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| Taking Great Horse Photos |
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The best portrayal of your horse can greatly affect results when you are advertising
him for sale or at stud. Truth be told, a poor photo often does more harm than good.
Following these helpful tips will help you get some stunning shots.
1. Take time to prepare. Give your horse a "spa" day--a bath, shave, hair trim,
and manicure. Trim around ears, muzzle, throatlatch, bridle path, fetlocks, and
coronet bands. Comb the mane and tail, braid if appropriate, add some shine product.
Clean and polish hooves. Fly spray, and you're all set.
2. Have help. You will need someone to hold the horse, another person to set
the feet and get the horse to look attentive, and someone to take the photo.
Things you can use to get the horse to look interested and prick up his ears are
a broom, a bright flag or shirt, and even a tape recorder of a horse whinnying.
Leading another horse around behind the camera may also help get your horse to
look excited.
3. Choose the best location. A flat, grassy area with trees or a fence in the
background is ideal. Make sure the horse is not downhill from the camera; it's
best if he is slightly uphill. Make sure there are no distracting telephone poles,
wires, or unsightly objects in the picture. Early morning light is the best.
Keep the sun behind the photographer's back, and don't get his shadow in the photo.
4. Plan on using plenty of film. It's best to shoot more pictures than you need,
and be able to choose the ones where your horse looks his best. Use a flash if
you have one, since it will accent the horse's muscles and features. If you have
zoom, stand farther from the horse and zoom in. If you're too close to the horse,
he will look out of proportion. If you have a simple point-and-shoot camera, you
will need to be fairly close to the horse, but position yourself carefully to
minimize distortion.
5. Buyers want photos that clearly show the horse's conformation, much like the
photo above. Set the horse up with his legs slightly offset--the inside hind leg
is slightly behind the outside hind leg, and the inside front leg is in front of
the outside front leg. The hip should be a few inches closer to the camera than
the shoulder. Then turn the horse's head slightly to the inside so that it's even
with the hips. Line the camera up in front of the stifle, and no higher than
waist length.
6. Try to snap the shot when the horse's head is up, ears and eyes are alert,
and he has an interested expression. Your helper can wave objects, make noises,
bring other horses by, etc. Let the horse sniff a strange object and then slowly
pull it away, causing him to stretch his neck and prick up his ears. The best
shots have nostrils flared, head muscles tensed, and an excited expression.
Hopefully you will get some great pictures and really show your horse's true
colors!
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