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The horse and the camera..... help needed please !

Barry Johnston

New member
Hi everyone,

My first attempt at Equine Photography was a disaster....

I went to the local show jumping event yesterday for my first attempt at equestrian photography....sheesh, out of at least 200 shots, I have less that 50 keepers.... Can anyone give me some advice here please.

Firstly, I used my 1D MkII N with the 100-400 f/4.5 attached. I wasn't happy with the amount of OOF pics I have with that lens. I used wide open, beefed up the ISO to 400, actually I'm slightly convinced that there could be something wrong with my lens.... will have to do some testing; or is f/4.5 still too narrow DoF ??

I also used my EF300 2.8, it was certainly a lot better, as I had a lot more keepers with it. Would I be better pre-focusing perhaps??

The problem with photographing show jumping, is that the rider is never in the centre of the view finder. I did set the af point to the highest one in the centre, but when you need to take vertical shots there is not enough time to go into the menu to change it back....

Regardless, if there is anyone with this sort of expertise, would they mind sharing some of this valuable information with me please ?

original.jpg


This is one of the better images, but a few more can be viewed here where you will see some of the focusing issues.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Barry,

Frankly, I'm impressed with that shot! If I got that image I'd go home pleased with myself. It is beyond documentation. This is a memorable picture to be proud of. To me this is artisitc and alive. Try printing it and show it to people. Tell us what they say. I'd even explore B&W.

You have picked a challenging subject, as you discovered. You'll get better at, it but 25% is not bad for a start!

Asher
 

Don Lashier

New member
Slow autofocus was one of the primary reasons I traded in my 100-400 for a 300f4+1.4TC. But that said, it appears that in the example above the DOF was a bit too narrow, at least given the focus point on the rider, but still a good shot!

- DL
 
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Anil Mungal

New member
Would I be better pre-focusing perhaps??

This is it exactly ... pre-focus on the gate they are about to jump.

You know the course they are running, so you know all the gates in order. Just focus on the first gate and rattle off two shots when they are at the peak of their jump. Then immediately focus on the second jump. You can either wait for the horse to come into frame or follow it leading to the gate; either way you already know you have the zone around that gate focussed. Keep doing this for the entire course.

Note that the riders are very picky about the way the horses position their hooves, ears, etc, so what looks like a perfect image for you would not be a keeper for them.
 

Barry Johnston

New member
Another one from Sundays disaster.....

I thought I would show you another one of the pics I took on Sunday.... actually I was quite impressed with this one as well..... the 300 is definitly the master...

Thanks for the tips, anymore will be welcome.... I will try prefocusing in the future and see how that turns out....

original.jpg


Barry.
 
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Warren Liebman

New member
Barry

As Anil mentioned (We shoot together) prefocus on the jump. The horse will jump through the centre of the jump 90% of the time. While waiting for the horse to get there, follow the horse in the viewfinder.

When you see the horse start to jump, take the photo then. Due to our delay (human) between when we see what looks right to when we actually press the shutter, the delay will be too long to get the shot - so watch for the horse to start the jump. If you take the photo then, you will be able to get the horse going over the jump with it's knees bent, which is what most riders are looking for.

Also, the front on shot is not that popular with riders. They are looking for shots at a 45 degree angle to the jump.

http://actionpix.ca/opf/Barrie-Week1-070624-8999.jpg
http://actionpix.ca/opf/Barrie-wk1-070621-1286.jpg
http://actionpix.ca/opf/Barrie-wk1-070621-1491.jpg

If you are looking for more samples, feel free to look at my website:
http://actionpix.ca/events/horse_shows/2007/index.html

Warren
 

Paul Bestwick

pro member
Barry you are being too hard on your self. You should know as a photographer that experience counts for everything. What you have shown here is just great.
Next effort will be 50% plus. Nice work. I will have to come over to Melbourne some time & we can go & shoot an event together.

PB
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Barry,

I know nothing from horse photography just images that impress me! So while the angle of your first shot and framing may not be what can get you a living on the show jumping circuits, it impresses me!

I like what you have done. Do you need and or intend to earn money from riders or to just wish to make artistic prints?

If it's the latter, you're on your way with the first shot!

Asher
 

Barry Johnston

New member
Horses and Cameras....

Hi Guys,

Asher, yes, it is my intention to start making a living from photography. I have always wanted to do something with photography, but never had the opportunity to do so until now. I recently moved to Melbourne, which is indeed the sports capital of the world.... you name it, everything happens here every day of the week, so there will never be a shortage of sport. I went to a few sporting events, and no photographers to record anything, so there must be a niche here.

Warren mentioned that photos should be taken around the 45deg angle (somebody else told me that too), I think the only problem with that on the day, were the wings of all the jumps. They are always in the way of the horse, so I tried to get photos where the jumps weren't too obtrusive.

Paul, it would be great to see you in Melbourne, pm me when you do and will give you my number.

One of the other challenges I face with sport in general, are the legalitites, especially for photographing minors. During the next few months, I have made it my mission to introduce myself to the sporting clubs and associations around here, but as yet I have not registered a business name. With all the litigation going on these days I want to make sure that people know who I am.

Anyway, I really appreciate all your input.
Cheers.
 

Robert Groom

New member
Hi Guys,

Asher, yes, it is my intention to start making a living from photography. I have always wanted to do something with photography, but never had the opportunity to do so until now. I recently moved to Melbourne, which is indeed the sports capital of the world.... you name it, everything happens here every day of the week, so there will never be a shortage of sport. I went to a few sporting events, and no photographers to record anything, so there must be a niche here.

[...]

Paul, it would be great to see you in Melbourne, pm me when you do and will give you my number.

[...]

Hi Barry,

I agree with Paul; you've got some very good images on your first attempt at "equine photography" and you can only improve with more experience.

I'm a self-taught sports photographer too and I also live in Melbourne, just a few suburbs to the south of you in fact. It would be great to catch up with you, chat about techniques and maybe shoot some events together.

I also provide training in Digital Asset Management (DAM) for photographers, which is something you alluded to in another post ... Long term storage. If you're just starting out, maybe we could chat about that too. ;-)

cheers,
Robert

PS I tried to PM you but it was denied by your profile settings -- "Barry Johnston has chosen not to receive private messages".
 

Barry Johnston

New member
Many thanks Robert...

Hi Robert,

Many thanks, It would be really great to catch up and the possibility of shooting a few events together is an awesome idea. Any ideas and advice that I can get from someone who knows is very much appreciated.

I'll have a look at my settings and change what I have to. I received p.messages before, so not sure what has changed.

Cheers,
Barry.

PS. Robert, I did check my settings, all the boxes were ticked, so not sure why, possibly Asher may have an idea. Can you please try again, otherwise I will send you my e-mail address. Thanks.
 
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