Horse Jumping

canon400d · August 4, 2009

I was at our local Dumfries Agricultural Show and this is the first time I have taken photos of show jumping. I used my 40D with a 70-200 F.4 lens. I will be attending another show on Thursday weather permitting so I really would appreciate plenty of comment and any advice would be a bonus as I am sure there is room for improvement.
Regards
Bob
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12]

13

14

divamum · August 4, 2009

Hoofie's the expert, of course, but I'll chime in in the meantime.

Your best timing was on 5, 8 and 14. A good rule of thumb is to listen as they gallop to the fence, and when the hooves stop... that's when to snap. It's not foolproof, but it works more often than not to get you a good shot in the air.

I quite like 12 - you shot slightly early, but the background sets the scene nicely with the tents and aesthetic buildings behind. #10 almost works for me, but I feel like she's too close to jumping out of the frame; a little more space in front would have made it work better for me.

In general I prefer a shallower depth of field to blur out the backgrounds, but looks like the widest you've got is f4 - that can be fine, just make sure to pick your backgrounds as carefully as you can to minimize distractions.If you're close enough and/or the ring setup means you can shoot through/under the ropes or fence, jumpers like this look great shot from below - makes the fence look higher and can be very dramatic.

Alternatively, if there are any stands ringside, you could try to get high enough above them to shoot down onto a clean background of the grass (probably not possible if this is a typical British county show, but just throwing it out there....)

Looks like the chap in 8/14 had a nice ride (although maybe I"m just swayed by his more American-style seat. I never stop being surprised at the differences in national riding styles - compare/contrast to the hunter shots I posted a few days ago... TOTALLY different hand and leg positions on either side of the pond....) Was there a fall after you shot on #6? That one looks scary!

Have fun with it!

HoofClix · August 4, 2009

Well, I don't know about the expert thing..

I think your timing is pretty consistent in all of the images. My favorites are 1 and 8, but that's mostly because the horses look the best in those!

Also, when choosing which jumps to shoot, the ochsers (in case you don't know, the ones that are two poles wide, like the one in 1 and 8) are the best ones as the horse hangs up in the air longer.

Divavum makes a good point about shooting "down," but I tend to like the shots from jump height, as the make the riders look like they are jumping higher, and in a lot of cases that actually blocks out any objectionable stuff in the background, at least right behind the jumps..

I'm not sure if you're already involved in horse, but most of all, enjoy the day!

Snowgirl · August 5, 2009

HoofClix wrote:

the ochser

oxers

Sorry - I used to be an English teacher and have a fetish about spelling.

I agree with you about the angle. When shooting jumping I definitely prefer shots taken from the ground or only very slightly elevated.

Good timing on most of these shots too.

canon400d · August 5, 2009

divamum wrote:

Hoofie's the expert, of course, but I'll chime in in the meantime.

Your best timing was on 5, 8 and 14. A good rule of thumb is to listen as they gallop to the fence, and when the hooves stop... that's when to snap. It's not foolproof, but it works more often than not to get you a good shot in the air.

I quite like 12 - you shot slightly early, but the background sets the scene nicely with the tents and aesthetic buildings behind. #10 almost works for me, but I feel like she's too close to jumping out of the frame; a little more space in front would have made it work better for me.

In general I prefer a shallower depth of field to blur out the backgrounds, but looks like the widest you've got is f4 - that can be fine, just make sure to pick your backgrounds as carefully as you can to minimize distractions.If you're close enough and/or the ring setup means you can shoot through/under the ropes or fence, jumpers like this look great shot from below - makes the fence look higher and can be very dramatic.

Alternatively, if there are any stands ringside, you could try to get high enough above them to shoot down onto a clean background of the grass (probably not possible if this is a typical British county show, but just throwing it out there....)

Looks like the chap in 8/14 had a nice ride (although maybe I"m just swayed by his more American-style seat. I never stop being surprised at the differences in national riding styles - compare/contrast to the hunter shots I posted a few days ago... TOTALLY different hand and leg positions on either side of the pond....) Was there a fall after you shot on #6? That one looks scary!

Have fun with it!

