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and when they do, what special techniques do they use??

A friend of mine at work is selling her horse and has asked me to do some photos for her to a)advertise and b) keep for the memories of the 12 years this much-loved animal has been part of her life.

She was in tears telling me about how she's tried all avenues to keep the horse but has now option except to sell her - I really want to do a good job of this as these pics will be the last images she has.

I'd really appreciate any advice members can offer about how to get the best out of this sort of assignment. Lenses, lighting, poses, composition, props, etc - I've never done a project like this before and would love to hear from those who have.

Hi Simon - while I can't give you any real direct advice, I'd say that if she's after memory pics as well as a sales pic then I'd try and get some sort of action photo's in there - these will bring back memories far better than a straight portrait

(But you already knew that didn't you )

sheepie wrote:Hi Simon - while I can't give you any real direct advice, I'd say that if she's after memory pics as well as a sales pic then I'd try and get some sort of action photo's in there - these will bring back memories far better than a straight portrait

(But you already knew that didn't you )

Cheers Leon - I'm open to ANY advice so thanks!
I suppose the action will be dictated by the location as well.

How sad for her, Simon.

Make sure you get some pix of her with the horse so she can keep them. I would also think that pix of the owner and the animal together would be useful as ads.

cricketfan wrote:How sad for her, Simon.

Make sure you get some pix of her with the horse so she can keep them. I would also think that pix of the owner and the animal together would be useful as ads.

Absolutely - thanks Trevor.

Simon, it would provide great memories for your friend if you could get photos of her regular routines with her horse, say feeding, checking/cleaning the hooves, brushing saddling up, riding and hosing down. Maybe some simple jump shots (if that is what they do) and also some shots of the horse just being lead. Then, of course, some shots of the owner embracing her friend.
Hope you have plenty of time and get some great memories for her. If you do I'm sure they will also be wonderful shots for her ad.
Cheers, Mick

Closeups too Simon. Facial expressions being alert, nostrils, eyelashes, ears etc ( a good head shoulders or just head portrait) All the other shots are great too but for memories a couple of good closeups staring down the lens in good even lighting eveniong early morning etc. I know that will bring back the memories. When you think about it hors owners that care often spend a lot of time at the front or business end of the horse grooming stroking talking to it so that close perspective will be quite familiar and certainly memorable. Good luck with it. I'm sure you'll do the job proud:)
cheers
marco

Thanks for all the great tips guys. Very much appreciated.

I've got kit 18-70mm, a 50mm1.4 and a Tamron 90 Macro that gets nice portrait results - any suggestions as to which would be best?

Manta wrote:I've got kit 18-70mm, a 50mm1.4 and a Tamron 90 Macro that gets nice portrait results - any suggestions as to which would be best?

IMHO the 50 would be the one i would chose here for most of the work, i own a 50mm. 1.4 and it's a superb lens for full length portriat type work. But in saying that, for some of the action shots where you might not be able to get as close you may need the 90.

I thought the 50 would be good too Adam. I've got a 70-300G I could use for the action stuff but would have to keep it inside 200mm to retain quality and sharpness. Just have to see what I've got to work with on the day regarding space and backgrounds. plus the sort of shots the owner wants.

Simon, it will depend on the horse but you may also be better off using some reflectors to get more even lighting - as opposed to using any flash set-ups. The 50 1.4 may come in very handy for close in owner/horse portrait shots. I'm sure all will go well - hope you get to enjoy it too.

Good point Oscar. I've got a set of home-made reflectors that do a pretty good job so I'll take them along.

Yeah..I want to shoot one of our horses, and not with a camera. We occasionally let them in the front yard...to do a bit of lawn mowing and fertilising, if you get my drift. Anyway this particular horse seems to have taken too much interest in its reflection in one of the windows, so it walked up the steps and sauntered along the front verandah to check it out a bit more. It took me about half an hour to get it off the verandah, after hurridly barricading it from going round the back where there is about a 4 metre drop off the back deck.



Advertising shots...if its a jumper show a shot of it going over the biggest jump it can do. Show it rising over the jump with its front legs as tucked as possible ....if its a hacky put her in in her show gear on the horse doing its steps. There are a some jumping shots on my website, a couple of which have been used to sell horses in http://www.horsedeals.com.au

Personal shots...show it nuzzling the owner...well what ever her favorite things are. Front lit shots in the late afternoon, or early morning, with a galloping horse having sunlight showing a glowing mane look pretty good but are beyond my capabilities.

Love the shot Shakey - and thanks for the ideas.

Another thought - some horses can shy at unfamiliar items. It may be wise to have the horse familiarised with your camera and other gear you take.
Wouldn't be good if you take the first shot of the horse and it bucks the owner off as it bolts down the paddock - or it she is riding near a reflector and the horse baulks at it either.
The sound of the shutter may spook the horse - maybe do a couple of test shots.
Check these things off with the owner to help ensure the horse is at ease during the photo session.

Oscar wrote:Another thought - some horses can shy at unfamiliar items. It may be wise to have the horse familiarised with your camera

My first thought when I read this ... The horse with a DSLR slung around its neck ready to take photos ... <In my best Mr Ed voice> "no no no use the aperature priority mode not the automatic mode to take my photo"


Russell