Equine photography is a whole lot different than any other type of photography but in another point of view it really resembles some types of photography, such as Wildlife Photography or Dog photography. Equine Photography is a very big name, within Equine photography we have the photography of equine events, the photography of horses from private horse owners but also the photogr
aphy for studs such as breeding farms and important sport stables. And within those shoots we have the standing, the action and the riding photography. Today I'll talk with you about photographing a horse in general.
There are 2 main points to keep in mind when photographing horses:
1. The photographic part, which concludes the technology, the creativity and the message that you want to tell with the photo.
2. The part of having knowledge about horses and how to work with them to
avoid dangerous situations. Therefore you also should know how to make a horse
look 'flattering' or beautiful on a photo.
I never use a flash with any animal, the reason? Well think about someone flashing at you all the time, you do not like it, and I know we shouldn't compare animals to humans but there are many animals that are a lot more sensitive than we humans, Therefore a horse could also be scared of a flash which would result in having a dangerous situation. Next to safety I respect the horse and it's natural instinct.
The horse is known as an elegant creature with pure strength and 'blue blood' (from the lord). This is what I want to see back in my photo's, an elegant horse with lots of strength, and per breed I'd like to see these little characteristics of what they are known for.
It sometimes can be difficult to get a horse's. What I use a lot to get the horse's attention are horse sounds, but this does not always work, what otherwise could work are balloons, whips with plastic bags, and if that doesn't help you could also let someone go crazy or walk with another horse in the direction that you want the horse to be looking to. Warning: watch out with these tricks and first discuss with the owner as you most of the time do not know the horse.
Like any other type of photography you should look out for your position, exposure, composition, background, light etc. What really helps for me is to make a moodboard for the shoot so I have a theme and have an idea of how I should make the photos.
In the next Equine photography tips blog I will go further in the details of horse photography, in the mean time, enjoy christmas and keep photographing!
"Photography is an art of observation, it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them" - Elliot Erwitt
Xoxo Lisa
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