Cross Breeds - Tips on taking pictures of horses?

Tips on taking pictures of horses?

So, I am in a black and light photography class, I have a new project coming up that involves just taking pictures of something that interests you. So I'm going to take pictures of the horses of my barn, now please note, I'm not going to be taking like 'professional' shots of the horses, more like action shots, shots in the pasture, ect. Any tips? I am really just a beginner. Black and white, not light. Bobbi, I think she means photoshopping it ,but I don't know how I'd do that if it is film.

Public Comments

I LOVE photgraphy I am a beginner to and I think almost anyhting looks good in blakc and white. All i can really say is never center your picture it is really boring. Action shots are pretty hard though.
hmmm... I love to take pics of my horse! For action shots, i'd try to get my horse running, or jumping, or somthing interesting. can you ride bareback? If you can, Ask somone to take a picture of you running bareback, I have lots of those! -jess ;]
Well I would get a calm quiet horse put him in an enclosed arena and as hes walking get like a zoom in on his head or a shot were your on the ground wit the camera looking up at a horse's face maybe get him to stick his tongue out good luck
The rules for taking horse photos remain the same, whether showing or otherwise. Remember your angles to accentuate certain attributes of your horse. In other words, stand just a hair to the rear when taking a side shot, that way, the forehand and head won't look larger than the other end. Unless you are trying for a comical shot, leave the head on shots alone, unless you are trying to capture a cowlick or something unusual on the head. Always make sure that ears are forward, and if the horse is moving, make sure that the front foot closest to you is on the ground when you shoot. It makes the horse look more balanced. I always like to see closeups of the eyes of a horse, or the nostrils flaring. Actions shots are great if you can catch all four feet off the ground at the same time. Remember your back lighting, it can make or break your photo. EDIT******How do you make an eye blue if you are shooting black and white?
Ok first try to get him trotting or or loping slowly(color). Make sure he is in the center of these.If your horse is stubborn try giving him a slight jump by waving you're arms and shouting Atch Atch.That may make him rear,put you're camera and the fastest catching speed you can get a great shot of the side of the rearing horse,if the horse is a pinto BLACK AND WHITE then make his eye blue,trust me it is amazing!
ah ha! my secound love, photography. if your an action shot kindof person (we'll say you want to take a pic of someone jumping, k?) if you want a clear, frozen in mid-air pic do this: set the shutter speed to something FAST like 1/250-1/1000 of a secound. while looking through the lens, follow the horse and rider in motion.(panning) If your using an SLR (a camera where you push the button, then wind the film again) you'll want to snap the picture at just the right moment. so maybe when the horse first takes off, or any time between then and landing, snap a pic. Try it a lot, film is cheap. for a motion-blurred pic, set the shutter speed to something slow, anything below 1/125 of a secound. i don't recommend going lower than 1/30 or 1/15, cuz it might be too blurred, but you can try it. than do the same as before, follow the horse (pan) over the jump and take a pic. if you use digital, you can get the motion blurred effect in photoshop. lol i know this is a lotta info, but i love photography. if you have any questions, feel free to send me a message, or i can just add more. hope you get some super pics!
I love taking pictures of horses. What you have to remember is, you are trying to capture the life of the scene. Which means that you need to focus on what you are taking a picture of, and and capture the movement. Pictures that turn out really good, is of horses running! So if you can capture a picture of a horse cantering, galloping, or even trotting, then it can turn out amazingly! Or, take a picture of someone riding a horse at a canter, or trot. Also, if you can capture a picture of a horse standing tall, and strong, the picture usually always turns out good. If a picture doesn't turn out well, don't get frustrated, you are only a beginner. But you can always find something beautiful about a picture! Good Luck!
dont put the pic dead in the center, and get one of the heard running or an individual running. try to fit a tree in your pic, or some kind of other thing other than just the grass, horse, and fence-good luck!!
Well, I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY!!! -I would suggest asking someone to get on the horse bareback for like 2 seconds and hug the horse. -A jumping shot would be really cool, but make sure the flash is off, because it WILL spook the horse (i found that out the hardway... WILL involve a high rear and a bolt) -That one moment of suspension in galloping is really cool as well. see if u cant get a horse to run really fast... ? ENjoy and good luck on the project
hmm, all that i could tell you is that i am a beginner too, and i have tried taking pics of horses too. i find that experimenting really helps. don't just go out and take lots of photos at one time. Go out many times, take photos at night, during the day, stormy weather, sunny weather. Variety really helps you play around with the settings and you can gain a lot of experience. I find the best thing I can do is just to practice and practice in different situations and settings. It really helps! Good luck!
Shoot in the morning or evening, that's when the lighting is best. Have somebody in the pasture w/ you to keep the horses attention (ears forward, etc). They can also hold the reflector. If doing action shots, up your shutter speed. You could also turn down the appature for blurring in the background, if it's kinda undesirable (the lower the number, the more light you let in. the more light you let in, the blurrier the background). For b&w pics. with a blue eye you have to edit in photoshop. Check out www.littlehousephotography.net and www.littlehousephoto.blogspot.com Good luck and have lots of fun:)
Try to get interesting angles on the horses. If you can climb the fences and get shots above them or below it would be cool (careful of hooves and stuff). Also, make sure the picture draws the viewers attention from one end to the other so they don't get stuck looking at something blurry in the center.
Tip 1: Don't use a flash, it can do funny things to your image Tip 2: Have Camera ready AT ALL TIMES you never know when a once in a life time...event can happen! Tip 3: Blurry pictures (if done the correct way) can be really good. Tip 4: Still shots (such as a dark stall, brush box etc.) can be really effective to your project, and very Dramatic. Tip 5: Imperfections are perfect. I find this to be the best tip. If you make everything perfect, the pictures look unnatural (especially with horses.) The best Black and White I have taken was of a line of parking meters, all straight except one that was bent. If you have to...make imperfections! Good Luck with your project! -Nov
For a close-up, horses look best with their ears forward, although getting a shot with the ears pinned back could also be interesting. Shoot the pic at eye level or aiming upward. Pics that are shot pointing down make the horse look out of proportion. For B&W, you could try to get a shot taken with horses in shadows or morning fog. Avoid backgrounds that have a tree or pole that seems to be running through the horse. Getting several horses looking at something together is also a good shot. The first link below is to some shots I've taken with a digital camera and edited on the computer. The second link may give you some ideas you can use.
Here is an article on taking photos of horses. It should help you out with some ideas. Have fun, your project sounds great! Taking Great Horse Photos http://www.liverystable.net/taking_great_horse_photos.html
Use at least 400 (TRI-X) ISO Film so you can shoot 1/250 or faster. Shoot at an fstop as slow as lighting conditions allow, best between f4 and F8. Any depth of field shallower and you may have difficulty focusing. Make sure your focus is on what you are trying to show (eg. the eye of the horse) legs might show motion blur highlighting the action. Shoot from an unconventional point of view such as from ground level. Make sure your horse is moving INTO the frame, not out of it. Make sure your exposure is right on so you can get a full range of white to black in your print. Take a look at this photo for an idea for B&W Action: http://jim-arnold.blogspot.com/2008/10/playday-photography-from-different.html
Unless you want the photo to look like the horse has a really big head, don't angle your shots from the front unless it is straight in front