Why the article?…

I find the more time I spend here at dA and the more deviations I submit the more I am asked about how I took a certain photograph, which settings I used or how 'lucky' I am to be able to take such great equine images. While I agree that having a good eye for detail plays an important role in all photography, the techniques that I employ can literally be learned by anyone and after that, it is really just a matter of practice and experience.

I in no way consider myself an authority on equine photography, you only have to look around dA and you will soon discover that I am but a small fish in a VERY large pond. In saying that however, I do think I have some knowledge to offer those of you who are just starting out and so I thought I would share some of my experience. If this article proves to become popular and helpful, I am happy to make it a regular item and delve into specific topics with more detail.

For now however, here are my basic tips on shooting horses (with a camera!)...

# Tip One - Buy a GOOD book(s) on Photographic techniques...

I cannot emphasise this point enough! What I have learned about photography I have learned from books. A good book on photographic techniques will teach you all you need to know about taking a photo the rest then is up to you. I have one, which I consider to be my 'bible' called 'The A-Z of Creative Photography' by Lee Frost. [link] It is the only book I own that I will NOT lend out to others, cause I am petrified it wont come back!!

# Tip Two - Learn everything there is to know about your camera...

Read your camera's manual thoroughly and ALWAYS keep it in amongst your photography gear. Better still buy a user's guidebook specifically written about your camera and learn it cover to cover. Believe me, you will KICK yourself if you miss out on a beautiful photographic moment because you couldn't be bothered learning how to adjust the settings on your camera and trust me when I say, it will happen if you don't!

# Tip Three - Keep a notebook in your camera bag and fill it with your growing knowledge...

This goes hand in hand with the above two points. I have a notebook in my camera bag, which I use to keep a record of any photographic techniques or camera settings, etc. that I find useful. It's hard enough lugging around all your camera gear without carting a thousand photography books with you, so I make little notes in my book such as 'How to photograph a waterfall', 'How to take backlit images', 'How to adjust my camera's exposure settings'... anything that you find of value which you might use. Don't rely on your memory alone it will let you down!

# Tip Four - If your camera is capable of it, always shoot in RAW...

This issue is a highly debatable one in photographic circles. I have had several arguments over it with other photographers, however this article is based upon what I do personally, so I'll tell you why I ALWAYS shoot in RAW file format. For starters the RAW file format gives you much more control over your image. Using the conversion software you can adjust the image sharpness, contrast, tone & colour, add filters, adjust the white balance, adjust the exposure by two stops either direction and choose which format and resolution you want the file saved at, as well as other adjustments. If you shoot in JPG format, once the image is taken, aside from the post processing in Photoshop, you are very limited with what you can do to 'fix' any problems that may arise. The draw back with shooting RAW is of course the space needed to store the much larger files on your memory card, but that is of little consequence when you consider what you are really after is the best image quality available. Shooting in RAW also enables you to convert several copies of the one image into different exposures so that you can then create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image out of them. You simply cannot achieve all this with JPG.

# Tip Five - Forget about the program mode, be bold and use the TV and AV settings...

I have friends who own a digital SLR and the camera spends its entire life never getting out of the 'P' mode. In effect they have purchased an expensive toy that is good to look at but will never have the opportunity to reach it's full potential. The 'AV' and 'TV' modes in my opinion are the equine photographer's best friends. The 'AV' mode allows you to specify the size of the aperture (while the camera does the rest), which is great for portraits, close ups and any shots where you want to control the depth of field relating to the background and/or foreground of your subject (amount of blur). The 'TV' mode allows you to specify the speed of the shutter (while the camera does the rest), which is obviously great for action, low light or deliberate slow exposure shots where you want to control the clarity and sharpness of a moving object. I could write an article alone on the beneficial uses of these two modes, however it is probably suffice at this point just to mention their use in specific photographic situations.

