How to take pictures of horses?

Horses are one of the most beautiful animals in the world. Because of its beautiful lines and magnificent "physique", horses have become excellent subjects for photographers. Like other pets, horses need special methods when shooting. Professional photographers shared the top ten skills of horse photography.

First, make the horse feel comfortable when you flatter him.

Animals are very sensitive to people's emotions, especially horses. Your reaction to the horse will affect the state of the horse. If you show fear or anxiety, horses will also become nervous, which is caused by the biological reaction of animals.

Before taking pictures, spend some time with the horse and build "trust" with the rider or horse.

Second, safety first

Security concerns both sides. Listen carefully to the horse owner's advice before shooting. They know their horses best. Listen to the owner's advice, the horse may hurt people when it is frightened.

Before preparing to shoot, let the horse know about you and your shooting equipment. According to the horse owner's suggestion, give the animals snacks and pet them, then let the horse adapt to your camera and shoot before the official shooting. If the horse is anxious about this sound, it needs to change the telephoto lens and take pictures from a distance.

Third, choose equipment in advance.

Speaking of lenses, when shooting large animals, you must choose proportional equipment. Pay special attention to the position and composition of horses. So be sure to stay away from any form of lens distortion, that is, reduce the use of wide-angle or artistic lenses.

You can use a standard lens

-They will produce images that roughly match what the human eye sees. Therefore, the image looks natural to the viewer. The standard lens has the ability to use a large aperture, which makes it very suitable for low light and shallow depth of field photography.

The telephoto lens is another necessary condition for this kind of photography, because it can keep you at a certain distance and will not interfere with the horse during the photography. It is also useful for action photography. This kind of lens can produce a natural viewing angle without deformation by using a wide-angle lens, 70-200.

Mm telephoto lens is very popular.

Tip: Don't forget to use the lens filter or bring a cloth to clean the optics, because the dust stepped on by the horse when running will pollute the camera.

Fourth, use continuous shooting mode to focus continuously.

Switching the camera to continuous shooting and continuous focus mode is most suitable for flattery. The name of continuous focus depends on the brand of the camera. For Canon users, it is AI.

Servo, Nikon user's AF-C, enables the camera to track the subject while moving.

If you are shooting a moving horse, it is very convenient to move the camera horizontally and horizontally and synchronize it with the subject's motion. For example, please make sure that the shutter speed is faster than 1/2000 to clearly capture the flowing mane of a moving horse!

Horses are always flexible, leaving enough negative space in the moving direction of objects, which will produce a feeling that horses seem to bounce off photos. If the photo is cropped so that there is no available space, it will create the illusion of a "cage".

5. Don't forget to capture the details.

The wonder of photography is that it can find things that may not be noticed. Taking dynamic photos of the horse's ears and running can show the unique effect as a horse racing photo, allowing the audience to see the horse's photos from another angle.

Sixth, background selection

If the background color is too close to the color of the subject, the image will become monotonous visually. The contrast between foreground, theme and background will generate interest, which is where the adaptability and creativity of photographers come into play.

Find a new and unique way to use parameters, and try to blur the background with a large aperture. In post-processing, the object is separated from the rest of the image elements.

7. Consider the type of horse being photographed.

Different horse breeds have different characteristics, which is especially important if you want to photograph the equestrian world. Ask the customer about the kind of horse to be photographed, and first find the horse's personality characteristics on the internet, which will let you better understand the matters that need to be considered in taking pictures.

Eight, shoot the horse vertical ears.

Many animals, from dogs to hamsters, have high ears, indicating that pets are full of energy. So many car owners don't hang their ears to take pictures. The ears in front of the horse are complementary to the head, which shows that this animal is confident and good. Some sounds can be used to attract a horse's attention and ears.

Nine, the performance of horse muscle explosive force

Horses are famous for their slender necks and muscular muscles. Here, the key to getting a good portrait is skill. Try to make the horse slightly, and the neck is in a sprint state, so that the horse looks well proportioned, which will make the horse's beautiful muscle sense stand out.

Ten, guide the horse to stand.

If you want to shoot a horse on the stage, you should learn to clearly guide the horse's standing position, and distract the animal's attention at this time to make it face the right direction. Horses usually like to move to the entrance of the paddock because this is their way of "going home"; If you want to gallop or do something when the horse is alone in the picture, it is easier to move it from the other end of the paddock to the entrance. Take the horse to the most suitable starting position, where there is enough space to reach the arrival point.