taking good pictures of minis

[yankee_minis]

I see so many pictures of minis that are bad or don't show the horse at its best. Casual pics are fun, but sale pics or brag pics really need to be better.

Remember: YOU know what your horse looks like. But WE don't!!!

I thought a topic on taking pics would help...

My advice:

1. get down on your knees with the camera

otherwise the horse's legs look 2 inches long-- NOT attractive! LOL
2. the horse's body should be perpendicular to the camera lens

if the head is closer, it looks bigger. You need to move around!
3. try to get a close up...

a tiny brown blob in the corner of the field picture doesn't help much
4. a cloudy day is best

Use a flash if necessary--shadows can create lines or bumps that aren't on your horse
a black pinto in bright sunlight will be very dark and very bright-- not enough detail will show
5. it may take 100 pics to get a good one-- keep at it!

6. try to capture in a picture what made you go 'wow' about your horse

remember- you've seen how great your horse is, but we have no idea...
7. get help if you can. It really is a 2 person job

sometimes I sit in a low chair in the paddock and take pictures that way. It might take a couple hours-- especially if your horses won't move away from you LOL
Please add your advice here...

 

[wpsellwood]

Its so funny when I mention we need to get some pictures of so and so, groans. For one its usually hot, of course in the hot summer, 2 we just seem to argue and get on each other nerves at picture time. But in the end we usually get a few goods and you are right it takes a 100 to get one good one.

 

[Charlotte]

Excellent suggestions Yankeeminis!

I have just one to add:

CHECK YOUR BACKGROUND!

I don't know how many times I see what would be a nice picture but all I really notice is the junk in the background! water hoses, buckets, kids toys, tools, the side of a car, messy fencing, etc etc. Open your eyes and look at what will be behind the horse...look at it from the aspect of someone who is seeing this area for the first time.

This is especially important if you are trying to sell a horse....a prospective buyer might be turned off by what appears to be a junky farm maybe indicating to the prospective buyer that the horse might not be getting any better care than the farm is.

So check your background!

Charlotte

 

[Sue_C.]

7. get help if you can. It really is a 2 person jobsometimes I sit in a low chair in the paddock and take pictures that way. It might take a couple hours-- especially if your horses won't move away from you LOL

HAHAHA! This is the problem I think most of us have...here are a couple examples of what I usually get.

 

[Joanne]

Digital cameras have been an enormous help to us. We used to go through two or three rolls of film on a horse, now we take easily a hundred or more photos at a shoot.

Take the time to prepare the horse. Clip their halter line and groom them.

Take your time, do not be in a rush.

Have someone that is good with horses handling them. They respond better with someone they know and trust.

Have props to get ears up; sqeeky dog toys, feather duster, mirror, horse cookies etc.

Take advantage of overcast days, and early morning or late afternoon light is the best.

Dapple light is the worst.

Take some photos of them in a round pen moving on their own. Some of these are excellent photos to show them off.

Take a video to show movement.

 

[ohmt]

I am just a person that cannot take a good picture. Yep, I've read how the pros do it a hundred times and have tried everything in the book-I think I'm photo cursed! LOL. Anyway, I always take at least a hundred pictures and then put them on photobucket so if someone wants to see the horse, I give them the link and they can look through it all. I don't clip my mature, breeding stock horses. I do give them a good brush down and a bath if needed. I try to recruit help, but nobody likes helping me anymore with it-I get so crabby by the end of it!

SueC-Pictures like yours are my favorite. Pasture shots can tell a lot about a horse. Love the head on your chestnut, beautiful eyes.

 

[little lady]

Great topic. But would like any tips for the person who is a one person show trying to take pics, as I usually end up with pics like Sue_C or long distance shots.

I like the lawn chair idea. Keep the tips coming!

 

[Charlotte]

suggestions for 'little lady' on doing it by yourself.

If you need profile shots of the horse......have horse clean and brushed out and trimmed up a bit if he needs it. Tie to a nice fence area. (clean properly fitted halter) Have a lunge whip (long lung whip) and tie a trash pag to the end of it. Get yourself in position so that you are down low. Maybe a bucket to sit on. Get your camera ready to shoot....you will need a camera you can handle with one hand.

GENTLY swing the trash bag out in the direction you want horse to look. Keep it low...along the ground or on the ground. (you may need to practice with whip nad bag before hand so you can control it one handed as you want to.) Watch the horse's reaction. The idea is to get the head and ears up and the horse looking at the bag, NOT to spook the horse. If horse spooks then your movements must become more subtle. If the horse ignores the bag then the movements of bag need to become stronger.

once the bag is on the ground out in front of the horse....way far in front of the horse....usually just gentle shakes and rustling will keep them looking at it for a few minutes.

this same thing works in a small paddock. You can get the horsae trotting around if you want him to.

GOOD LUCK! And please post some pictures! )

Charlotte

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

one thing i heard is instead of having the horse stand square, put the back leg closest to you back and the back leg on the other side forward more. it shows off the horse's hip better. example:

 

[targetsmom]

I highly recommend a camera with a "burst" feature... one that keeps taking photos (up to a certain number - my camera does 3) while you hold the button down. That way you have a much better chance of getting the shot you want. That great 4 day old photo of our colt Max was taken with that feature and by the end of the "burst" Mira had her ears back and was about to attack Cowboy (the black and white head in the photo). I might add, though, that Max never moved and looked the same in all the photos!

 

[Connie P]

Great advice here. I have gotten some of our best shots of stallions here by having my husband bring a mare out- Wha- la they set themselves naturally and the photographer gets a great pic everytime.