# Tip Six - When photographing horses set the auto focus setting to 'AI Focus'...

There are three auto focus settings, 'One Shot', 'AI Focus' and 'AI Servo'. The basic difference between them is this... 'One Shot' focuses on a fixed point in the image, if the subject moves the focus remains where it was originally set. This is very handy if the horse you are photographing is a statue, but as we all know they are likely to move at the most inopportune moment so we need to set our auto focus accordingly, this is where 'AI Focus' comes in. With 'AI Focus' the camera sets the initial focus at a fixed point, if your subject matter begins to move, your camera then continues to track your subject making focus adjustments as required until you take the image. The final setting of 'AI Servo' is for tracking fast moving objects; the camera continues to adjust focus on the moving object. Out of all three settings 'AI Focus' is the one I use most, it gives me the best of both worlds when photographing horses.

# Tip Seven - Don't forget the ISO...

Generally speaking the ISO dictates how much light is allowed into the camera in order to take a photograph, think of it as the 'film' speed. In terms of photographing horses there are three main settings I use, 100, 400 and 1600. The major thing to remember with the ISO settings is the smaller the number the less noise (better quality) the final image will have. For hand held shots in the daytime where there is little movement, such as portraits, still life's or paddock shots, I use the setting at 100. For action shots during the daytime, such as horse racing, jumping, show horses or any sort of movement, I use the setting at 400. For low light shots where there is no movement I will put the camera on a tripod, which allows me to use a longer exposure and set the ISO at 100. If I have to hand hold for low light situations or I need a faster shutter speed for say indoor jumping, I will set the camera at 1600 (or 800 if the lighting allows). Those are my basic principles with regards to ISO settings and their use, but everyone is different and the best way to find out what works for you is to play around with them.

# Tip Eight - Always try to shoot full frame whenever possible...

By that I mean check your composition carefully before you press the shutter button all the way down to take the shot. Try not to have anything in the frame that you don't want in there. Be deliberate and particular about what you include or leave out. Don't be lazy and think, oh well I can always crop it out afterwards. Yes it's true you can crop afterwards, but bare in mind you are wasting valuable pixels if you do that and are ultimately jeopardizing the quality and resolution of your final image. Learn to train your eye to include only what you want in the frame. This was a very important lesson I learned personally from a great photographer by the name of Michael Coyne [link] who has shot images for National Geographic and Time Magazine!

# Tip Nine - Always think outside the box and don't always shoot the obvious...

Another important lesson I learned from Michael. Don't be lazy!! Use your legs, not your zoom! Not all good images are the obvious ones. Sometimes looking around you, behind you, below you, above you, changing your angle, walking a step to the left or right, forward or back can really change the perspective of an image and make all the difference between it being just plain ordinary or visually stunning. In saying that, there is nothing wrong with using your zoom when you can't get any closer, but don't rely on it alone. Let your legs do the zooming for you, your images will be all the better because of it.

# Tip Ten - Be careful of your backgrounds...

Let's face it, horses are incredibly beautiful creatures, but no matter how beautiful the horse is that your are photographing, or how stunning his movement is that you capture, if there is a distracting background behind him, it will ruin the shot. It is that simple! So again keep your eyes on everything within the frame, not just the subject matter. If you need to move your feet a little (or the horse) to eliminate an unsightly pole jutting out of his head, or wait a few extra minutes for him to canter past an area with a nice clean background, then do so. Don't take the easy way out and think oh I can just clone it out afterwards; you might not be able to! I am a great believer in getting things right to start with and not relying on fate and expensive software to fix my inadequacies as a photographer (another popular argument I have with other photographers!).

# Tip Eleven - Always focus on the eyes...

This might seem like a trivial thing, but you'd be surprised how many good images were ruined because this factor wasn't even considered. When photographing horses (or any living creature for that matter), always focus on the eyes. I cannot stress this point enough. It will surely make or break your image. If you don't believe me have a look at an image of a horse where the eyes are sharp but the focus is slightly off in the rest of the body and compare it to one where the body is sharp but the focus on the eyes is slightly off. I can guarantee you will find the former, a more pleasing image, basically because when we look at any living creature we are drawn to their eyes, if they are soft and out of focus, the image loses it's impact.

