Taking Great Photos of Your Horse

It's all about perspective, an inventive eye, and affection. You arrive at the barn; you meticulously groom your horse. You spray him to make him look even shinier. You put his fancy halter on him, the one with his name engraved on it. You take him outside and you're oh so proud. You're ready to start clicking away. Then the trouble begins. He won't stand still. He doesn't like the feel of the leather halter; after all he doesn't wear it that often. He wants to graze. A fly is bothering him. He hears a noise. He wants to go back inside the barn. You start snapping photos anyway, thinking something's better than nothing. You position his feet repeatedly and he keeps moving them. He shakes his mane every-which-way and you have to comb it again. He turns his head to look at something and you miss the opportunity to take a gorgeous photo because you are still straightening his mane. He pushes you away. That would have been a good shot.

You can always call in a professional and if professional photos are what you want or need, that's what you should do. If not, here are some tips for taking great photographs. Don't expect your horse to pose. A beautiful photo is usually a candid shot. If your horse is short in stature, bend down and take the photo from the perspective of down below, angled up. Don't take photos looking head-on into your horse's face. Unless you're documenting face markings or something of the like, this photo, as the saying goes, "will not be pretty!" Your horse's face will look huge and the term jug head will come to mind. Have a prop on hand, one that won't spook your horse but simply interest him or her. Take photo after photo after photo. Even in a perfect world, on an average, only one out of twenty photographs might be one that you will want to frame.

Take the horse to the pasture and remove her halter. If she turns to run away, start snapping that camera. If she runs and runs, take some more. If she comes barreling up to the fence, nostrils wide and snorting, veins pumped, have that camera humming. When she runs out of energy and starts grazing, get down on the ground (safely) nearby, and document her every move. Zoom in, zoom out. When you've had your fill of those shots, stand far back and get her attention. Give her a command and see what she will do. The horse will most often pleasantly surprise you. One of the best photos I recall is one where the horse was told to dance, and looked at its owner with the most incredulous expression. "You want me to what?" No, it did not dance; it had never even heard that command before. But it did make for an absolutely beautiful photograph. Another gorgeous photo that comes to mind was taken by a woman from the position of being on the horse's back. The horse had its head turned sideways; an ear pricked, and was looking at her, used to the sound of the camera snapping. Another was of a halter-less horse who had his head and neck bowed, watching as someone picked out its hoof. In the photo, you only see the horse's face and his intent expression. Think candid. Think gorgeous! Think I love you. It'll show!