now I didn't put it up on the site, to avoid embarrassing her, but the girl in the test was hoping I got some good shots prior to this blowup. I did, and when she picked them up I showed her this, and she loved it! Bought an 8x10 :-)
OK think I've hogged this thread enough, let me know how it goes! |
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03/17/2014 09:28:37 AM · #12 |
thanks again for all the help peeps! i'm going to have an interview with the main bossman this coming weekend, and we'll decide what kind of participation I can expect. Like I said, they're looking for a full-weekend-time person to cover almost all the event within europe, so it'll be an interesting experience if I decided I can do it! as for lenses, i'll have to pick up a 70-200 2.8 (luckily non-IS) for sure, but i'll probably get the 1.4 extender as well for some extra reach. that tip about sand and dust is great, i'll keep that in mind as my "entry level prosumer" 6D isn't weather sealed.
Luckily, I have a very strong sports background, so, while this isn't similar to anything I've ever done, I think I'll be able to adapt quickly. Plus, it'll give me a good reason to get some real cowboy boots. :)
(PS here's the studio's most recent work. I'm hoping my experience at DPC will help me out) |
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03/17/2014 09:36:32 AM · #13 |
| You might want to check with Judi, as well. She's a horse person and has some incredible shots. |
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03/17/2014 09:51:24 AM · #14 |
| thanks wendy i'll PM her! |
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