Suggestions For Camera For Taking Horse Photo`s

[horselover]

I am looking for a camera for photographing my jumping horses, they are fast traveling and can be tricky to capture at the correct moment, maybe a multi capture function may be useful, any ideas would be appreciated.

[Shadowman]

You can capture jumping horses with almost any camera on the market, point and shoot, bridge, DSLR; it all depends on what type of shot you want to capture, side view, front view, low or high angle. As you say these are your horses you probably have better access to the grounds than others would, you could even stage the jumps as you wish. Perhaps if you uploaded samples of what you've seen other photographers capture or give an example of a unique point of view you'd like to capture we could give more advice. Additionally, you haven't provided any information on your skill set.

[horselover]

hi shadowman, my skill set is beginner, i not really got any sample, i want to create pro looking shots of the horses jumping usually from side view but also from the front, i wont be able to set the scene that will as will usually be taking the in a competition environment.

[Shadowman]

hi shadowman, my skill set is beginner, i not really got any sample, i want to create pro looking shots of the horses jumping usually from side view but also from the front, i wont be able to set the scene that will as will usually be taking the in a competition environment.

Hi Horselover,

You should be able to recreate a competition environment of the horses/riders during training. Regarding examples see the links below of some images provided by forum members and take note of subjects, angles, and also comments regarding camera settings.

The Cowgirl

A couple more from the Rodeo
.

[inkista]

hi shadowman, my skill set is beginner, i not really got any sample, i want to create pro looking shots of the horses jumping usually from side view but also from the front, i won't be able to set the scene that will as will usually be taking the in a competition environment.

Are you talking outdoor daytime? Or indoors/night stadium lighting? Do you want to freeze the action/time the shot? And what's your budget?

Just me, I don't shoot horses as a thing, but a friend once took me to a night-time showjumping exhibition, and I had an $800 dSLR body with a $1000 135/2 lens on it, and I managed to get a few decent shots (not many and not great) from the stands.


Canon XT. EF 135mm f/2L USM. iso 400, f/2, 1/500s. Handheld. No flash.

Is this the kind of thing you're trying to get?

I'm not sure doing this with something less capable on fast-action than a dSLR would necessarily be the way to go unless you were mostly shooting outdoors in the daytime. And this may be a more expensive proposition than most folks envision at the beginning. Indoor/night sports shooting is more expensive camera-gear wise than your average photography subjects.

[Stagecoach]

Hi, and welcome to CiC

I am looking for a camera for photographing my jumping horses, they are fast traveling and can be tricky to capture at the correct moment,

Just about any camera is able to capture a fast travelling horse. But not all cameras will be able to capture that fast moving horse exactly when you want it captured. Put simply, a low end P&S has a lag on it and by the time it has sorted itself out after you have pressed the button chances are the horse is over the jump and half way to the next one

maybe a multi capture function may be useful, any ideas would be appreciated.

By 'multi capture' I'll assume you mean a camera that has a burst rate that takes a number of images in quick succession, varies approx between 4 on the cheaper to 10 per second on the most expensive cameras. This function can be useful and give you a better chance of getting that 'winning' picture both with composition (horse position during jump) and improve chances of getting a 'sharp' image.

But, this function does not negate the need to have a camera/lens that can handle the lighting, speed of movement, focusing and the ability to frame your subject from the distance you are as you want.

I want to create pro looking shots of the horses jumping usually from side view but also from the front.

my skill set is beginner.

A pro or let's say competent photographer will know that when he presses that shutter button he/she is going to get a good image. A beginner will not until they have learned the settings and technique to use.

It is not difficult to master these techniques if you are prepared to learn.

As you say you are a beginner here's a very quick and simple lesson that hopefully will demonstrate what a pro/competent person would do/have done to capture a horse half way over a jump. It will also show what your camera needs to be capable of allowing you to set/adjust;

a) He would select a lens Focal Length to frame the image as required.
b) He would have selected a Shutter Speed to freeze the horse/rider movement. (lets forget capturing motion blur for now)
c) He would have selected an Aperture to control the depth of focus he wants.
d) He would have selected an ISO in conjunction with b) and c) that would provide the correct exposure of the shot.
e) He would have 'pre focussed' the camera/lens and locked that focus where he wanted it.
f) He would then wait and have absolutely nothing to worry about other than to press the shutter at the right time.

There really is not too much to it

I wont be able to set the scene that will as will usually be taking the in a competition environment.

The environment you shoot these images in is going to have a large bearing on the gear you need to get 'good' pictures.

The main aspects that will determine the gear you need will be;

a) The lighting conditions, inside or outside.
b) The distance you are from your subject. Put simply, you will get the best results if you can fill the image frame between 1/2 to 3/4 with your subject/wanted composition. The distance you shoot from will determine the focal length of the lens that is best to use.

(It appears the general consensus from those that shoot show jumping events (I did a Google search) is that a 200mm focal length is too short and hence restrictive and an ideal of 400mm focal length capability is expensive)

I would suggest almost any entry to mid level DSLR and the appropriate lens (for a) and b) above) can give you great results once mastered.

(I have not mentioned other format cameras due to my lack of knowledge of use of them)

So to sum up, questions you need to consider/answer ................

1. What is your budget?
2. Where is your location and does it affect your access to certain models and manufacturers?
3. What do you call a 'good' picture so we have an idea of what gear you need to be able to achieve similar?
4. Are you prepared to consider 'used' gear from reputable suppliers?
5. What is the intended final use of your images? (e.g. range from web use ..... to ..... printing huge)

[Dave Humphries]

Hi horselover,

You don't say who will be shooting the pictures, I ask because the photographer will make a far bigger difference to the results than the camera being used - the photographer usually* needs to be able to understand all the technicalities that Grahame mentions in a) - f) above.

