Types of Equine Photography
As in any type of photography, there are subgenres.
- Horse and client
Horse and client photoshoots are the most common type of horse related photoshoot.
- White/black background
- Photoshop is used in coordination with naturally dark and light settings to create crisp black and white backgrounds. Sometimes black/white fabric and artificial lighting is used to create natural black/white backgrounds. Other times, the photo is photoshopped to have a solid color background. Most of the time, a combination of the two is used to create crisp, professional grade photos.
Equine Travel Photography
Usually equine travel photography includes getting paid by ranches, racetracks, trail riding businesses, equine centers that teach horse lessons, etc. to photograph their business. These images are used for advertising and publicity if you have a large social media influence. At the beginning of your equine travel photography career, you will likely have to reach out to these businesses to receive employment. But once you gain some popularity, you can expect to receive emails asking you to take photos of their business.
Sale/Stud/foal advertisement
This is a photo I took that I used in my horses sales advertisement. It´s professional to not add a lot of color correction. For this photo, I did have to lighten the shadows a little bit so you would be able to make out the features of the horse because she is so dark. Other than the shadow adjustment, I made very minuscule changes such as a slight temperature change.
The photo is the first thing someone shopping for a horse will see. If it does not grab their attention and look professional then they will assume that horse is not worth as much money as a horse will professional looking photographs. Knowing this, having professional looking images of a horse can significantly increase the interest and price of a horse.
Moody/Creative
I call this 'genre' of photography moody because the photographs seem to give off a strong feeling/ emotion. This is my favorite type of photography because it's more creative and unrestricted.
Sometimes grain is used to add noise.
Education/Skills
FORMAL EDUCTION
There are no schools that have a photography class that specialize specifically in equine photography. Though there are many workshops hosted by successful equine photographers. And often those same people also provide online resources such as courses/classes along with free educational information and/or their website and social accounts.
Some equine photographers have a degree in photography, journalism or other related fields. But it is not as expected or required to become a professional equine photographer as in other branches of photography. The proof is in the work in this case.
What You need to know:
- How to pose horses--and people if taking client and horse photos
- How to read horse body language so you can deescalate a nervous horse who might spook and hurt themselves and/or people around them.
- Desensitize horses scared of your camera equipment
- Enable burst photo mode and continuous focus
- Adjust camera settings quickly (shutter speed, lighting, aperture
- Identify attractive features of the specific horse you are photographing so you can bring attention to that area. For example, you will not want to bring attention to a horse with a long back. You may decide that standing nearer the front of the horse will bring attention away from the back or even make their back appear shorter. This is an especially important knowledge to have in photographs to be used in advertisement. You want to bring attention to their best features and not their worst.
- The most appealing angle and leg placement that'll flatter the specific horse you are photographing. A horse with already long legs will look unnatural if you take a photo below eye level. Contrary, a horse with short legs will better suit below eye level shots since they will appear taller. As for how you want them to stand, most of the time you want them to stand square. This is not a hard rule though. You will learn over time what looks most attractive for each particular horse.
- Continuing leg placement, if a horse is trotting or walking, it is usually more attractive when the horses front leg on the side closest to you is leading. If the front leg farthest from you is leading then it can sometimes looks a bit awkward. Also, try to capture the image when the legs form a distinct capital 'M' shape.
To avoid this commonly overlooked mistake, aim to take most of your photos with the leading leg being the closest to you.
The canter is similar but instead of the front leg closest to you leading, you want the hind leg closest to you to lead. Further, you want to take the photo when the horse is moving up (left photo) as compared to moving down (right photo). Both photos below are leading with the correct hind leg but the photo on the right is taken when the horse is moving down in the canter. Contrary, the horse on the left is propelling themselves upward which creates an appealing round shape and makes the horse look more powerful.
- How to edit out objects: halters and lead ropes, people managing the horse, distracting objects in background, etc. Knowing how to copy and stamp a forward facing ear over a non forward facing one is also a good skill to know how to do.
Know horses physical capabilities or 'tricks' so you can get awesome shots like these.
