Introduction

I’m not a professional photographer, but I have a great deal of fun trying to capture beautiful images of my horses. I wanted to share some tips for getting good horse photos. Every year I learn more strategies for getting good Haflinger pictures. My website focuses on the Haflinger breed. But a great deal of these photo tips will be applicable to all horses. If anyone would like to share their own tips with me feel free to email me. You can click here to see more action pictures of Haflinger horses.

What are your objectives for the photo?

The first question is usually simple. Do you want a setup (posed) image? Or do you want an action photo, showing the horse in motion? Both have their purpose, but my personal opinion is that too many people get hung up on the set up photo. If this picture is for something like a sale catalogue, you will want to conform and use a standard set up photo with the horse posed squarely on all four. If your objective is to show the horse off on a website or even in a magazine ad, you’ll probably want a mix of both types of images. Maybe you just want to show a picture of the horses out playing.

How do I do a shot of a “set up” photograph?

I won’t go into great detail or pretend to be a big expert in this area, but basically, you’ll do the following: Set the horse with his weight squarely on all four feet. Different breeds have different expectations. Some like to really stretch out the horse. Some like to really stretch out the neck, holding the head slightly down. I prefer the square, more natural pose.

Personally, I rarely pose a horse in a halter. I prefer to take a natural photo of the horse posed in the field. I find that after being turned out for exercise, horses often pose themselves. After running,they usually stand alertly to survey their surroundings. Remember, they need to be standing squarely and their ears need to be forward. A horse does not look alert in a photo unless his ears are forward.

How do I get a good action photo?

Now, we’re getting a little more interesting. I could stand out in a field and shoot images of Haflingers running all day. But this isn’t the most reliable way to get a good picture. It takes a lot of patience. If I only have ten minutes to get a good shot of a horse, I will default to the most reliable method. I put a halter on the horse and have someone trot the horse in front of me. I’ll ask the leader to stay at least three feet in front of the horse so that I can crop them out of the photo. When showing off a horse, you usually want as few distractions as possible. The lead person always draws attention away from the horse. My favorites are images of horses trotting at full extension. This means the lead person will have to try to get the horse extending as far as possible. This can be very challenging as many horses don't extend fully with a lead person. You may end up getting photos like the ones below.

Another great way to get an action image is to photograph the horse riding, driving, or even ground driving. Horses often look better with a bridle positioning their head and neck. One of my very best horses never seems to look her best running in the field. But she always comes together under saddle or in harness. Again, the only concern with this strategy is the fact that now you have several things distracting from your horse. Here are some concerns: Is your tack clean? Is your rider dressed nicely? Is your rider a good size to show off your horse? Etc.

How do I get a good shot of horses running at liberty?

I love images of haflingers running in the field. But, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen my horses out running and looking beautiful. So I sprint to the house to get my camera. By the time I get back, I’ve missed all the action. I have a couple strategies I use to get my best shots. Whenever I introduce a strange horse into the pasture, I always have my camera ready as I know that they will run and run. If you have several horses, you may also be able to get a similar effect by separating them for a while. Another strategy is for me to take a whip out into the field. I can crack it loudly which will usually get my horses moving. There is a problem with this strategy. After the first couple cracks, the horses will turn, run a little ways away from you and then stop. All of your action shots end up being shots of horses' butts as they run away from you. I find it best to use three people. One with the camera standing in the middle of the field. The other two each hold a whip and stand at opposite ends of the field. They can send the horses back and forth in front of the camera.Babies and stallions are a delight because they need little encouragement to run and play.

Another way is to keep your horse in the stall for a day. Get him all brushed and clean and pretty. Then, turn him loose in a pasture for some exercise.

What type of pasture makes the prettiest shots?

My farm is called Shady Grove Haflingers, and most of my pastures are covered with mature trees. It is a scenic, park like setting. But a tree covered pasture can be challenging to photograph for a few reasons. The first reason is this: sure as heck, all your favorite photos will end up with the horse partly behind a tree. The frustration will drive you crazy. Second, the trees will cause less light which makes action photography more challenging. Third, the trees can sometimes give an odd hue to the photo which can be challenging to work with. I usually like an open field with rolling hills and fields in the background. They are pretty, but create little distraction from your subject. I like a nice cover of short green grass when possible. Power lines can be distracting but sometimes can be removed by someone with good digital skills. Below is a photo that I've always liked, but it was photographed it the trees and has a strange bluish hue from the shadows of the trees.

How do I shoot a good head shot?

