Working a new horse though the jumps - this was amazing. My first attempt...cc's

jimqjr

#1 She didn't like the orange flowers...


#2


#3


#4
Zepher appeared to have been abused by a man she had a hard time with me. I worked with her and she gave me a smile... the carrots helped too.


#5



#6



#7



Hope you enjoyed the photos I had a lot of fun and know what I will do next time I get the opportunity. Thank you in advance with the comments. Learning what angles I guess is pretty important and I am thankful for all the posts in DGrin I think it made me better for the first time out.

Icebear

I know nothing about horses or what kind of images horse-people look for, but I like these.

jimqjr

Icebear wrote: »

I know nothing about horses or what kind of images horse-people look for, but I like these.

Thanks John
I know nothing about horses or this sport either. This is a wonderful young gal that goes to our church. She asked if I could take some photos of her with her horse. She is looking to compete this year and training the horse. Her Mom usually hires someone to take the photos. I just did it because it sounded fun. Horses jumping sounded powerful. They are really excited about the photos and said they were much better than the others that have been taken. So maybe I'll go to a few shows and see if I could make a couple of dollars?

torags

Nice stuff Jim, the B&W looks real good too

pipster

It may be a personal thing but I would like to see the same shots taken on an overcast day so that you would not have to do so much processing to get the shadow details.

jimqjr

torags wrote: »

Nice stuff Jim, the B&W looks real good too

Your stuff is always incredible so thanks for the comment.

jimqjr

pipster wrote: »

It may be a personal thing but I would like to see the same shots taken on an overcast day so that you would not have to do so much processing to get the shadow details.

Was a harsh light day 3:00 bright high sun kinda is what it is. Flash would have been nice. Though the horse already was a little spooked by me so we didn't want to make things worse. I was just having fun watching the horse jump and thinking wow she can easily get over a 5 foot high fence. Practice for me and practice for the horse all and all I think it came out okay.

Thanks for the comment.

jimqjr

jimqjr wrote: »

Was a harsh light day 3:00 bright high sun kinda is what it is. Flash would have been nice. Though the horse already was a little spooked by me so we didn't want to make things worse. I was just having fun watching the horse jump and thinking wow she can easily get over a 5 foot high fence. Practice for me and practice for the horse all and all I think it came out okay.

Thanks for the comment.

Here is an unprocessed RAW photo well lightroom convereted it from RAW to jpg to load it to SMUGMUG.
I am truly a hack when it comes to understanding processing of photos. May just shoot in jpg and crop and forget about it.

Especially, on this site I am told that my photos are over processed a lot. Always post to try to figure out what I am doing...kinda a learning experience.

Have a great one and thanks for the honesty...that's how one learns. The conditions are what they are.

JSPhotography

Hey Jim, Nice work for your first time. I shoot a lot of show jumping, it is a lot of fun and a good market. The indoor winter series all the moms and dads cannot get good shots. Good angles, first timers normally come away with a lot of butt shots. Most people will want shots a little later, back hooves off the ground. This is a really good horse, see how the front knees are pretty even and the front hooves are curled up, very nice. Forget the cross rails for experienced riders. Just before the front legs touch down off a high jump is a good look also. The taller the jump the easier to shoot but you probably allready figured that out. Find yourself an eventing event and you can shoot dressage(boring), cross country(pretty), and arena(lots of opportunity). Have fun

torags

jimqjr wrote: »

Was a harsh light day 3:00 bright high sun kinda is what it is. Flash would have been nice. Though the horse already was a little spooked by me so we didn't want to make things worse. I was just having fun watching the horse jump and thinking wow she can easily get over a 5 foot high fence. Practice for me and practice for the horse all and all I think it came out okay.

Thanks for the comment.

Actually it's counter intuitive, but you might like to try flash in bright sunlight and spot metering. The flash may reduce the dynamic range (might). Spot metering could blow your background so careful with it

Bottom line , you did good

Kikoprice

You made some great shots. I don't see anything you could do differently.

perroneford

torags wrote: »

Actually it's counter intuitive, but you might like to try flash in bright sunlight and spot metering. The flash may reduce the dynamic range (might).

Yea, until it spooks the horse and the rider get's thrown...

Images look lovely. I've been trying to get some jumping in my portfolio for a while now. Maybe one day.

jhefti

I know nothing about this sport, but shoot other sports in bright direct sun all the time and have many of the same problems. My trick is to meter off the important highlights (usually faces) to make sure they are not blown. This usually equates to 1/3 to a full stop lower than center-weighted averaging would give me. I do this before the actual event if possible, then set the camera to manual. I will also use something in the shots that remains relatively constant throughout the shoot--often it is the grass field, but anything homogeneous--and use this as a reference throughout the shoot to make sure my exposure is set properly.

In the PP I bring up the fill light in LR to reduce the contrasts, and often reduce the exposure a little more. If the shot gets too flat, I'll then bring up the black point a little. Often I can apply this in batch mode to an entire set, and then just to the occasional small tweak on individual shots. It works pretty well, though of course not the same as shooting in a cloudy bright day.

anthonyrobinson

This is all my opinion so take it for what it's worth. I no longer shoot horse events as my sister sold her horse.

I don't necessarily agree with shooting just before the front feet hit the ground, but try it and see I suppose.
I've never used flash, even a minimal risk of spooking a horse is not acceptable to me (people die coming off horses). If a rider ends up in hospital, people will know that it was your flash that spooked the horse, so if it's still a consideration, then you need to consider public liability insurance. Ok, just needed to get that out the way.