Hi Divamum, thanks ever so much for looking and replying. I have taken in everything you have said and I am looking forward to my next agricultural show which is tomorrow weather permitting because our weather has been so bad a lot of the main shows have been cancelled.
The guy in number 6 almost came off when the horse landed he really was hanging on.
I use CS4 do you think I should have done a slight Gaussan blur on some of these?
Thanks again
Bob

canon400d · August 5, 2009

canon400d wrote:

Hi Divamum, thanks ever so much for looking and replying. I have taken in everything you have said and I am looking forward to my next agricultural show which is tomorrow weather permitting because our weather has been so bad a lot of the main shows have been cancelled.
The guy in number 6 almost came off when the horse landed he really was hanging on. Tanks again
Bob

Hi Mark, I appreciate what you have said too and I cannot wait for my next session to put into practice what you and Divamum has told me. Can you please tell me if there is a specific time to shoot. By this I mean when the horse is leaving the ground or when it is in the air or when it is landing?
Thanks again
Bob

canon400d · August 5, 2009

canon400d wrote:

Hi Mark, I appreciate what you have said too and I cannot wait for my next session to put into practice what you and Divamum has told me. Thanks a lot.
Bob

Thanks for replying Snowgirl. That really is worth knowing about the Oxers. I took the majority of my shots in a kneeling position but I have certainly taken in the advice I have been given.
Regards
Bob

divamum · August 5, 2009

Just to clarify: the only reason I was thinking of shooting from above was to minimise the ringside distractions without a wider aperture to blur them out - agree that it's a pretty bad way to capture over fences action

As for timing, well... you've already seen in this thread a variation in opinion, generated in part by the kind of riders who are responding. Hoofie is an eventing man. I rode show-ring hunters (different in the US than in the UK - I was a rider in the UK before we moved back to the US, so I know firsthand!).

(DIsclaimer: The following is all ONLY my opinion - while I'm happy to blether on about this, please don't consider me some kind of authority! My horse years were an important part of my life, but it's been more than a few years since I was actively out there....

)

For me, as a boring-old-hunter-person, I tend to like seeing them just after takeoff or mid-air, when their forelegs are tightly tucked. Your #2, a little earlier, can also work. (For the record, those shots I took last weekend were at a very sedate, classically judged "hunt seat" show, and the fences weren't terribly high so the pace was steady and the action slow... which makes it pretty easy to time - I just listen for the hooves to stop as they take off - it's a good rule of thumb).

I know Hoofie has posted a few times showing some of the "money" shots in eventing, which include coming down off a bank just before the front hooves touch, and a shot that is on takeoff uphill. So... I think there are variations on "good timing" which emerge out of what's actually being done.

For jumpers, as these kids are doing, I think it's ALL about the excitement (hence why I like the shots from underneath, to make the fences look bigger), and I think you've captured that well.

Gaussian blur... do you mean for the background, or overall?

HoofClix · August 5, 2009

Hey Divavum, at the end of the day your suggestion about shooting from above is just as correct as any angle.. I shoot from above in some circumstances, especially at a local facility where it get's unbearably hot, and there happens to be an unused judges stand where I can get some shade, but for the most part, ringside or inside the ring.

I do also shoot the hunters, just not so often under my own name. I find the timing of the hunter shot to be exactly the same as for eventing and show jumping, that is, to have the horse's forelegs as level to the ground as possible. The term used is "bascule," for that point in the process where the front legs are as folded as they will be, and at that instant just before they begin unfolding. Shots 2, 5, 9, and 14 show this point, properly. Shot 9 shows how, at a low jump height, the horse gets to bascule and beyond before the hind leaves the ground, which is why at a low height I tend to shoot only from the front so as to sort of hide the rear hooves as much as possible..

So shot 2 is good, but shot 9, find another place to do your work.. Shot 10, just don't take that one!

Shot 4 is a nice instant, a classic show jumper shot, as long as the hooves are still off the ground or just barely having touched. I will choose this shot usually only if the course is designed so that they are taking a sharp turn toward me after landing, in which the rider will usually be looking at me while already pulling on the inside rein...

I wish I had time to link up and show some examples. Maybe later.. Maybe that ought to be a turotial? I've blabbed enough...

pyry · August 5, 2009

Not at all bad Bob

A couple of contrast and comp issues aside, great work (low contrast on a few, and a couple of horses running 'out of the frame').

1, 2, 7 and 13 for me

As for the timing discussion, I would have liked to have seen a couple of landings too. Technique wise.. fast bursts

Gary752 · August 5, 2009

#14 is my favorite. I love the colors and the look of intense concentration of the rider. My only nit is the cars in the background.

