I’m out gallavanting with my mom today during her annual Texas visit. Mostly, we’re trying to stay warm because it’s COLD here for November. I haven’t taken a ton of new pictures lately, so here is a “Photography Friday” of horses I have owned, leased, or ridden in the past… no including Elvis since there are a zillion pictures of him on this blog already. Obviously, I’m not the one riding since I’ve taken these 😉 There are many more,…
There’s a not-so-secret trick that equine photographers keep in their bag of tricks. It’s striking and classic, and makes people go “oooo” and “ahhhh”. What am I talking about? The “black background” shot. It’s one of the most impressive pictures you can take of your horse, but it’s also one of the easiest. There’s no special lighting or big black backdrops we set up behind the horses… the trick is a barn aisleway or door with the light shining in…
I don’t consider myself a horse racing aficionado by any means, but I can’t help but love watching horse racing in person… and photographing it! In honor of the Preakness tomorrow, I decided to post some of my favorite horse racing pictures. These were all taken at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. I haven’t been to many tracks, but I was so impressed with Fair Grounds each time I visited. The place is impeccably clean. The tack…
Last week, I wrote about some of the struggles I faced when I shot horse shows professionally. There was a lot of great discussion in the comments, some surprised and some understanding. As with anything though, there are two sides to the story. Today I hope to talk about the competitor’s needs and frustrations with equine photography as it stands today. Believe it or not, just owning my fancy camera setup does not mean I get good quality photographs from…
If you’ve ever been to a horse show at almost any level, there’s a good chance that you’ve experienced an equine photographer. They come with all different levels of equipment, professionalism and skill. The good ones are a rare mix of photography skills, equestrian sport knowledge and an artistic eye. The business of equine photography seems to be in a strange and dangerous place right now. Photographers complain about rising costs, stolen photos, and fewer orders while show goers complain…
I bet I wasn’t the only one who didn’t really know that “big eq” and the Maclay Medal Finals was a really big deal before the Horse Power TV series on Animal Planet. Since I didn’t grow up showing on any type of hunter/jumper (or any) circuit, I had no idea of the big eq world. Even when I did figure out the big eq existed, the classes weren’t usually big in NC and we don’t even have a decent 3’6″…
I am a total sucker for a colored sporthorse. That doesn’t mean I don’t love my plain bay Thoroughbred, but if it’s flashy… I adore it. Bonus points for spots. Triple bonus points for palomino. One day… one day I will have a palomino hunter, and it will be beautiful. Anyway, WEF is a sea of bays. Even a chestnut or a gray stands out among the grays, but I did find some color few and far in-between. I’m sure there’s a…
For each week during the Winter Equestrian Festival, there is a “Saturday Night Light” class that is open to the public and hosts a big show jumping (usually) or occasional hunter class. These vary in difficulty and prize money, and every year I’ve previously visited I’ve been lucky enough to go for the $500k WEF Finale Grand Prix… which is massive and filled with the best of the best. This year I went during week 10 instead of 12, and…