streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Hello, I am a street shooter so I felt a little out of my comfort zone when I was asked to take pictures of a horse in a barn/stable. I did an Ugly search and found some great pictures of stables and barns but nothing inside. I have a Nikon D 7100 and will be using natural lighting. I shoot manual and raw as a rule. I have a number of quality lenses to choose from and I'm sure I could do a decent job but was hoping to get some insight from horse folks that have been there and done that. I was thinking 35mm opened up and a mid ISO someplace around 800? Just a guess but why guess when I have you folks. Thank you for the help. Marty

Violameister Loc: michigan

Depends a bit on why the photo is wanted. If for artistic purposes, I would use natural light. If for commercial purposes such as selling the horse or barn, I would use flash.

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Thank you, it's for a friend/artistic no fee. I heard flash upsets the horse?

Ruthiel Loc: Las Vegas

Try not to use a flash because it takes them a while to settle down if it bothers them. My cousin has fox trotters the flash bothered one of them and she wouldn't let me near her with the black thing the rest of the day. You might like a longer lens because it allows you to get closer without invading their space. Google "Rob Hess Photography" for some beautiful inspiration . Have fun :)

Basil Loc: New Mexico

FWIW, I recently attended Hunter Jumper competition inside a dairy barn. The lighting was a big challenge. I did not even think about flash as I was afraid it might spook the horses. With the horrible lighting I could not get a shutter speed faster that about 1/500th with my f4 70-200 lens wide open. A few if my pics were salvagable in PP. He's thread where my experience is discussed.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-255446-1.html

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Basil, I checked it out and I've seen worse. Fortunately I'm not taking any jumping horses and my lenses are faster than f4. Thanks again.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

I would also set the shutter to silent. If you are in the barn and fairly close the shutter snap could also spook them.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Magicunicorn is a professional horse photographer in Australia. I suggest you PM her.

Ladywendy Loc: Georgia

I have been shooting horses for several years and have never had a problem with flash as long as I used the red eye rediction mode. Usually after a couple of shots, the horses will ignore the blinking light and you can get some really good shots. Be patient!!
Also, always shoot up to a horse, otherwise you get a picture with an overly large head and a small body.

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

Last week, I did a photo session of horses outdoors. No problems with the light... Then, we went into an indoor arena for a show at the NC State Fairgrounds... Big trouble getting the light right. Didn't want to use a flash because of distance and my concern for spooking a horse. So, I used high ISO, which worked, but resulted in somewhat grainy photos. Not sure what I could do better next time, but I will work on that. So, I am interested in hearing what others here will offer as solutions. :lol:

RRRoger Loc: Monterey Bay, California

We have shot inside a lot of barns where the lighting is always some degree of bad.
Choice of camera: Nikon D3-4, D800, D5300.
None of my Canons or Panasonic's could handle the low light.
I usually use a 28-70 and 70-200 f2.8 Nikkor.
A high ISO camera is a must and 6400 is average.
Playing with the EV setting can help.
If you can use a TriPod or stabilize yourself against something you can lower your camera shutter speed.
If you can get the horse in front of something solid it will help.
Never shoot into the outside light if you can help it although I have gotten some amazing effects that way.

I rarely use a flash, mostly because I do not like it, but I have never had it effect a horse. They seem to ignore it unless it is in their face, so bouncing a strong flash or several might work well.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I shot horses for years. Use a telephoto - at least 135 and shoot at f8 or higher to get all of the horse in sharp focus. Check your lens to see where the focus falls off and work with it. If you're doing just head shots, focus on the eye and shoot verticals. If shooting the entire horse, position yourself so that you're looking at a 3/4 shot (most flattering) and focus on the shoulders or withers. Flat on the side pictures can be OK, but tend to be static. Careful of the feet position. Each breed has its own preferred stance for photos. Be very careful of your background. If you shoot with the barn in the background and it's white, it will screw up your metering. And it's too harsh. If the barn is dark and the horse is dark, the horse will get lost. People always used to want to put their dark horse up against a dark row of trees. Doesn't work. Try to have a lot of distance between the horse and whatever might be in the background. The best shots are out in the middle of a field with nice sky and maybe a pretty fence a LONG way away.

I used to carry a clicker in my pocket to use to get the horse's ears up. Actually, when they hear the shutter click, the ears come up, but it's too late unless your shooting 10 frames a second and do a burst. Flash light can be too harsh. If you need light on the belly, use your truck's sunshade as a reflector. If it's gold it will add warmth, so be careful of your white balance with it. If it's silver or white, it will be perfect. If it's a dull day, you'll end up with a dull looking horse.

The hard part is to get the horse's head turned just so, the stance correct, the ears up and the tongue in the mouth (not out) all at the same time! Shoot fast!

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Thank you all for the very helpful tips...:)

TheeGambler Loc: The green pastures of Northeast Texas

Hi Marty, in response to your post, everything depends on the surroundings, the space where you are to shoot, and the lighting (of course.) I would go check out the barn to see what spots you will have available for shooting the photos. Suggest some places in the barn where the background would be nicest but maybe needs to be cleaned up a bit or things rearranged. See if the owners will let you do some shots outside while you are there. Sometimes people like suggestions and are willing to let you try some different things. I think the prep work is really important for a successful shoot.

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Very good tips, thank you very much. :)