GaryB

canon400d · August 7, 2009

divamum wrote:

Just to clarify: the only reason I was thinking of shooting from above was to minimise the ringside distractions without a wider aperture to blur them out - agree that it's a pretty bad way to capture over fences action

As for timing, well... you've already seen in this thread a variation in opinion, generated in part by the kind of riders who are responding. Hoofie is an eventing man. I rode show-ring hunters (different in the US than in the UK - I was a rider in the UK before we moved back to the US, so I know firsthand!).

(DIsclaimer: The following is all ONLY my opinion - while I'm happy to blether on about this, please don't consider me some kind of authority! My horse years were an important part of my life, but it's been more than a few years since I was actively out there.... )

For me, as a boring-old-hunter-person, I tend to like seeing them just after takeoff or mid-air, when their forelegs are tightly tucked. Your #2, a little earlier, can also work. (For the record, those shots I took last weekend were at a very sedate, classically judged "hunt seat" show, and the fences weren't terribly high so the pace was steady and the action slow... which makes it pretty easy to time - I just listen for the hooves to stop as they take off - it's a good rule of thumb).

I know Hoofie has posted a few times showing some of the "money" shots in eventing, which include coming down off a bank just before the front hooves touch, and a shot that is on takeoff uphill. So... I think there are variations on "good timing" which emerge out of what's actually being done.

For jumpers, as these kids are doing, I think it's ALL about the excitement (hence why I like the shots from underneath, to make the fences look bigger), and I think you've captured that well.

Gaussian blur... do you mean for the background, or overall?

Thanks for your reply Divamum very interesting and informative too. I was thinking about the background objects to slightly blur out for example 16 -19.
Regards
Bob

canon400d · August 7, 2009

HoofClix wrote:

Hey Divavum, at the end of the day your suggestion about shooting from above is just as correct as any angle.. I shoot from above in some circumstances, especially at a local facility where it get's unbearably hot, and there happens to be an unused judges stand where I can get some shade, but for the most part, ringside or inside the ring.

I do also shoot the hunters, just not so often under my own name. I find the timing of the hunter shot to be exactly the same as for eventing and show jumping, that is, to have the horse's forelegs as level to the ground as possible. The term used is "bascule," for that point in the process where the front legs are as folded as they will be, and at that instant just before they begin unfolding. Shots 2, 5, 9, and 14 show this point, properly. Shot 9 shows how, at a low jump height, the horse gets to bascule and beyond before the hind leaves the ground, which is why at a low height I tend to shoot only from the front so as to sort of hide the rear hooves as much as possible..

So shot 2 is good, but shot 9, find another place to do your work.. Shot 10, just don't take that one!

Shot 4 is a nice instant, a classic show jumper shot, as long as the hooves are still off the ground or just barely having touched. I will choose this shot usually only if the course is designed so that they are taking a sharp turn toward me after landing, in which the rider will usually be looking at me while already pulling on the inside rein...

I wish I had time to link up and show some examples. Maybe later.. Maybe that ought to be a turotial? I've blabbed enough...

Hi Mark,
If you call that blabbing I found it very interesting and informative too just like Divamum. I will look forward to seeing your tutorial.
Regards
Bob

canon400d · August 7, 2009

pyry wrote:

Not at all bad Bob

A couple of contrast and comp issues aside, great work (low contrast on a few, and a couple of horses running 'out of the frame').

1, 2, 7 and 13 for me

As for the timing discussion, I would have liked to have seen a couple of landings too. Technique wise.. fast bursts

Thanks Pyry for looking and replying. When you refer to 'fast bursts' are you meaning shooting continuous because I had it on continuous throughout the day.
Regards
Bob

canon400d · August 7, 2009

BroPhoto wrote:

#14 is my favorite. I love the colors and the look of intense concentration of the rider. My only nit is the cars in the background.

GaryB

Thanks Gary for looking and commenting. Do you think a stronger gaussan blur is needed?
Regards
Bob

pyry · August 8, 2009

canon400d wrote:

Thanks Pyry for looking and replying. When you refer to 'fast bursts' are you meaning shooting continuous because I had it on continuous throughout the day.
Regards
Bob

Continuous drive indeed, and if your camera gives you any choice, put it on fastest. That way you can get all of the timings.

canon400d · August 19, 2009

pyry wrote:

Not at all bad Bob

A couple of contrast and comp issues aside, great work (low contrast on a few, and a couple of horses running 'out of the frame').

1, 2, 7 and 13 for me

As for the timing discussion, I would have liked to have seen a couple of landings too. Technique wise.. fast bursts

Thanks Pyry I really appreciate your comments as usual and I apologise for not replying earlier.
Best regards
Bob

Horse Jumping

Comments