Linda's Top Ten Photography Tips
from Linda VavRosky, an award winning and published photographer
These are tips for still photography, though I am sure most of this applies
to doing video also.
1). KNOW your intent....do you want conformation shots? candid shots? action
shots? when you head out with your camera, think about your goal here, it
will make a big difference. We frequently shoot action first, then when the
horse is settled down a bit, do the conformation shots. Often getting your
horse to stand quietly for conformation shots, can be tough, if he has lots
of energy to burn.
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2). KNOW your target audience.....are you a breeder or wanting to sell a
horse, or just wanting nice photos of your horse to show off to friends?
Difference disciplines require different shots...ie...stock horses should be
standing square for conformation shots, sport horses should be standing
with all four legs seen. KNOW what your audience and what they consider"normal" for that disipline, otherwise your photo will not get any
attention.
3). MAKE a plan....what kind of shots are we doing today? is there proper
lighting? too much sun? cloudy days are best, early morning ( and I mean
early ----5 am in the summer ) light is VERY good, and so is evening light.
Professionals often start outside shots right as dawn is breaking. If you
shoot in the afternoon, and there is very bright sun, put your horse in the
shade, it also may trigger your flash, but that is OK. This trick really
does work! ALSO, lots of books on photography composition out there, check
your library if you don't want to buy. Surf the internet and see what pics
you like, try and copy the composition of the shot.
5). CLEAN your horse/horse/nicely dress your human subjects....this makes a
HUGE amount of impact for a good photo. Most photo shoots around here are
about 2-3 hours...we CLEAN our horse, trim what is appropriate for our goal,
and then go at it.
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6). WATCH your background.....nothing worse than getting that GREAT shot,
with a horrible background. Look before you shoot, many times, you don't
notice things until the shot is done. If possible MOVE stuff out of the way,
also trim up the weeds, make things tidy, your shots will show it. Sometimes a messy background is good. Horse show crowds....things that
should be in horse pics are OK, but most photos simply look best without a
messy background.
background.... Look for eye appealing
contrast, a light colored horse photographs best on dark or green
background, a dark horse, on green or light colored background.
7). CANDID shots are favorites for many people. Keep the camera rolling, to
see what kind of candids you can get.
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8). PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, with todays digital, you can shoot over and over again, learn what looks good, and how to shoot it. LEARN to pan, your horse will be in focus, and the background will be blurred, you can pan with any camera.
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9). WAIT....be patient....one of the shots I did, with a mare/2 foals/birds...took almost an hour to get the perfect shot, the horses kept moving, the birds kept leaving, but it finally all came together, and I was ready ! I also had to keep moving my position, laying on the ground again each time...but it was WELL worth it...it is a shot that probably could never be duplicated.
10). ONLY put really nice shots out for folks to see, life is
unpredictable, and you never know when you might need to part with your
lifelong friend. If folks have already seen shot after shot of outstanding
pics, that horse may be easier to place....think about it ! only choose the photos with a NICE
expression. Airplane ears, closed eyes, etc. make your horse look less than
interesting.
The photo to the right of Fanci and her colt Zig show a loving, caring concern of mare & foal. |
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| Bad Photo, Mean expression on Buck |
Much better, soft & kind expression on Buck |
| Conformation Stance |
Sport Horse Stand |
Stock Horse Stand |
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