# Equine Photography



## bekaphoto (Aug 14, 2007)

Does anybody have any tips on how to stop blur of legs and hoofs on equine photos.  The arena we were shooting at was dark inside with floresent lighting.  We were photographing a Freisian Stallion for a friend.  I moved my ISO to 1600 and was using my flash, I changed the WB to the floresent setting.  I am using a Nikon D200, Nikkor 28-105 F3.5-4.5D lens, and a Quantaray 9000 flash.  We still had blur after changing these settings.  Do I need to change the shutter speed and drop the ISO or is that going to affect the brightness of the image.  Any help or tips would be great.  Thanks

This is the setting on this photo.

Focal Length: 32mm
Exposure Mode: Programmed Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
1/40 sec - F/3.8
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 1600
Optimize Image: Normal
White Balance: Fluorescen


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## Big Mike (Aug 14, 2007)

Welcome to the forum.

To freeze motion, you need a faster shutter speed.

Nikkor 28-105 *F3.5-4.5D *, this is your first problem.  Your lens has a smaller maximum aperture, which is hurting your ability to get fast shutter speeds.  By increasing your ISO, you are doing the right thing (don't drop it)...but you are still limited by the lens and the light you are working with.

Flash can help, but it's effectiveness is limited by the distance to the subject and you may still get blur from the amount of ambient light.

To really solve your problem, as best you can, you should probably get a 'faster' lens.  That would be a lens with a larger maximum aperture.  I'd suggest the 50mm F1.8 because it's inexpensive.

I don't see a photo, b.t.w.


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## aMac (Aug 14, 2007)

What kind of pictures are we talking here? They're galloping/jumping? How far away are you? Even with flash, there's going to be blur at 1/40 shutter speed if they're running, so you'll want to speed that up. Is this also your camera's built-in flash?

Set your camera to shutter priority mode (Tv) and increase the speed to something like 1/250 and that should really help to freeze more movement. That's the fastest shutter speed you can have using the built in flash without using a separate flash unit with the ability to sync faster. Of course you'll also need to make sure you're close enough that the flash is going to reach the subject.

On a related note, if you're lighting something with a flash as the primary light source, you want to use the flash white balance setting, not the ambient lighting conditions. The flash will make things look blue when WB is set to fluorescent. Alternatively, shoot raw and change the white balance later.


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## bekaphoto (Aug 14, 2007)

No it not the built in flash it is along the line of a nikon sb-600 we have now upgraded to a nikon sb-800.  This is the link to these photos.  They are unedited,  give me some feed back on these.  By the way the site is still being worked on.  http://www.freespaces.com/rebeccasphoto/equine.html


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## Jon, The Elder (Aug 14, 2007)

Beka.......I agree with you, the Frisian is a beautiful animal.  Here are a few from a show last month.

http://www.pbase.com/jpferguson/image/82768493

Now the "not-so-good" news.
Low level lighting in arena's is a shooters nightmare.  It takes fast lenses, great timing and a really good understanding of your gear.

Unless you are allowed in the arena, distance to subject is a potential problem.  The florescent lighting conflicts with your on-camera gear to a greater or lesser degree.

It takes lots of practice.
Shutter speed, for a walking horse, needs to be in the area of at least 1/500 second.  A trot calls 1/750 minimum and at Canter, try for 1/1250.
Also, even though the H&R are moving in one main axis, there is movement in the other 2 axis, which can affect your AF.

Just take it one problem at a time and you will get good enough to call yourself a Horse Photographer.


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## Mike_E (Aug 14, 2007)

Sorry but you aren't likely to get a fast enough lens.  What you need is a stronger flash or Monolight.  The strobe effect will stop the action and if you have enough power then you should be able to go f5.6 at a minimum.

The danger is in spooking the horse.  If you want to stick with a flash, look at a big Metz or a Sunpak 622.