The "head shot" or portrait is a great way to show off your horse. One of the most important aspects of horse comformation is a beautiful head. The head should exhibit breed characteristics as well as masculine or feminine traits. Usually, the portrait will display a clean, bright eye. There are many ways to go about capturing the portrait image. I'll share some of the things that I've found helpful. First, it helps to use a lens with a longer focal length. 80-100mm is often a good length. Practically any zoom lens will work. You want your subject in clear focus, but the background should have no distractions whatsoever and is usually out out of focus. I take a lot of portraits by moving 10-20 feet away from the horse and kneeling down. That way I can get a background of clear sky or trees. This perspective also helps create a noble look because you are gazing up at the horse's head. Because these are "artistic" photos, soft light is best. Shoot near sundown, or in the shadows. Portraits should be shot in natural light rather than with a flash, however, you might want to play around with the flash as it can sometimes brighten the twinkle in the eye. You should be far enough away that the flash should not contribute a great deal of light to the photo. It will just brighten things a little includung the eye.

Where should the sun be?

Almost any photographer will tell you that the most “artistic” photos come within few minutes of sunrise or sunset. This is because as the shadows get very long, the light softens and gets a warm glow that brings out beautiful colors in your subject. This may be a good strategy for shooting photos of horses standing in the pasture grazing. But I find that there is never enough light for good action images as you get too close to sunset (or sunrise). I prefer to go a little earlier in the afternoon as the shadows are starting to lengthen. The light is a little softer than the harsh mid-day light, but still bright enough to capture an action photo. Of course, if the purpose of your picture is to show crisp, high speed action of your horse, the color of the light may not be that important. Go ahead and photograph at mid-day.
As far as whether the light should be in front of your subject or behind it, that’s a good question. My advice is don’t worry too much. The horses will be moving around. Some photos will be front lit, some will be backlit, most will be side lit. Each direction sometimes creates a pleasant effect as it throws light and shadow across your horse’s muscular physique.

What type of camera equipment is needed?

This conversation could go on for ever, so I’ll handle it this way. I’ll start by telling you my favorite equipment, and then work backwards to some less expensive options. The best option is a digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) type camera. My camera is a Canon EOS 20D. This camera was introduced in 2004. Although Canon discontinued this model, it is still a good choice either new or used. You can currently get one for $500-$700. It is capable of shooting up to 5 frames per second. The 30D and 40D are the more current models. Canon’s entry level digital SLR’s are the Rebels (currently the 400D). They run about $550. They will shoot up to 3 frames per second. They would also be a good choice although right now the 20D is still my preference. This info will go out of date soon, so I recommend that you compare current models and prices at dpreview.com.

My best lens is the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS, which is an image stabilizing lens. For shooting horses in action, this is the Cadillac. It has a nice long telephoto range. The image stabilizer helps produce clearer images when you are panning a horse across the pasture. The large lens allows the camera to get a quick shutter speed. This helps capture a clear high speed image and it also helps the camera repeat shots quicker to get more frames per second. The lens cost about $1600. This is a lot for a lens, but this lens is extremely popular with photographers. It will hold its value very well if you take good care of it.

Before I got this monster lens, I used another lens that goes for about $600. It is a great lens. I will refer to it as the cheaper lens in this description. It is the Canon 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 IS. For those of you unfamiliar with lens technology, I’ll quickly explain the difference in the lenses. The 300 mm zoom on the cheaper lens means that it zooms in more than the 200 mm zoom on the expensive lens. This is normally a positive. However, the f/2.8 means the expensive lens is a bigger lens that lets in much more light than the cheaper lens. The cheaper lens has a maximum aperture of f/4 and f/5.6 when zoomed out all the way.

The 70-200 mm lens is a professional quality lens. I find that the quality of the images make up for the fact that it doesn’t zoom to 300 mm.

My newest lens is one that I would definitely recommend to someone getting started. It is about $350. It is made by Tamron, which is more of a “budget” brand lens. It is the 28-75mm f/2.8 MACRO. Being an f/2.8, it is a wide aperture lens. It seems to take very nice images. It delivers a whole lot of bang for your buck when photographing horses. Because it doesn't zoom quite as far and it lets in a lot of light, it doesn't need the IS technology. Because it is a quality piece of glass, it really delivers nice images.

The nice thing about the digital SLRs is the fact that you can shoot all day and erase your mistakes with no film processing costs. If you are on a tight budget, you might want to consider buying a film SLR used. You can always get the film processed digitally.It will save you some cash up front, but if you do a lot of images the processing starts to add up.

If you have a compact digital camera, you can still get some nice shots, but you will be more limited. You may need to set up your shots more carefully. Work in bright day light. Get a little closer to your subject. You’ll have to play around to see how much action you can capture. Sometimes, a slight blur in a high speed action shot can be acceptable. Below are some shots a friend took with a compact digital in bright light. They are a little blurry, but still some pretty nice images. Thanks Penny.

Good luck shooting. If you have any experiences or photos you'd like to share with me, feel free to contact me.