Ginger in front of the Adobe wall

I was invited by the Taos Art School in Taos, New Mexico to teach a 4 day workshop on Horse Photography this fall of 2011.
The idea was to provide the students with experience shooting a variety of breeds of horses in a variety of settings, and to provide instruction and hands on coaching while shooting.

Ginger looks

On our first day, after a lecture and slideshow, Ginger, a Missouri Fox Trotter, came to our hotel, and the students photographed her in a a variety of settings.

Ginger with her owner Karen

Releasing the horse so he can run in - this time I am standing upright

I just got back from an amazing trip to Camargue, France where I was able to photograph the Camargue horses in a number of wonderful settings.
Today I will be talking about adjusting your position in order to get a better photograph, using a couple of images from the trip.

Down low - the ears are in the horizon line

We were at the beach, and normally I would say get low to get a better shot – these are small horses, and usually I tell people to get eye level or below with their subjects. However, this time that was not good advice! With the beach dropping down from where we were standing, when I got low, I had the horizon cutting across behind the horse’s head.

Shooting from higher up the horizon disappears

And when I stood up and got my angle higher, the horizon disappeared from behind the horse and I could crop it out, making for a much more pleasing photo and emphasizing my subject. Always try different things, and see what you like.

Backlight adds drama to this image of a cowboy and the horse herd

Light is the most important tool that a photographer can use.  In this post I will discuss backlight, which is different than direct light.  When you are using backlight, you are shooting directly into the sun, which is behind your subjects.  Use the lens hood on your camera lens to minimize flare.  The best time of day to do this is early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun is lowest in the sky.  The effect you will achieve is the details of your subject will be darkened.  You can get a glow around your subject as well.

Wild Horses at sunrise create a dramatic silhouette

You can capture a dramatic sunrise or sunset in the background, which will add drama to your images. Find out what time the sun will be rising or setting, and where, and place your subject in front of the sun.  The subject can also end up all black, in a silhouette which is beautiful for artistic images. Practice using backlight in different settings and at different times of the day.

A silhouette gives a feeling of intimacy in the image

Cowboy and his horse pulling a Christmas Tree in the snow

After the snow has fallen, and the sun comes out in the afternoon or the next day, you can have a beautiful untouched snowscape for your photographs.

If the sun is shining and there is snow on the ground, you will have a very bright scene, because the snow will reflect the light.  You need to decrease your ISO to probably 100 or 200.  But you do not want to blow out the detail on the snow by overexposing  and you do not want gray looking snow because your light meter underexposes the scene. To get a well exposed photo in the snow you will want to increase your exposure compensation in your camera to +1 or +2.  If you are using a point and shoot that does not have a control for exposure compensation, then meter for the sky using spot metering or partial metering.

Three horses run together in the snow

If you are shooting a horse in action in the snow, make sure you use shutter priority and increase your shutter speed to at least 1/1000.  You can photograph people riding in the snow, horses running in the snow, and even wild horses in the snow.  Bundle up, and enjoy!

Wild stallion in Adobe Town, WY on New Years Day

Close up of an Anadalusian Stallion in the falling snow

My very favorite time to photograph horses is when they are in the snow. As long as I am bundled up so that I am not cold, I can stay out for hours photographing.

There are two different times I do snow photography – when it is snowing, and after it has snowed, and cleared up.  Today I will discuss photographing when it is snowing. First,  make sure you cover your camera up, especially if you are going to be out for a long time. You can buy those expensive camera covers but I will often just use a plastic bag, and have a towel handy to dry off my camera.

Morgan gelding trotting in the snow

Now, when you approach your subject, keep in mind that your autofocus is going to try to focus on the falling snowflakes, not the horse.  I usually put my focus on manual so I can focus on the horse, not the snowflakes.

Next, if it is snowing, it will be overcast, so make sure you increase your iso high enough – you may need 500, 640, or even 800 or 1000 if you are wanting to capture a moving horse.

Andalusian Mare running in the snow, which has turned into a blizzard

Then, because you have a snowy mostly white scene you might need to increase your exposure compensation to as much as +1 or even +2 to get your exposure right.  Your light meter is going to give you readings to get an average GREY scene, but you want a white scene, hence the need to use compensation.  Check your camera’s manual to see how to do this.  Try portraits when the horse is standing still, get the snow on his back, the icicles in his mane and whiskers if he has been outside for a while,  and then get your subject moving, kicking up the snow.

Photographing the levade indoors using flash

Of course it is also good to photograph OUTDOORS when the weather is bad, but that will be another post!
Today I am going to talk about photographing in indoor arenas. There are a number of different ways to approach this, and it all depends upon your equipment and the facility where you are shooting.
You may have seen shows where the show photographer has set up flashes high up in the rafters of the arena and these fire as the horse goes by. This is not the system I used when I used to photograph shows indoors but it is certainly a system that works well – I have seen it used for jumping and barrel racing.

Photographing at an exhibition using flash

I am going to discuss shooting with a single flash mounted on the camera. The integrated flashes that come with many cameras today are a piece of junk. You need to use a flash mounted on top of your camera to get good results. Use a tripod or monopod to support the camera, and set the flash on TTL and high speed if you are going to be photographing action, and adjust it to the length lens you will be using. Pick out a spot in the arena where the horses go by and the background is uncluttered and put yourself in front of that area, and shoot when they go by. Your single flash will not be able to cover the entire arena so you want to concentrate on where it does work. I set the camera at about 500 ISO, and out the shutter speed as high as it will go indoors, usually 1/400th.

