Such a good horsey hubby! I'm always at Morven Park in the middle of summer, it doesn't look much more inviting in the cold weather.
Nice candid of the jump judge in #2!
And, I smiled at the major over effort of the bay jumping the ditch in #5.
Which camera are you using? Try using your camera's continuous focus option to help get those fast moving equines in focus, but it looks pretty overcast so shutter speed may have been an issue too.
I'm using a Sony A200 with the kit lens. It was a mix of overcast and bright sunshine. Had to constantly switch between ISO 100 and 400 all day. Pain in the butt! :
I actually had the camera on continuous focus at first, but I was missing shots because it was searching, so switched to AF Single.
Knowing my wife, I will also probably be there a lot this year. We've never lived so close to a horse park. May see ya' there!
Recognize two of the riders from shows down here....
Your candids are really thoughtful.. The ditch isn't so bad of a shot. A little hoof blurf indicates a bit too slow, but timing is good. #4, try to get a bit closer to 45degrees off the horse's angle and try to avoid getting another jump in the way in the foreground.
For shots like these, try to go for motion blur or totally frozen motion, but not in-between. For intstance on #4, get to 45 degrees, pre-focus on a spot on the front of the jump, then follow the horse through the shot, but make sure you're really fast. Rule of thumb, minimum denomonitor on the shutter speed that is twice the focal length.. For blur on #6, set at 1/60 and follow steadily the subject through the water. You'll be amazed at the effects...
Do you ever venture over to MD? I'll be at the MHT unrecognized event April 11.
I had a couple friends and friend's students riding -
1st place in prelim Jr/YR is one of my coach's students.
2nd place in premlim Jr/YR is someone who I knew from Pony Club days (gosh I feel old!)
2nd place in Training TH is my coach's wife.
3rd place novice JR is coach's student
And, I know a couple others...such a small world, huh!
Mark gave you some great advice on the photos. Regarding ISO, horse events are just evil like that. Sunny one minute and overcast the next. They also like to have rain and thunderstorms. Welcome to the mid-atlantic, right? I'm not familiar with the sony a200, but remember when using continuous to half-press the shutter to keep the camera focusing and then full press to take the picture. (You may have been doing that and still having a problem with hunting, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.)
I hope you get some nice weather for future shows, ieep posting, I love seeing other horse photos in here!
Do you ever venture over to MD? I'll be at the MHT unrecognized event April 11.
If you were asking me, I used to have the jobs at Surefire and Loch Moy, but it costs so darn much to go up there for the "double-one-day" format, I just had to let it go.:cry Most of these mid-atlantic folks winter down here in Aiken and East GA, and I see them a lot in February and March.. I live 45 minutes from FENCE if you're ever there...
If my wife hears about it, we may be in MD. (Although, the 11th is our anniversary, so who knows.)
Re. technical stuff. I did have the shutter pressed halfway, and it kept trying to focus, so I thought it hadn't focused on anything so that I would miss the shot. I'll keep trying. The camera is still kind of new to me. Only had it for a couple of months and don't usually shoot a lot of moving things.
Morning Dusk, I'm not really a horse photographer. My wife is the horse lover, I just happen to take a camera. Which means I'll have a lot of horse shots if she has anything to say about it. And cross-country is the event that she loves the most. She loves to watch it. She's all excited because the Grand National took place yesterday in England. She's seen it four times since she got home today.
Just for fun, here are a couple more that came out decent.
Its so good to see another horse photographer on the boards! I've never photograph, nor been to, a cross country event.
i bet those are fun to watch!
Fun, exhilerating, a total blast, only understate it.. I'm sure also that Christina can relate when I tell you of my daughters, each eventers and one at Prelim level, (SFGfx, that's the one with the green signs), go to school and get no respect from the footballers and volleyballers and all the other balls and wheels... One boyfriend hung around the event at a place called FENCE in NC yesterday only to walk away proclaiming that these girls had bigger [EMAIL="#@%%$"]#@%%$[/EMAIL] than anyone on the football team!
I don't shoot clip-clops any more, but it's actually the thing that prompted me to get into photography in the first place back when I was a teenage rider!
It's harder with af since it's trickier to prefocus, but the rule-of-thumb I was taught for grabbing airborne shots was to press the shutter as soon as the sound of hooves stopped. I was riding the hunter-jumper circuit at the time and tightly folded midair or just-enough-after-takeoff-that-knees-were-folded shots were about the only thing anybody wanted to see - probably not as big a deal in eventing since the jumping styles are more varied anyway, but I still find I want to see THAT moment, and I found the above advice helped as long as I didn't rush it, in which case I shot a fraction too early as you did in #3 and arguably #1 in your second batch (although with the bank on the far side it's not that big a deal). The timing you got on #4 is pretty much perfect. In #5 It hink you were fine, but looks to me like that fence is either WAY bigger than it looks in the photo, or he overjumped it significantly, thus leading to all that airspace even while his back legs are still on the ground....
