Tips on how to photograph horses (please)

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR

05/07/2014 10:40:05 PM · #1

I do OK with some wildlife but my photos of horses never seem to turn out as other than snap shots. I don't know the best angles to shoot them from and I know there are some very talented photographers on here who are also horse people.

I would really appreciate if some of you would take time to tell me the best angles and what is important in capturing the spirit of the horse.

I got great help from the General in creating the symbol and the text needed for the T-Shirts and I will post photos of them once they arrive. I can't thank him enough!

Tips, examples etc will be very appreciated .. Thank you - Maggie

balancedfox

Nikon D7100

05/08/2014 07:17:57 AM · #2

My wife is a horsie person, so I have been expected to take photos of them from time to time. What kind of picture are you aiming for? An action shot of horse and rider, or a portrait in the stable, or one of those shots of the horse freely running in the paddock?

snaffles

Nikon D7100

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

05/08/2014 07:39:45 AM · #3

Do you have some examples of what you've already shot? I am a former horse trainer and generally know the best angles to shoot from. I have to leave for work soon so will be back later this evening. Meantime feel free to look at my portfolio (ribboned in Best of 2013 with a horse shot).

And I can tell you right now, one angle to avoid as much as possible (and will go into this in more detail) but most shots where the horse's head is close to the camera usually results in a so-called *moose head* where the horse's head looks gigantic. Most snaps of horses feature horses with moose heads.

Gotta run now, back later!

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

05/08/2014 08:29:58 AM · #4

I'm not really a horse photographer, but I can say that they look great when you let the sun backlight them and give it a kiss of flash to bring the foreground up.

jgirl57

05/08/2014 09:05:38 AM · #5

Good Morning!

I am a horse freak ever since I was a baby and always loved horses and use to train them as well for 5 years. My clients were rodeo for barrel and cattle cutting and show horses.. then I had a regular point and shoot camera.

Of course I haven't had the chance to take pictures of horses yet with my DLSR, but I plan on going to Yellowstone and south Dakota and go to the wild horse mustang ranches as part of my trip, so I have been having to do some extra studying what to do as well for any kind of tips I could get especially about the camera settings. It seemed that the tips pretty much were the same from the websites I searched out and from experience but anything newer than that I would like to know if I missed anything or not.

I will have 2 hrs to get my pictures and not enough time for setting up, so its crucial I have things right the first time.

I plan on using my Use a long lens 70-300mm

Also, if its around barn shots and home shots, please whatever you do stay away from the nylon halters and leads, They look like crap in the photos and will downgrade the pictures of what you are taking.. either use leather halters and leads or nothing at all. When I showed horses to train and had to take pics of the horses in training, the nylons just made the pictures worse.. I hated that look, even with the nylon ropes it was nasty and turned out aweful. Back then I had no editing software to make it better, which makes my next point. Pay attention to where the reins and leads are.. unless you plan on doing a lot of photoshop editing. If you are using people they have to watch where the reins are as well, you don't want them gripping the leads and reins making the pic look too tense.

My main goal of these horses is to make sure to get the ears up. Flat back they are mad about something LOL

The way they stand move is important make sure you have all legs in the picture.

I also plan on shooting in Aperture and in manual mode.. Aperture only because I want a few close up shots with bokah and then in manual because its going to be gorgeous backgrounds so I want the whole thing..
I plan on keeping the ISO 200-400 maybe even 800 at max, The F stop has been good for me about F7.1 for the eagle pictures I have taken so I plan on using that, and the shutter speeds high because I want still photos.
I am not into the "blurry" thing with the legs,but you may love the blurr and have your camera set for the right speed you wish.

Also, the last thing I can think of is make sure you shoot the lens with at the mid-shoulder of the horse. I find that is about the perfect spot not making the horse look to short or to high with extra long legs.

I can't wait to try to shoot these horses this summer! But, for the most part they will be free roaming so I am still hunting for more things I can do as well! Any more tips is greatly appreciated as well and I will keep an eye on this post too for extra camera settings that I may be needing to set..

I haven't decided if I need my CP filters on or not or if I need to use "the hood" but the rest of this DLSR is all new to me LOL

have fun with it and good luck!

Message edited by author 2014-05-08 09:18:08.

05/08/2014 09:18:17 AM · #6

Thank you for the replies. This isn't a paid project - it's for a horse rescue but if I could get some decent shots maybe we could sell some prints to raise money.

Snaffles, your action shots are amazing, especially grit. Just wow. Your shots are crisp and concentrate on the horse - the horses I shoot won't be doing anything so grand but it's the majesty you captured that I want to be able to as well. I have access to them most evenings and all day on Saturday. A lot of them are in enclosed fences that aren't attractive but needed as some of the horses are rescued wild horses who have been badly treated. However there are some who have free rein to graze at will. I do have some moose shots indeed :(

Balancedfox - I would like to show the horses out in the fields - most of them aren't suitable for riding - many are pregnant. I want to show how majestic they are in spite of how they were treated in the past. I know if I learn the right angles to shoot from, how to take body shots that are lit correctly - head shots that target their eyes etc. that they will show the spirit of the horse that is just waiting to blossom again .. these horses are all rescues but I don't want to make it about that.

Soon there will be 3 newborns .. I hope to get some shots of them nuzzling their moms, kicking up their feet .. but I need to use the correct settings - fade out the background but keep detail so I can't use too high of an f-stop as I want bokeh plus clarity but with some guidance on what angles to shoot from, camera settings etc as I hope to get something for our promotional material/newsletters.

