Horse Photography
Horses are some of the most beautiful and graceful animals on the planet. No matter where they may be – in a field, on a farm, racing, or on a wooded trail, they can strike a person with awe and wonder. Unfortunately, their image is not so easy to capture with a camera as it is with the human eye. Horse photography is a specific skill that can take years of practice to perfect. A few simple tips can help you on your journey toward becoming a skilled horse photographer, which will allow you to draw the most pleasure out of the hobby as you can.
Equipment
The first thing you will need after deciding to sharpen your skill with horse photography is the right equipment for the job. At a bare minimum, you will need a 60 mm macro lens. What is even better is a 100 mm lens. The best lens you can get is a 70 mm to 200 mm telescopic lens. The reason for the long lenses is that it helps you get more realistic close-ups of horses. With a shorter lens you will have to stand far away or the horse will appear distorted in the final picture. Even if you don’t plan on getting super close-up shots, these longer lenses will give you the best mid-range shots, also.
Timing
Before you take a horse’s picture, you will want to take a good look at the horse to make sure it is content and happy. A tense or angry horse does not make for a good photo. To determine if the horse is worthy of photographing at the moment, look at its ears. If the ears are laid back, it is not happy, and any photos you take of the horse will not be pretty. When a horse is happy, its ears are leaning forward. Another word of caution is to not use a flash near a horse. It will only startle it.
Experimentation
Don’t be afraid to experiment with a shot. Sometimes this is the only way to discover what is possible with this particular horse in its particular location. For smaller ponies, you may have to crouch down to make is look taller. Sometimes a three-quarter shot is the most flattering, and other times, as side angle works best. One word of caution is that straight-on photos never work for horses. It distorts the size of the head and makes them look like they have small bodies.
Light
Lighting is important for horse photography. The sun should be at your back and in a position to reflect from the horse’s eye. Make sure they eye is in focus, and it has a glint from your light source. Without this, a horse can look as if it is expressionless, blank, or zombie-like. The light adds a spark of awareness. Also, make sure there is enough light so that the horse’s coat has a nice sheen, but not too much that it causes too much contrast. Conversely, not enough light will create deep shadows that can spoil the picture.