In any case, nice job. I actually really like the blur shot - somehow it works even if it's breaking rules. The candids are fun, too!
Fun, exhilerating, a total blast, only understate it.. I'm sure also that Christina can relate when I tell you of my daughters, each eventers and one at Prelim level, (SFGfx, that's the one with the green signs), go to school and get no respect from the footballers and volleyballers and all the other balls and wheels... One boyfriend hung around the event at a place called FENCE in NC yesterday only to walk away proclaiming that these girls had bigger #@%%$ than anyone on the football team!
WooHoo...
HA!! Yep. And since I was on the west coast when I was riding it got even LESS respect from non-riders than it does back East!!
I'll have to remember that about shooting when the hoof beats stop. Thanks for the advice.
The one that has a lot of "airspace"; that was just a small ditch, not a fence (per-se), but most of the horses that day did not like it! Saw many refuse on that one. The one in the shot I got really over-extended.
I'll have to remember that about shooting when the hoof beats stop. Thanks for the advice.
The one that has a lot of "airspace"; that was just a small ditch, not a fence (per-se), but most of the horses that day did not like it! Saw many refuse on that one. The one in the shot I got really over-extended.
Good advice on the timing for jumps. I shoot horses too (photographically speaking). If you can manage manual focus, pre-focusing on 'the' spot where you want to take the picture is the way to go - then wait, wait, wait - and NOW! It's a real game to push that shutter button just in time and you have to know how quickly your camera will respond. If it's a titch slow, you need to push a bit early. If it's quick - then 'just-in-time' pushing works.
For the dressage phase of eventing (#2), try to be patient and wait for the horse's ears to be up and pricked forward - they look so much prettier and less like the mules they can be!(I ride dressage, TRUST me on this one)
Have fun and, if you're going to keep attending horsey events, buy a Kata cover or something like it for your camera and lenses to keep things clean and dry. I can guarantee that any horsey event will be uncomfortable - hot, cold, wet, windy, dusty, too dry - whatever. But it's worth it!
Snowgirl has a point on the ears, but it is my experience that in dressage the horse more often than not has it's ears turned back to the rider, not in anger, but listening to the rider like it's supposed to be. It's not always the case, but it's the one phase or discipline that goes against the grain...
Shutter timing has to do with the actual camera you have. For instance with my D200 I pretty much "shoot what I see," while with the older D100 I had to depress a tad earlier. (The D200 is a perfect horse show camera as it's a great image but also is cheap enough to have paid for itself when the sensor can no longer be cleaned! Save the higher cameras for non-horse show work..)
Pre-focusing, a great idea if you have time to do it..
Funny, I actually thought about using MF before we left that day. "Okay, set it to manual focus. Let one or two horses go by so that I can make small adjustments and put the focus right where I want it, then shoot away and the focus will be exactly where I need it to be for great shots."
We get there, I'm shooting away, and never take it off of AF. :cry
Yeah, I haven't shot horses since I went AF, so I always used to find a fence with a relatively undistracting background, pick a medium aperture so I'd have enough DOF and prefocus on the standard/wing. Then wait.... I was shooting ringside (since I was usually showing on the same day!) so that limited my choices of fences, but there's usually one in the ring that will fit the bill.
I'm getting so nostalgic for all this it's not even funny! I think I need to find myself a hunter show to shoot somewhere
Comments
Nice candid of the jump judge in #2!
And, I smiled at the major over effort of the bay jumping the ditch in #5.
Which camera are you using? Try using your camera's continuous focus option to help get those fast moving equines in focus, but it looks pretty overcast so shutter speed may have been an issue too.
SmugMug Support Specialist - www.help.smugmug.com
http://www.phyxiusphotos.com
Equine Photography in Maryland - Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers
I'm using a Sony A200 with the kit lens. It was a mix of overcast and bright sunshine. Had to constantly switch between ISO 100 and 400 all day. Pain in the butt!
I actually had the camera on continuous focus at first, but I was missing shots because it was searching, so switched to AF Single.
Knowing my wife, I will also probably be there a lot this year.
Mike
I agree with Phyxius. Nice shots but your focus needs to be set to continuous.
Your candids are really thoughtful.. The ditch isn't so bad of a shot. A little hoof blurf indicates a bit too slow, but timing is good. #4, try to get a bit closer to 45degrees off the horse's angle and try to avoid getting another jump in the way in the foreground.
For shots like these, try to go for motion blur or totally frozen motion, but not in-between. For intstance on #4, get to 45 degrees, pre-focus on a spot on the front of the jump, then follow the horse through the shot, but make sure you're really fast. Rule of thumb, minimum denomonitor on the shutter speed that is twice the focal length.. For blur on #6, set at 1/60 and follow steadily the subject through the water. You'll be amazed at the effects...
www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
Thanks for the advice. If we get up there again, and they are using the water fence again, I'll give that a try. Sounds interesting.