Corey - I would love to take a shot like you showed. The back-lighting is perfect - I have an off camera flash that I don't know how to use it well.

I will post a few shots but they are meh .. the brown horse is in his upper 20's and he is the horse the kids practice their grooming skills on as he is patient and kind. The other is a honey colored horse that has damage done to it's legs but it's much prettier than what my photo shows it to be.

I'd like to have a plan in mind for when I go back to take photos.

and this one

- as you can see, boring and drab.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

05/08/2014 09:23:13 AM · #7

jgirl57 - you were writing when I was :)

Lots of good info in your post - thank you . I hope you get the shots you want. I like it that you posted your camera Mode and settings. I usually always shoot AP - but I have been away from photography for a few years and just getting my feet back in .. I have time to gather info and prepare and knew I would get the best advice on here.

P-A-U-L

Canon EOS R6

05/08/2014 09:45:09 AM · #8

Here are a couple of horse photos I have taken that may provide inspiration

This one may be a pony (actually they all may be - I am not quite sure what the difference is)

Message edited by author 2014-05-08 09:46:28.

jgirl57

05/08/2014 10:17:03 AM · #9

Thank you!!

I have finally found my favorite settings for when I shoot eagles so I figure as fast as eagles move, horses move too that fast LOL, I plan on using my eagle settings for the horse settings

There are other more pppl here that have awesome setting advice here and I would listen to them! LOL I just had my DLSR less than 4 months so I am still learning alot yet myself.
\
OOO Paul I love those pics and awesome pics on the profile as well snaffles
I really miss my rodeo days!

Message edited by author 2014-05-08 10:20:01.

tanguera

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

05/08/2014 11:28:09 AM · #10

Originally posted by Singspiel:

and this one - as you can see, boring and drab.

For your purposes, these are not bad at all. The single biggest difference between these and other images posted here is that these appear to be unprocessed. These can definitely be improved. As others have pointed out, you need to be mindful of the bg. The location is in a wooded area, so you just need to scout the best place for shooting with an uncluttered bg. The white horse, for example, is good except for the bars. If that is the best location to shoot, those bars can be quite easily removed in ps.

I'm not a horse 'tog, but I do portraits, and the one thing I would say is to not go with a full profile. It's not a particularly dynamic pose. If possible, try to get both eyes to show. Also, as was pointed out, those nylon harnesses are horrid, so if possible, remove them for the shot.

If most of your horses will be this static, you can also achieve a great bokeh by not being so close and shooting with a long lens zoomed in, with a really wide aperture.

rjkstesch

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

05/08/2014 11:32:21 AM · #11

Check out

Littlemav's work. She has photographed horses for years. Great work.

aliqui

Nikon D300s

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

05/08/2014 12:00:28 PM · #12

Like some others have said, I don't think you're so far off on actually taking their photo; they're just not processed.

Here's yours . . . and my quick edit.

Levels - Even just this "levels" step makes a world of difference.
- 0, 1.00, 213

Vibrance
- Vibrance +52
- Contrast +12

Brightness/Contrast
- Contrast +21

Dodge
- One big fuzzy dodge brush on the horse's face to brighten it

Burn
- To make a vignette of sorts

Sharpen, done!

tanguera

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

05/08/2014 12:47:25 PM · #13

And the other is good as well:

Mostly just needing a bit of brightness, and a vignette to focus the eye

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

05/08/2014 02:54:31 PM · #14

PAUl - I had to fav your laughing horse .. it will bring a smile to my face every time I look at it .. thank you .. also for sharing the other shots as well!

rjkstesch - I will check out

Littlemav work for sure. Ohh I just did and her work is so wonderful - I love the B&W shots - I need to learn how to do that. I have more programs than I know how to use. I hope she sees this thread.

Aliqui, thank you for putting the numbers in along with tools you used - that's a great help. Your edit made the horse look so much better.

tanguera, how beautiful you made Honey look - I will do my best to get both eyes and hone up on my cloning skills - a tad rusty but at least they can't be Dqed :)

Unfortunately the nylon halters are the best we have .. and in one case, it took 2 months before the new horse would allow it's halter it arrived in to be removed - let alone grooming .. but so far her front feet have been worked on by the farrier and hopefully the back soon ..Many of these horses were bought out of a huge lot waiting to be sent to Canada or Mexico to be slaughtered and the injuries and sheer terror affect them for months - but they are so amazing and learn to trust again. However, the new colts won't be wearing them and I will practice my Photoshop skills.

Your tips and sharing your photos mean so much to me ... thank you.

edit for my inability to type and chew gum

Message edited by author 2014-05-08 15:06:26.

snaffles

Nikon D7100

05/08/2014 06:56:13 PM · #15

I definitely second (or is it third?)

littlemav, Katie is still training horses and does a great job capturing them.

rmac is also worth a look.

To repeat what others have said, a dead-on profile generally isn't flattering. Horses have long bony heads and from the wrong angle can be very unflattering and draw attention only to that. A 3/4 head shot is good for adult horses. Foals are into frisking around a lot once they learn how to use those legs, have your camera set to shoot fast bursts!

Thanks for the nice comments on my homepage pics, but Heavy Shot isn't the only horse I've shot...but he's so photogenic and knows me, he really does put on a show for me. Anyway here's a bunch of other miscellaneous horse shots from over the years, feel free to PM me if you want details on shooting, if they're not listed in the Photog's comments section below each. I generally don't do much pp, usually just enough to pop the colour without overdoing it.

Message edited by author 2014-05-08 19:06:02.