Taking quality horse photos can sometimes be intimidating. Especially in the world of Instagram, where aesthetic pictures go a long way to promoting your business and/ or making your equines stand out. The same can be said for videos, but that’s another article…
Let’s take a look at 5 aspects of good horse photos:
Let There be Light!
Beautiful photos can be taken in the early morning after sunrise or at golden hour, with the sun just above the horizon. When you take pictures in the middle of the day, be sure that the sun is behind you and shining on the horse.
Even if the sun is overhead, observe the way the shadows fall and stand opposite to them. Take some practice shots at different times to get a feel of the lighting in a particular area.
Optical Zoom
What type of zoom you’re using is critical to taking stunning horse photos! You can take good photos with your smartphone, but they’re more difficult to adjust than a camera. “Point and shoot” cameras that have an optical zoom that goes at least 200mm are a great choice!. (Coming soon: an article about horse photography with an iPhone.)
For even nicer looking pictures, get a quality camera with exchangeable lenses. Canon, Nikon or Sony are all excellent cameras! Choose the body of the camera and lenses that match the type of photography you’ll be doing.
If a purchase isn’t in your budget right now, borrowlenses.com will let you rent the equipment you need.
Rule of Thirds
Placement of the horse within the frame matters! Are you familiar with the “rule of thirds?” It’s a photography rule where the photograph should be able to be divided into thirds up and down and side to side. This creates the appearance of centering or balance.
Shooting from a crouched position is excellent if you’re far away from the horse. If you’re twenty feet or closer, standing is better. This helps give the horse photo more depth.
Timing and Action Shots
Timing shots of horses mid-air or galloping can be tricky, but practice makes perfect better. If you’re beginning, start by setting your camera to sports mode so you can shoot continuously. Make sure you have a memory card that can record and process images quickly, like the Scandisk Extreme PLUS.
If it’s a bright, sunny day outside, congrats! You have the best light for jumping and galloping shots. Bright light helps capture non-blurry, fast-moving subjects. On a cloudy day, or indoors, capturing great action shots may be more of a challenge.
Obviously…
This all goes without saying if you’ve spent any amount of time around horses, but: don’t scare the horse. If your photo subjects are competing, it’s best not to distract them.
Step back from the fence a bit when the horse and rider come around. Always walk and never run. If you’re shooting in a crouched position, slowly transition to standing when the horse and rider come up to you.
Especially if you don’t know the horse you’re photographing, mute any beeping noises and never use flash. The flash might ruin a chance at a decent picture, spook the horse and blind the rider.
Take more photos than you need and carry a longe or dressage whip if you’re with unknown free horses in a pasture.
Posting Those Horse Photos
Ready to go take those insta-worthy horse photos? Post it to your social media with fitting hashtags so old and new fans alike can discover it. Whether you have a business or just a personal account, you can reach out to new followers and fans with your high-quality horse shots!
If you’d like to make your business stand out online and on social media, grow your clientele and save time, contact Catherine for a free 30-minute consultation about your business needs and goals.