And I'll work more on better composition, focus, and shutter speed next time.
Mike
I had a couple friends and friend's students riding -
1st place in prelim Jr/YR is one of my coach's students.
2nd place in premlim Jr/YR is someone who I knew from Pony Club days (gosh I feel old!)
2nd place in Training TH is my coach's wife.
3rd place novice JR is coach's student
And, I know a couple others...such a small world, huh!
Mark gave you some great advice on the photos. Regarding ISO, horse events are just evil like that. Sunny one minute and overcast the next. They also like to have rain and thunderstorms. Welcome to the mid-atlantic, right? I'm not familiar with the sony a200, but remember when using continuous to half-press the shutter to keep the camera focusing and then full press to take the picture. (You may have been doing that and still having a problem with hunting, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.)
I hope you get some nice weather for future shows, ieep posting, I love seeing other horse photos in here!
SmugMug Support Specialist - www.help.smugmug.com
http://www.phyxiusphotos.com
Equine Photography in Maryland - Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers
If you were asking me, I used to have the jobs at Surefire and Loch Moy, but it costs so darn much to go up there for the "double-one-day" format, I just had to let it go.:cry Most of these mid-atlantic folks winter down here in Aiken and East GA, and I see them a lot in February and March.. I live 45 minutes from FENCE if you're ever there...
www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
i bet those are fun to watch!
Re. technical stuff. I did have the shutter pressed halfway, and it kept trying to focus, so I thought it hadn't focused on anything so that I would miss the shot. I'll keep trying.
Morning Dusk, I'm not really a horse photographer. My wife is the horse lover, I just happen to take a camera. Which means I'll have a lot of horse shots if she has anything to say about it.
Just for fun, here are a couple more that came out decent.
#1
#2
Enjoy!
Mike
Fun, exhilerating, a total blast, only understate it.. I'm sure also that Christina can relate when I tell you of my daughters, each eventers and one at Prelim level, (SFGfx, that's the one with the green signs), go to school and get no respect from the footballers and volleyballers and all the other balls and wheels... One boyfriend hung around the event at a place called FENCE in NC yesterday only to walk away proclaiming that these girls had bigger [EMAIL="#@%%$"]#@%%$[/EMAIL] than anyone on the football team!
WooHoo...
www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
It's harder with af since it's trickier to prefocus, but the rule-of-thumb I was taught for grabbing airborne shots was to press the shutter as soon as the sound of hooves stopped. I was riding the hunter-jumper circuit at the time and tightly folded midair or just-enough-after-takeoff-that-knees-were-folded shots were about the only thing anybody wanted to see - probably not as big a deal in eventing since the jumping styles are more varied anyway, but I still find I want to see THAT moment, and I found the above advice helped as long as I didn't rush it, in which case I shot a fraction too early as you did in #3 and arguably #1 in your second batch (although with the bank on the far side it's not that big a deal). The timing you got on #4 is pretty much perfect.
In any case, nice job. I actually really like the blur shot - somehow it works even if it's breaking rules. The candids are fun, too!
HA!! Yep. And since I was on the west coast when I was riding it got even LESS respect from non-riders than it does back East!!
The one that has a lot of "airspace"; that was just a small ditch, not a fence (per-se), but most of the horses that day did not like it! Saw many refuse on that one. The one in the shot I got really over-extended.
Good advice on the timing for jumps. I shoot horses too (photographically speaking). If you can manage manual focus, pre-focusing on 'the' spot where you want to take the picture is the way to go - then wait, wait, wait - and NOW! It's a real game to push that shutter button just in time and you have to know how quickly your camera will respond. If it's a titch slow, you need to push a bit early. If it's quick - then 'just-in-time' pushing works.
For the dressage phase of eventing (#2), try to be patient and wait for the horse's ears to be up and pricked forward - they look so much prettier and less like the mules they can be!
Have fun and, if you're going to keep attending horsey events, buy a Kata cover or something like it for your camera and lenses to keep things clean and dry. I can guarantee that any horsey event will be uncomfortable - hot, cold, wet, windy, dusty, too dry - whatever. But it's worth it!
http://www.imagesbyceci.com
http://www.facebook.com/ImagesByCeci
Picadilly, NB, Canada
Shutter timing has to do with the actual camera you have. For instance with my D200 I pretty much "shoot what I see," while with the older D100 I had to depress a tad earlier. (The D200 is a perfect horse show camera as it's a great image but also is cheap enough to have paid for itself when the sensor can no longer be cleaned!
Pre-focusing, a great idea if you have time to do it..
www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
We get there, I'm shooting away, and never take it off of AF.
Oh, the shame! Best laid plans and all...
I'm getting so nostalgic for all this it's not even funny! I think I need to find myself a hunter show to shoot somewhere
www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..