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## JIP (Aug 14, 2007)

As moke said you need a faster lens.  Even if you push your ISO the extremely slow lens you hae is going to restrict your abilities to shoot what you want.  I think unless you did this already it was probably a mistake ti=o invest in a D20 0 and put slow glass on it.  Right now Digital bodies are more short term investments than good quality lenses.  You would be closer to doing what you want to do with a...... 
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/274780-USA/Nikon_2139_70_200mm_f_2_8D_VR_G_AFS.html


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## Jon, The Elder (Aug 15, 2007)

Hope I didn't scare her off. I got the impression that she thought it would be easier to do.


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## bekaphoto (Aug 15, 2007)

Thanks for all the help everyone.


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## pandinus (Aug 16, 2007)

I could recomend shooting the horse as it moves diagonal to you, and not as it moves paralel as most people do. This would make the horses movement less compared to you, and it would make it easier for you to consentrate on reducing the blur of the moving legs.

Best of luck. =)


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## Jamie McCoy Photography (Aug 20, 2007)

Practice, Practice, Practice, and more Practice.

Horse shows are not easy.

If you have some in your pasture...start shooting.

If there's a local horse show, shoot from Ring Side, until you get it down pat.


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## fido dog (Aug 22, 2007)

ISO 400
105mm AF
f5.6
1/250
30 ft. away
And a BIG ass flash.......:mrgreen:
You can use arena lights to lessen the shadows.

Like the others have said.......timing is everything!

This is what I've been training to do for the last three summers/falls.
I'm actually in my hotel at a show right now.......

Good Luck Man!


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## Jon, The Elder (Aug 23, 2007)

Nice shot Andrew.  The horse is in a 'text book' position.  Inside arena shots are tough.

That double bill on the helmet is a bit distracting. 

Thanks for showing us the image specs.


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## fido dog (Aug 23, 2007)

Jon said:


> Nice shot Andrew.  The horse is in a 'text book' position.  Inside arena shots are tough.
> 
> That double bill on the helmet is a bit distracting.
> 
> Thanks for showing us the image specs.



Yeah, my arena lights were giving me grief. I just used a main light.


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## fido dog (Sep 6, 2007)

Hey bekafoto..............

Any updates?


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## Jamie McCoy Photography (Oct 10, 2007)

I would not say that lens, or shutter speed, or even strobes are going to help in this situation.


Horses are a matter of timing on the photographers part.


PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and more PRACTICE


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## fido dog (Oct 10, 2007)

Jamie McCoy Photography said:


> I would not say that lens, or shutter speed, or even strobes are going to help in this situation.
> 
> 
> Horses are a matter of timing on the photographers part.
> ...


You couldn't be more correct about the practice part. Each camera and photographer are different.......period. The combo is truly unique to each person. I will disagree with the "shutter speed and strobes" part. You MUST be able to shoot in an arena at no less than 1/200. Therefore you must have powerful lighting. Backdrops are a different story. I just shot a futurity at 1/125 @ f8.0.


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## Mike Jordan (Oct 10, 2007)

Before you use flash indoors like this, make sure you check that it is ok to do so. Especially if you are just a spectator and it's an event of some kind going on. Many times flash is not allowed during competition... and even if it isn't posted that it isn't allowed, you wouldn't want to be the photographer that took a flash picture that caused a horse to lose... or even be the focus of the rider thinking your flash caused them to lose. This goes for a lot of indoor events, not just with horses. I've shot hundreds of indoor dog events and I never used flash, even when I was told it was ok. 

Now if you can arrange to set up during practice, that's different. What you can do is set up your lights in one area of the arena and have the people come through that area so you can get your pictures.  This gives you a controlled lighting area (with your choice of background) so you can concentrate on the shot and not everything else. 

I think arenas, barns, convention centers and other indoor events like this are some of the poorest lighted areas I've shot in. Most have a mixture of lighting, floresent, tungstan, halagon, iodine and sometimes daylight coming in through doors, windows and skylights.  Getting a good white balance can really be a challenge, which is why I always shoot in raw and try to get a few shots with a known white source in it... either one I bring or someone in a white shirt or teeshirt. 

