Photo school - Part 2

Do you want to photograph your horse, but maybe don't quite get around to it? Do you want to learn the basics of horse photography? Then this mini-course is for you!

In this second part of the photography school, we will cover backgrounds, good things to think about for smooth photography and basic settings for those of you who use a system camera when you photograph.

Background

There are an infinite number of backgrounds you can choose from when photographing horses. But there are some basic guidelines you can rethink if you feel unsure and want to improve your photos. There are tons of great backgrounds that are incredibly beautiful, but they are absolutely not required for you to take great photos. Being in a calm and familiar environment does a lot for safety, and contributes to a relaxed horse.

-Don't stand too close to your intended background. Generally speaking, the further you stand from your background with your subject, the more out of focus the background becomes, and the more focus you put on the horse. So it can be good to take a few extra steps from the background with the horse you start photographing. See the images below for an example of how it can give a completely different impression.

-Foreground, subject and background are three important parts of an image. The subject and the background are a matter of course for most people, but something many forget is that you can include something in the foreground of the picture. For example, you can use it to frame the subject. See an example below, where we build depth in the image by including the grass in the right corner. Whether you like using details in the foreground or not is a personal preference that you have to experiment with.

-Pick up as much debris as possible before taking the picture. It's so easy to think that it won't show or that it's easy to edit out, but it saves a lot of time during post-processing to prepare as much as possible before the shot is taken.

Pictures with black background

Taking pictures with a black background is a way to get pictures with  a clean background that puts all the focus on the horse. These pictures can be incredibly nice to have as a painting, for example, and it is easy to see that the pictures have a common thread. 

To take these photos in the easiest way, the doorway in the stable or stable works well. Turn off the stable aisle, and avoid windows and other light sources in the background. It is recommended that the horse be placed so that any direct sunlight does not hit the horse, so that there is an even light on the horse without harsh shadows. You can photograph the horse itself, or both horse and rider together, for example. 

When we talk about camera settings, there are three main ones that determine how bright the image is perceived. These are ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Here we will go through what the three mean, and how to think about it. 

Shutter speed: Shutter speed is the time the camera's shutter is open and the sensor is exposed to light when you take a picture. 

This is written in terms of 1/500s, for example, and simply means that the shutter closes in one five-hundredth of a second. The shutter speed I recommend should always be at least 1/250s, to reduce the motion blur caused by your or the horse's movements. The faster your subject moves, the faster the shutter speed you need.

Aperture: Aperture is affected by which lens you use. The aperture determines how much light is admitted to the image sensor in the camera. The larger the aperture, the more light is let in. The focal length of a lens is measured in millimeters and affects how much of a subject or surroundings is included in the image. Short focal length provides a wide-angle view and captures a lot, while long focal length provides more magnification and focuses on distant objects. Zoom lenses are all about adjusting the focal length to change the angle of view and magnification.

When you buy a lens, the focal length and maximum aperture are important things to consider. These can be, for example, 70-200mm (Focal length) and f. 2.8 (Largest aperture). The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture. The larger the aperture, the smaller the depth of field. A shallow depth of field means that only themain subject you focus on is sharp, while the foreground and background are blurred. This creates a clear separation between the subject and its surroundings.

This means that if you are looking for an image with your subject in focus, and an unfocused background, you should have a large aperture. Lenses can be either fixed focal length (a specific mm, like 50mm) or zoom lenses (a range, like 70-200mm). Fixed focal length often provides better brightness and image quality, while zoom lenses provide flexibility to adjust the focal length. For horse photography, the 70-200 f. 2.8 is a good and flexible lens.

A recommended aperture for horse portraits is around f.2-f.4 to separate the subject from the background and create bokeh. If, on the other hand, you need to focus on a larger surface, or at greater depth, you will need to choose a smaller aperture (a higher aperture number).

ISO: ISO affects how sensitive the camera's sensor is to light. The higher the ISO number, the less light the sensor requires for an image to be correctly exposed. However, a high ISO number comes at the expense of image quality. Really high ISO numbers contribute to noise and want to be avoided. Hence, low ISO numbers are  best to maintain image quality.

File format

If you shoot with a system camera, you can choose the file format your images are saved as. It is then often RAW or JPEG that you choose between.

Advantages of RAW

-Flexibility in Post-processing

You have greater control over white balance, exposure, contrast and color adjustments afterwards. It makes it possible to fine-tune the image without losing quality.

-Less Compression

RAW files are not compressed in the same way as JPEG, which means you don't lose image quality due to compression with each save.

Disadvantages of RAW

-Larger File Size

RAW files are significantly larger than JPEG files because they contain more unaltered information. This can lead to greater storage requirements.

If you only want to transfer the image to the mobile phone after taking it to be able to use it, then JPEG can be a good option for you. You then do not need to post-process the image, or use special programs to be able to use the image. However, if you are interested in post-processing the image with editing, then RAW is probably the right option for you. This is because the RAW format saves all image information collected by the camera's image sensor. It thus gives you freer hands with the editing, and helps you to be able to save images that are over or underexposed, for example.

Finishing

When it comes to post-processing images, there are loads of programs you can use, some of which are Lightroom and Photoshop. Here, it's a lot about finding your thing. What kind of editing do you enjoy? No two photographers have exactly the same taste or edit in exactly the same way. Try your hand, and use tutorials when you want to learn something new. 

Aide

To make it easier when taking pictures, it is always good to have an assistant with you. The helper can, for example, hold the horse, attract pointed ears with horse treats, or make a squeaking sound, for example. It is also a positive thing from a safety aspect, as this person can keep full focus on the horse even when you are focusing on the camera.

We hope that this second and final part of the photo school has been educational and interesting to take part in, as well as helping you to take slightly sharper photos of your horse.

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