Hippotherapy
Taking Pictures of Horses?
I am going to a horse show tomorrow with my Sony A300 and two lenses: a 18-70mm [which I probably won't use much] and a 75-300mm. I have a 60 inch tripod which I plan on using. This is my first time with a serious camera trying to take pictures. It will be outdoors. Any tips on shutter speed/anything else I should know? =) I'm concerned about missing shots with using the tripod or getting blurred shots from trying to move it and follow the action. I really don't want to use flash, but if it would make a big difference, I will. I just need lots of tips.
Public Comments
- Flash won't work that far away to the subject. It might spook the horses if you're too close (am I right about this, horse owners?) A monopod is better (it's a tripod but only with one leg). It gives you somewhat stable platform, but you can pan and move much easier. With a heavier lens, it will come in handy. Fast ISO will give you fast shutter speed. Unless you want to do a creative shot where you shoot at low speed and pan (while keeping an eye on the main subject). p.s. Forget live view. You're not going to see any professional photographers use that at a sport event.
- Don't use flash- could spook the horses. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. The 75-300 is a good choice. I don't think you will need a tripod, you need to be able to change camera position quickly! This was taken at 1/250 and f/8 I believe. As always keep your Iso setting as low as possible. http://www.flickr.com/photos/21125021@N05/2487785978/
- You may still need to use the flash to avoid harsh shadows but I have no idea if this might spook a horse or not. I am thinking that it would be OK. Ask the jockey if he will pose for a second for you. Some are quite accomidating as long as it is not too close to race time. Will you want to take pictures during the race itself? If so, this will require different settings to capture the action without blur. I recommend shutter speeds as FAST as possible, at least 1/500th of a second. This would require a large f-stop opening ( under 3.5??) and a high ISO speed. If this is your first shoot at the race track you will have some experimenting to do. If 50% of the photos turn out good, you've probably done a good job. Good Luck.