I like your aperture and shutter speed, and overall you've done a very good job. You're happy, client's happy, everything else (forum opinion) is secondary. Having said that, I don't like your processing at all. Your vignette is too heavy handed, as is other parts. Go back and halve the settings on every slider and see how they look.

jimqjr

Thanks Anthony
Just so you know no plans on using a flash. Never had much luck with it anyway. This is a new horse to the sport and she didn't like the orange flowers which is why they put them there. She wasn't happy with me being to close I started shooting with the 70-200 and she calmed way down when I switched to the 300. This shoot was totally practice for me and also for the horse just trying to get her in a position to go to an event. The over processed photos I do for the form to see what people say. I do it just trying to figure out what people like and don't like. I'm just a hack just trying to figure photography out. Since the shoot I have visited other sites and taken this sport in I noticed that 99% of the photos that others have taken there one hasn't been a flash two minimal post was done(plus it takes to much time) and three I must agree with your comment I don't really like the look of the horse just before touch down and I also don't like the pictures of the half horse that I have seen alot. Some of that appears to have been from positioning. My only claim to fame is I shot for 3 of the little local papers. For what you get paid you take the shot give them the 3-4 best and your done minimal post and then usually nothing except for a crop being you shot in jpg I made all corrections in camera and was done. I'm trying to now shoot in RAW and attempt to figure out the processing. My skin is thick and I love people's opinions.
So thank you and thank you to all the people that have looked at these photos and gave their honest opinion that's what this digrin is about at least that my opinion.
Off today to attempt to shot this horse and rider again of course in harsh light at 2 or 3:00. I am hoping that I learned something after the first attempt and will have a better photo to post.
Have a great one.
I guess if this was a photo shoot you would get the horse in a studio with perfect light and snap a few photos. Being its a sport you take the shot and it is what it is....

jimqjr

This is a 4 year old Hunter another new horse...
Sorry, I am not sure what the problem is. I have removed the proof in the gallery 4 times and it just goes back?
#1


#2

jimqjr

I guess the pictures are either good or they just suck... Lolo

Taivefoto

Hello!
Nice shoots!
I shoot alot of shojumping and horses.My reccomends are:
1.Never ever do not use a flash!! Turn your ISO higher! It is never to high to get a good shoot! You can use a flsh only if you have an agreement of rider personally. They knows theys horses the best!
2.If the horse you know, is not used to with closer shooting, is better to get her used to with this at home. You can shoot from distance, but on competition are too many people what do not does this. They can come very close to border and shoot with compact cameras with automatic flash and they do not want to understand WHY they cannot to this . Even outside.
3.Much easier is to shoot higher jumps than lower .
4.On showjumping (or any kind of horse events)you do not have a choice to look at the suns angle or to some others things what photographers usually do. You just are there and have to shoot. I use usually manual mode as i know well those arenas what we have here. Also i am the only photographer who can shoot in middle of the arena, as i know as to behave there.
5.Before shooting learn the course as well as riders do. And find the obstacles what are i nbest position to light to shoot. Also you have to know is this course in two phases and if is then where is the end of the first phases and when rider can go to next phase . (Maybe in US are bit different rules than in Europe)
6.You have possibility to earn money in place in case, if you have a computer and printer (printer is not necessary) and CD-s. You probably need then a person who knows what to do with photoprogrammes. . Alone you are not able to handle with that.
7.At first look in the camera do not delete shoots, even if they are very poor to you! You never know what you can sell to the rider. They are looking at different things in image as you!
8.Just in case take with a visit cards.
9.The best buyers are those whos parents pay . Forget pros, esp. if you are going to shoot this first time. Learn how to this. To shoot pros and/or higher courses is just a good possibility to learn for future.
10.70-200mm is good choice to shoot. Much better is if you have some converter between. In outside arenas only 200mm might be short sometimes. If you have second camera also, there is good choice some wide angle lens.
11.Once you´ve found suitable place, do´nt leave it so far as you want to shoot. If you move you usually do not get it back . There are alot of people who will take it.

Some of my shoots:
taken outside in last May http://www.taivefoto.com/TAKISTUSSOIT/BALTIC-RIDERS-TOUR-2011-RUILA Camera is 40D and lens Sigma 18-200mm DC OS (do not laugh )
taken inside in October http://www.taivefoto.com/TAKISTUSSOIT/TALLINN-INTERNATIONAL-HORSE Camera same, lens was 50mm fix as there is very poor lighting.

I hope it is a bit of help to you and my english is´nt to poor to understand me.:)

HoofClix

Well, the rider is smiling, and from the way it looks in #1, the horse doesn't seem to be having a problem with the flowers..

I don't see really anything wrong with these shots. Yes, you want to have the rear hooves off the ground, but you also want the front end as properly formed as possible. At these heights, the front end is usually already unfolding before the rear end leaves the dirt.. In that case, always default to getting the front end correct. So at this level, stay ahead of the rider, as you are really already doing, so as to hide the rear hooves from view by boxes and poles.. (I realize this is just a practice ring.)

Unless the heights are at least 3 feet, or if it is a short horse, avoid the angle you show in pic 2 of post 16 above..

#7 is a really nice shot. Horse is really proper, and you have hidden the rear hooves!