# Tip Twelve - Ears forward my friend...

Another distracting thing that can make or break an image of a horse is the position of its ears. No matter what image you are taking, if it has ears involved, your photograph will benefit enormously if you can get your subject to prick his ears forward. There are exceptions to this rule of course; however generally speaking, ears forward is the way to go. It shows attention, attitude, pride, confidence and all those things we want our horses to exude through our images. It may seem like a simple thing, but sometimes it requires a LOT of patience and an assistant with a bucket of oats to achieve!

# Tip Thirteen - Take plenty of images, in other words, practice...

Ah yes, the 'p' word, practice! When it comes to photographing horses you cannot practice enough. I'll let you in on a little secret, for every decent equine deviation I submit there are probably 30 or so others that don't make the grade. Let's face it, we are photographing a living being which I am pretty sure has the attention span of a gnat! You are going to have times where you will shoot a couple of dozen images and have nothing to show for it. Then again, you might have days when you shoot one or two and they turn out incredible. Every good photographer will tell you that taking any sort of image is a learned skill that comes through time, patience and experience so get out there amongst the equines and practice, practice, PRACTICE!!

# Tip Fourteen - Do not delete images from your memory card...

You might not know it just yet, but that one 'bad' image that you took may very well teach you more about your photography than that one 'perfect' shot. The beauty of the digital camera is the instant feedback it gives us. Learn from it. Learn also to critique your own work honestly (be kind to yourself, you are learning!!) and make moves to correct the mistakes so that you don't waste another opportunity. This is the best way to improve. Also, you never know, that one 'bad' image might be salvageable through the conversion process and turn out to be a gem!!

# Tip Fifteen - Look at a lot of different photographers and their work...

Another good way to learn is to look at a LOT of different photographers and their work, particularly in the fields that interest you the most. Have a look at equine photos of all types, from the very famous to the not so famous. If you find an image here on dA that you really like, ask the photographer how they did it. You may find them more than willing to pass on some valuable advice. I for one have no problem with telling others how I took a certain image; in fact I am flattered that they like it enough to ask. Seeing how others approach the subject matter in an image and trying to recreate it yourself is a great way to get inspired, before too long you will develop your own style and the inspiration behind your images will come naturally.

# Tip Sixteen - What to photograph...

EVERYTHING! If you have a good look through my gallery you will see that I am not limited to just taking images of horses. I take shots of all things relating to them as well. So photograph everything and anything you find around the place. Venture into a tack room and photograph the bridles, the bits, and the saddles, even the horse feed! Wander around the paddock and photograph thrown horseshoes or the hoof prints on the ground. Walk past the stables at a horse show and photograph the rugs hanging over the doors. You are truly only limited by your imagination.

# Tip Seventeen - Have patience with the horse, have patience with yourself and have fun...

I have said it before and I will say it again, photography is a learned skill and photographing horses is a learned skill in patience! Neither of them will happen overnight, so be gentle with yourself and gentle with your horse (if you are lucky enough to own one!). A good friend of mine once gave me a wonderful piece of advice, simply put, if it's not fun don't do it. You must enjoy taking photos and you must enjoy what you are taking photos of or it will show in your results. Don't pressure yourself into coming up with perfect images every time. Take lots of photos and have fun doing it. Trust me, your soul will love you for it!

In closing…

I really hope that you have found this article useful and at the very least I hope it has given you something to think about. I realise that I have not gone into too much detail with particular image techniques, but this editorial was designed to give you a broader idea of my personal ‘rules’ when it comes to taking equine images. As I stated earlier, if there is good feedback received from this initial article I will be more than happy to make it a regular occurance and delve into specific situations like photographing portraits, action shots, close ups, still life's etc. with more detail. Thank you for reading, have a lovely day!



Article written and submitted by *equinephoto (Simone Byrne)

Footnote: About Me…

I am currently undertaking a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) in photojournalism at Latrobe University in Australia. My proposal is on the Arabian horse. As you can see by some of the images below I am blessed to be able to photograph some absolutely stunning horses. This is just a very small collection from my gallery.





_{All Images (c) Simone Byrne Photography, 2007.}