- The different horse gaits--walk, trot, canter/lope, gallop, etc.--and tricks. Knowing these terms will make communication between handler and you go smoother. It will also make you sound professional.
- How to keep a horses attention. In other words, how to get them to face their ears forward. In the photo below, the lady is likely playing horse neighing sounds on her phone to keep the horses ears forward.
Salary
Successful equine photographers can expect to earn $60,000-66,000 annually.
It is important to note that this is the salary after your business is successful and established. You will likely not be able to make a living off equine photography alone at the very beginning of your career.
You should not pursue equine photography with the intent of earning a lot of money. You must have a passion for photography and equines to be able to stick with this career.
Time Commitment
There are three main tasks that will take up most of your time as an equine photographer.
The time for each photo shoot will largely depend on the type(s) of equine photography you plan on specializing in.
1. Taking photos
- Usually each client and horse photo shoot takes at least an hour. If you are taking pictures of more than one horses and/or people than the shoot may take up to 3 hours.
- Professional equine photographers, especially those that specialize in client and horse photography, can expect to have multiple client and horses photo shoots a day to be able to make a living.
- At horse shows, you should plan on spending all day taking pictures of multiple clients and their horses showing. Horse shows typically take place during the weekend.
- In summary, the amount of time you will spend taking pictures entirely depends on your popularity/demand and the type of equine photography you will be doing.
2. Editing photos
The dreaded task of editing all those photos is next. It is important that you get the photos edited and sent out to your client as fast as you can. No photography client appreciates waiting very long for their photos.
3. Growing business
Having a popular and far-reaching equine photography career can only work in combination with social media. When you´re not taking or editing photos, you´re advertising your photography business. As a result, you are increasing your reach to future clients. You should plan on creating and maintaining multiple social media pages and a website to have any hope of expanding your clientele.
Equipment
- Camera: the best camera suited for equine photography is the Nikon D6 for $6,499.95
- Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR for $2,099.95 is the most commonly recommended lens for equine photography. Though most lenses will work as long as you stay away from wide angle lenses (under 135mm) because it distorts the horse in an unflattering way. It's best to shoot with a lens within the 135mm-200mm range.
- Batteries back ups are an absolute necessity for long photo shoots. You can almost guarantee a dead battery, especially in extreme hot or cold weather.
EN-EL18c Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery for $220 goes with Nikon D6 camera.
And you'll also need a compatible charger: MH-26a or MH-26aAK Adapter Kit both will charge the battery aforementioned.
- Every photographers done it: we forget to move photos off of camera memory card before your next photoshoot. Bringing back up memory cards are your lifeline when you forget. Also knowing that you will not be held back when you run out of space in the middle of a photoshoot is also a very good reason to not skip on an extra memory card.
This link will direct you to a list of all the memory cards compatible with the Nikon D6.
- A photography halter and lead line is "easily edited out in photoshop" compared to other types of equine halters because they are thinner and made out of less material than other halters. In other words, there is less pixels to be stamped over.
This photography halter by Emma Emerelle is $30
- Studio lights to get the perfect lighting in dark settings. This allows you to take attractive photos any time of the year. Any studio light(s) will get the job done.
- Horse treats are also not required but can help keep horses attention as well as prevent them from getting bored: an exited horse is more flattering than a sleepy one.
And, if used correctly, treats can be used to train horses to stand still, keep their ears forward, etc. Keep in mind though that training takes time. For most horses and photoshoots, just shaking the treat bag will keep the horses attention.
Your client will likely already have horse treats at their location. But when trailering to a location they often forget to bring some so bring your own for backup. Just make sure that you ask your client if it is ok to give their horse treats before you start your photoshoot.
PERSONAL EXAMPLES
Now get out there and start learning!
Credits:
Created with images by TomaszProszek - "indian western horse" • stephencphotog - "horse mountains lagoon" • annajelec - "horses horseback riding galloping" • Unknown - "Brown Horse Eating Grass · Free Stock Photo" • Unknown - "Grayscale Photography of Black Horse · Free Stock Photo" • Pezibear - "horse pony carrot"