| If you love horses and love photography, equestrian | | | | exceptional photographs on a cloudy, overcast |
| photography could be the perfect hobby for you. It | | | | day-which makes for great diffused light-(remember, |
| gives you a great opportunity to spend lots of time | | | | don't use the flash) safely from outside the pasture |
| around these beautiful animals and get some really | | | | fence. |
| great shots. | | | | If the horse voluntarily comes closer to you and the |
| First, determine what kinds of equestrian photographs | | | | fence line, stand still, don't make any sudden moves, |
| you'd like to take. You could take photos of horses | | | | and allow the horse to sniff you and your camera to |
| grazing or eating, horses running through the pasture, | | | | get acquainted with you. Developing a friendly |
| formal portraits of horses with riders, informal shots | | | | relationship with the horse from the safe side of the |
| showing the relationships between horse and rider, | | | | fence may also enable you to get some great |
| action shots at horse shows and competitions, rodeo | | | | close-up shots. |
| photos, or all of the above-and that's just the beginning | | | | As a rule, though, if you want to capture close-up |
| of all the photo opportunities that exist with horses. | | | | images of horses, their heads and manes, or other |
| Good equestrian photography requires good | | | | equestrian features and details, your best bet is to use |
| equipment, an eye for composition, knowledge of both, | | | | a telephoto lens to zoom in close without actually |
| horses and photography, patience, practice, and of | | | | getting to close to the animal. |
| course, the opportunity to be around horses. | | | | If you plan to photograph horses and riders while |
| Expert equestrian photographers recommend using a | | | | trotting, galloping, or running their horses-or rodeo |
| DSLR (not a point and shoot) camera with a 70-200 | | | | events such as roping events, barrel racing, wild |
| mm telephoto lens along with natural lighting-no flash. | | | | bronco riding-or horse racing, you will need a camera |
| Flash lighting can spook many horses and result in | | | | with a fast shutter speed to capture sharp action |
| unnecessary injuries for either a rider or the | | | | shots. 1/1000 of a sec or faster at an ISO 400 using |
| photographer. Avoid use of the wide angle lens, as it | | | | the shutter speed priority mode is a great place to |
| causes distortion. (If shooting a horse from the front, | | | | start. |
| for example, the horse's head may appear unnaturally | | | | When composing equestrian photos, especially for a |
| large with the rear and hind legs looking too small.) | | | | front or head shot, focus on the horse's eyes, just as |
| Always maintain a healthy respect for the horse you | | | | you would with a human subject. If you are shooting a |
| are photographing and keep your distance, especially if | | | | photo of a horse in a pasture, leave space around the |
| you do not have experience with horses or know this | | | | horse. A good technique is to adopt the rule of thirds |
| particular animal well. Horses are flight animals and | | | | and place the horse so it looks as it if is walking or |
| may jump, bolt, or run if startled. | | | | running into the photograph, not out of the scene. |
| Shooting photographs of horses grazing outdoors in a | | | | With a little luck and a lot of practice, equestrian |
| pasture is the best place to start. Using a camera with | | | | photography can be a lot of fun and result in some |
| even a small amount of zoom, you can shoot | | | | awesome photographs for horse lovers. |