* I say 'usually' because some people work on instinct alone and still produce great images

The reason I ask who is taking the images is if you're the owner, won't you be riding?
Implying you might be buying a camera for someone else to shoot you with?
Or, are you perhaps (wildly guessing), shooting your kid(s) riding their/your horses?

The crucial point I'm trying to make is that just buying suitable kit will not achieve the pro results you desire unless the photographer knows how to use it. So we need to know if you are the person that needs guidance on how to shoot, or if that is someone else - and if it is; how do you propose to educate them? (now that you know this will be necessary)

If you're shooting, that's much easier, just stick around here and learn from us, you'll find us very helpful.

You can see a few of my (now quite old) shots here and here (I'm not sure if the second link will work for you - let me know if not)

Additionally, you should know that to achieve really good results often requires significant post processing of the images to remove/blur/darken/desaturate distracting background elements - unless you have been skilled (and/or lucky) in your choice of shooting position to avoid them in the first place.

I'm not trying to put you off the idea, but we could save you some money (and I know; horses are expensive in themselves!)

Tip #1:
If an outdoor event; lay down and shoot from low, looking up (assuming you are safe!), this can significantly reduce background distractions - although then you may have exposure issues shooting against the sky or even sun.

All the best, Dave


Could you do me a favour please?
Could you click Settings (right at the top),
then Edit Profile (on left)
and put your first name in the Real Name field
and where you are (roughly) in the Location field,
then click the Save Changes button below and to right,
this helps everyone give you more personal and relevant answers - thanks in advance.

[kazuyar]

i used to be the photographer for a local riding club (gf has a horse and i got sort of roped in) and have taken hundreds of pictures of horses
back then i used a pentax k20D but found the auto-focus to slow so i sold it and bought a nikon D90 with a 70-300mm lens, this was all i had at the time and if i was doing it again id probably use the 18-200 instead.
i was few years ago but going on memory here's some things i found for shooting jumping horses:

#the horse just leaving the ground makes the best pictures, closely followed by mid-way over the fence, landing not so good however you get the best facial expressions from the riders on landing.
#side on or from the front or just to the side of the front look best.
#i always shoot on aperture priority pretty much wide open, with the iso set to go higher automatically if the shutter dropped below 1/600 (i think if memory serves) the reason i did it like this was the light could change so quickly and you dont have time to start fiddling with controls when a horse is doing a round.
#i would find a spot where i was sideways on to a spread and forward facing a nice jump, that way i was guaranteed to get 2 good action shots for each horse
#auto exposure center weighted
#auto continuous focus and selecting a focus point that would be on the riders face
#when cropping later on leave a bit of space above and in the direction they are jumping, as if they've got somewhere to go (see pic)
im not saying this is the perfect way of photographing horses, but it was the way i got my best results and i hardly had to bin any of my shots using this tecnique, so i hope this helps you get started at least

[rpcrowe]

I believe that these could be the parameters for camera and lens...

1. Fast an accurate auto focus - both camera and lens...

2. A decently long focal length - so that you can fill the frame with the horse and rider - additionally, the longer focal length will help you use selective focus to isolate your subjects from the background. The focal length might depend on where you are shooting from.

3. A decently wide aperture at the longer focal length... I prefer to shoot with at least an f/4 aperture, although f/2.8 might be a better choice if you can afford the cost and if you don't mind carrying the weight...

4. A fast burst speed...

I am a Canon guy, so my recommendations will be for that brand. However, there are other camera/lens combinations from other manufacturers which fulfill parameters 1-4 above.

There are several venues in which the equipment is pretty expensive. Fast action sports photography is one of these venues. Sure, you could shoot with a Canon Rebel camera and a 55-250 mm kit lens. But, IMO, there are other camera/lens combinations which would probably provide better results (at a higher price)...

The camera that I might choose (not knowing your specific parameters) is the Canon 7D Mark II; because of its great auto-focus function and fast burst speed...

The lens that I would choose is the Canon 70-200mm f/4L. You would be using a fast shutter speed so the IS version is not necessarily a requirement. However, I have the 70-200mm f/4L IS lens since this is a general purpose lens for me. The 70-200mm f/2.8L lens would be another great choice but, is quite a bit heavier than the f/4L model. Again; with the f/2.8 model, you would not necessarily need IS function. However, that function makes the lens a lot more versatile. A used non-IS f/2.8L lens is relatively reasonably priced...

Another lens that would be great for this type of photography is the fairly new 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS Mark-2. I have one of these but, the drawback could be that it is quite expensive and pretty heavy. I have not used the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS lens but, that would probably be a good, but expensive choice...

Finally, a used Canon 7D camera and used Canon 300mm f/4L IS lens could be a relatively reasonably priced setup that could give you very decent images... Here are a couple of images of a polo match shot with a 7D camera and the 300mm f/4L IS lens (on a monopod). IMO, this would be one of the least expensive combinations that could be perfect for your horse jumping images.





The 7D could be had for $300-$400 used while a used 300mm f/4L IS lens could be had for $700-$800. A used 70-200mm f/4L (non IS) would run about $400-$500 (USA eBay prices)

A problem with many cameras other that the DSLR is shutter lag and relatively slow focus. Additionally, I would not use a camera that has only the LCD screen as a viewfinder