One other thing I've found, a lot of times you can get marginal shots that look fine on the screen or in small prints. It's when you have to blow them up or crop a lot that you really see how fuzzy and blurry they are from movement.  Fortunately, many people just want shots for their web site or maybe a 4x5 or 5x7 for their scrap book. If I know ahead of time they are going to want 8x10 or even bigger, I know I'm going to have to work extra hard to get the shots to support this.  This is when I'll do a lot of panning (although that won't help much with feet movement) or go for the static shots. 

Besides a fast lens (I shoot 2.8L most of the time but have a 85mm 1.8 for when I need the little bit faster lens) it helps to have a camera that you can crank the ISO up to 1600 and still get acceptable noise levels. The key word is "acceptable" of course. 

Mike


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## JCPics (Oct 10, 2007)

I guess this is an old question,

I think the main problem is the shutter speed.   Of course a speedlight would definitely help, but if the shutter speed is too slow, you won't be able to capture the shot.   I've taken some MLB shots (just for fun), where 1/250 will stop the motion of a 90mph fast ball, or the body movement of the players.


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## spyder (Oct 12, 2007)

i have been having the same problem with sports photography at night.i suggest getting a faster lens if possible, then set your cam on aperture priority and up the iso as high as possible/needed. have your aperture as big as possible(lowest number). this will give you the fastest possible shutter speed for the given circumstances


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## Sw1tchFX (Oct 12, 2007)

If I were getting paid to do this, i'd go out and buy a few SB-600's, and an SB-800 or SU-800, and if those couldn't reach, the slaves, than radio triggers. 

You keep saying that your biggest problem is light, or lack thereof. If you have little light, than CREATE light. Clamp up about 3 or 4 speedlights around the arena, put your shutter speed at the flash sync and go at it. You can use a couple of lights to give off some ambient light, and than you can use others for your key and fill. Not to mention gels could be used for color separation, set your WB to tungsten and use tungsten gels on the key and fill light, than the ambient would be a slight blue and the horse and jockey would be a normal color temp. there are just possibilities galore. If your flash can reach when it's on your camera, than you'd be fine with them off the camera in i-TTL mode.

This way, you have absolute control of the lighting and you can make it look any way you want it to.


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## pandinus (Oct 15, 2007)

I forgot to mention this:
There is a lot of planning involved in equine photography. If there is a given course they have to ride, then you have to place your self with that in mind. If there is not, then it will be harder work.

If you want to shoot horses at play, you should have your camera ready when the horses are set out to pasture. The first three to ten minutes are usually just horse play.... So that will give you a great chance to shoot this. (Here in Norway horses are kept in stabeles and paddoks thrugh the winter, and come april or may they are set out on the pastures for the first time of the year. This is a great photo op.)

Best of luck


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## JerryPH (Oct 18, 2007)

Mike_E said:


> The danger is in spooking the horse.


 
That is a very major concern. Many shows will no longer permit flash, just for that reason.

A little hint... sometimes an acton picture taken further away (or zoomed in less) will have a greater effect of "stop action" than when up close and lighting do not permit.  You can always bring the pic up to 100% and crop it down to what you need.

On a related note, as a younger man, I was giving a martial arts demonstration, when someone flashed me at the perfectly wrong instant. I was fine, but my training partner needed $2900 worth of dental work as a result of my demonstrating high kicks. Not fun... the photographer was not to pleased to have to pay the bill. He was asked several times not to use the flash, but insisted.

Most concert and sports events now forbid flashes for similarly distracting reasons.

Its the smart thing to do, to ask if flashes are permitted at public events or restricted in any manner before setting up.


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## NateOntario (Oct 20, 2007)

fido dog said:


> ISO 400
> 105mm AF
> f5.6
> 1/250
> ...



That background hurts my eyes, but the horse looks great, especially from that distance.


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## fido dog (Oct 20, 2007)

NateOntario said:


> That background hurts my eyes, but the horse looks great, especially from that distance.



Yeah....That arena has a VERY high wall compared to most and everythings WHITE!! We don't put backdrops in the riding area, just the posed shots.


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