"Flash Eye" on a horse

One issue with shooting like this is that you will get “flash eye” on the horse and rider and need to fix it in photoshop later. Another issue is you may have riders who are nervous about their horses spooking at the flash, and they will ask you not to use it. I never flash a horse directly in the face as he is approaching me, and you never want to scare a horse and put a rider in a potentially bad situation, so be sensitive to your subjects and how they react to the flash. Just as with other aspects of photography, practice, practice, practice! This is perfect for wintertime when you are stuck inside.

Stallion nuzzling his mare in the winter

I was giving a talk on Monday about our wild horses at Medicine Horse in Boulder, CO, and one of the last things I left people with was that wild horses are on our public lands, and they should try to get out and see them while the wild ones are still out there, wild and free. There is a great guidebook, Lisa Dine’s The American Mustang Guidebook, available at Amazon, that gives you guidance on how to go see them and areas to go. You can also just Google search for wild horse areas + BLM in the state you want to go.

Two bachelor stallions, doing mutual grooming

Today I am going to talk about taking photographs of wild horses. First of all, most of them are going to be quite skittish so you need a long lens. if you like zooms, I recommend the 100 – 400 or the 80 – 400. Usually a 300 will not be long enough. For a fixed lens, I recommend 400, 500, or 600. I like to use the 500 with a monopod or a tripod if I am going to stay in one place. What I like about the tripod is it is not as heavy and cumbersome as a tripod, and if I am going to sit in the ground, it is easier to fold up and get down quickly.

Grey stallion trots up to me to investigate

The best way to get close to wild horses is to approach slowly and quietly, then watch and wait. Don’t sneak up on them – they will run. See where their flight zone is – it might be quite far out – and stop there and wait. I like to sit down on the ground and quietly watch them, and they will often come very close to investigate. Horses are curious. Then, if I am quiet enough, they might go back to their normal activities – and it is that interaction that I want to capture with my camera.

A rainy, overcast day in Spain

Not every day will be bright and sunny – and that is a good thing! I have taken some wonderful photographs on overcast days.
One advantage to shooting with overcast is that you do not have to be concerned about your human subject squinting and the light is more even. Also, you can shoot longer into the day instead of having to worry about just early in the morning or just last in the afternoon to get good light – there is no issue of the light becoming harsh.

It is easier to photograph horses and humans together on a cloudy day

What should you pay attention to with your settings on an overcast day? Well, ISO is the main issue. ISO in the days of film (I know many of you may still be using film so this applies to you!) measured how sensitive the film you were using was to light – the higher the number, the more sensitive. Now using digital ISO is a measure of the sensitivity of the sensor in your camera – the higher the number, the more sensitive – but also the higher the number, the more grain or noise.
If you are shooting on an overcast day you will have to raise your ISO to get the correct setting for your images. Usually on a cloudy day, my ISO is at at least 640 and if I am shooting action I need even more sensitivity in order to freeze the action at a higher shutter speed, so I may go to 1000 or even higher.
Most of the newer digital cameras have very little noise with higher ISOs and newer films have much less grain. Try to experiment shooting under different light conditions, and you will expand your opportunities to get good photographs of horses.

A grey horse shows up beautifully on an overcast day

Girl and her horse just inside the barn

Have you ever found yourself going to a location to shoot photos of a horse, and being disappointed when you arrive by the backgrounds?  I have been to some farms that have lots of clutter and no pretty views or trees.  At that point, I need to get creative.

Just inside the barn, a girl kisses her horse

One of my favorite options is to use the barn.  You can use the side of the barn as a background if it is plain, and sometimes and old barn will be really beautiful.  Or, you can use inside the barn.  If you get your subject just inside the barn, looking out, and you shoot from outside the barn, then inside the barn will go black making a perfect uncluttered background.  Make sure you expose for the horse and/or person, not the barn interior. 

Looking out from inside the barn, a girl braiding her horse

Another option is to shoot from inside the barn, with your subject just inside the door – they will be a silhouette, which can be very beautiful. You can expose for outside, and your subject will be dark. When you are processing the photo, you can bump up the contrast to increase the drama. If you like, you can also convert the image to black and white.

Paso Fino stallion and his rider just inside the barn

A beautiful sorrel mustang mare running in front of the aspens

Photographing horses, we are lucky to be outside most of the time.  Make the most of your opportunities when the seasons turn, and provide you with a  palette of colors. Right now it is fall in Colorado, and when I was scheduled to do a shoot in the mountains, I wanted to make the most of the beautiful fall colors.  Right now, the aspens are turning yellow in the mountains, and so I placed my subjects in front of the colorful trees.   Get out and enjoy the fall, and remember to bring your camera along!

Shade from the leaves dapple horse and rider in front of fall colors

Don’t forget there are other seasons to take advantage of as well - my favorite season to photograph is winter, when there is snow on the ground.  Budding spring leaves and grasses with their rich green tones are beautiful to use as backgrounds as well.

Horse and rider against the rich fall colored leaves