Even when not in the market for a new horse, we all go online and window shop to see what is available. The online classified websites are overwhelmingly filled with horses for sale. Usually it isn’t the description that makes us stop and look – it’s the gorgeous photo that causes us to click the link to see more. Keep that in mind when it comes time to sell your own horse. A beautiful photo can mean the difference between a potential buyer skimming over your advert or showing up to have a look with money in hand and the horse float in tow.
No pictures? No problem. With planning and preparation you can learn to take your own. Here is what you need to know. Good photography is a numbers game; professionals take hundreds of shots to get the best possible image during a photo shoot. Only around 10% of the pictures we take are worth keeping. Part of this low success rate is because a horse has many moving parts: eyes that blink, a swishing tail, four legs and two ears. My best advice is to keep shooting; you can never take too many pictures.
Preparation is king
Groom your horse to perfection, as if you are about to present him to the Queen. If the mane needs pulling, pull it, if the feet need a trim, call the farrier. Don’t skimp on presentation. Make sure all tack is clean and fits; nothing spoils a picture faster than dirty or old tack that doesn’t fit the horse.
Think about your picture lighting and the time of the day for your shoot. Natural sunlight is better than a flash. Take your pictures on a sunny day within a few hours of sunrise or sunset. The low angle of the sun will illuminate the horse without harsh shadows, add a sparkle to the eyes and make his coat look shiny.
The sun should either be streaming over your shoulder striking the horse full on, or coming in from the side at a 90 degree angle. Side lighting is often used when doing three-quarter front or back body conformation shots to help show the sculpting of the muscles.
Finding the right background is as important as grooming. A plain background will show off your horse; avoid clutter or busy backgrounds that will distract from him. I look for lots of nothingness; trees should be as far away as possible. Never stand your horse in front of trees; the unattractive result will be branches poking out of his topline or head. The same goes for any vehicles or man-made structures; the picture should be all about the horse.
I look for rolling hills and stand the horse with the soft green of the paddock behind him or at the crest of the hill and use the sky as my backdrop.
Beware of grass that is too deep, otherwise your horse will no have visible feet. Mow the grass if you have to: buyers want to see hooves! Look for level ground, as standing a horse on uneven ground can result in the withers or croup being too high.
If you don’t have access to wide open expanses, the sun-drenched open doorway of a stable will also create a plain background.
The most important camera setting is the ZOOM! The top mistake inexperienced photographers make is standing close to the horse and using the wide angle setting. Never use wide angle on horses unless you are purposely trying to make them look like they have a huge head and small, weirdly shaped body. Always use the zoom, typically at a minimum of 50% zoomed in; even if you have to stand halfway across the paddock, it will give you a much better proportional result.
The poses
There are four major stationary conformation poses that best show off a horse. They are: side view, three-quarter front view, three-quarter back view and portrait.
The side view is the most important when it comes to horse shoppers, but a lovely portrait will often entice a shopper to click your link – just make sure you have equally good body pictures to complement that portrait.
Taking good conformation pictures is difficult. Ideally, I suggest you have three competent horse people to help: one person to hold the horse, the second to set the legs and the third to get the horse’s attention. Many horses have never been taught to stand still or square on the lead, unless they have been shown in-hand. I find most horses think being on the lead is an invitation to graze at their leisure, and their little horsey minds are shocked when they are asked to stand still with their head up, especially when there is grass beneath their feet.
When buyers are looking at your horse, they look at the legs first, so don’t lose a sale because the legs are not set perfect. A horse standing slightly under itself can give the impression of many conformation flaws – from being sickle-hocked to being over at the shoulder. Be persistent about getting the legs balanced. This process is time-consuming; be patient and put plenty of bug spray on the horse – you don’t want him stomping and moving.
The side view is not easy. Once you pick your spot and angle of light, have one person standing directly in front of the horse with both hands on the halter or bridle. Your second helper should set the legs into position, the hind leg closest to the camera should be set square and the other just slightly ahead so it is not hidden. The front legs should also be set to slightly see the other leg behind.
The third person stands around 5m in front of the horse with a large flag or similar, ready to wave overhead. I usually take some test shots while the horse is being set up to make sure the light and background is what I want. Remember to back up and use the zoom function.
When the legs are set and you are ready with the camera, the flagger should start to get the horse’s attention. As the horse strikes an attentive pose the person holding the horse should quietly release the head and step back just a foot or two without putting any pressure on reins or lead. Do not worry about people being in the picture: as long as they are two steps away, you can crop them out later.
If the horse is sufficiently fascinated with the flag, he should hold an ears-up attentive pose around 10 seconds, giving you time to take as many pictures as you can. Remember: horses blink; keep taking pictures as long as the horse is posing.
The second the horse starts losing interest, stop waving the flag, and have the header step in and hold the horse before it moves out of position. Horses get acclimatised quickly to new stimuli like a flag. Don’t overdo it, otherwise it won’t work for the next pose.
Another flag-waving position is to sweep the flag back and forth low on the ground in front of the horse, close enough to get his interest but not so close as to spook him. This will often cause the horse to arch its neck and break at the poll to look downward. This is a very flattering stance for typy breeds such as Arabians.
Once you have your horse in position and have captured the side view, you can move yourself around and capture the three-quarter front or three-quarter back angles. The perfect angle is when all four legs are in view and are evenly spaced apart.
The front view shows off the horse’s chest and the back view shows the powerful hindquarters. The head and neck position should show a long graceful neck and sloping shoulder. Make sure the head is positioned so the entire neck can be seen.
One side of the horse is all you need to shoot, unless the horse is a coloured breed such as paint or Appaloosa; in this case buyers want to see the patterns.
Action shots
After you have the conformation shots done, try some riding or at-liberty pictures. If you thought getting nice images of a horse standing still was difficult, be warned: it can take even longer to get a nice action shot!
Once again, pay attention to the best background and where the best light is. The horse should be warmed up so he is moving in a nice, relaxed manner.
Under saddle, a trot is a nice gait to photograph, and ask your rider to smile. Remember it is a numbers game; catching a nice phase of the trot with the horse looking happy and ears forward will require many practice shots.
A canter can be more difficult: try to capture the upward push-off phase, just after the inside hind leg touches down. Every camera has a different time-delay. It takes time to learn to coordinate when to push the shutter.
Liberty shots are the most difficult because the horse can go anywhere. The classic mistake is that the horse is not warmed up, instead it is turned loose after being in all day so that there is lots of action, but a bucking horse hollowing out its back with a wild eye and nose in the air is not the type of picture that will bring buyers running!
Lastly, keep your eyes and your mind open. Sometimes, when a horse is running around freely, it will stop and strike a perfect statuesque pose. Often the best pictures happen when you least expect it.
Not every camera is suited to capture action; I like a camera that can shoot at least 6 frames per second. The technology of iPhones is really great these days and has a wonderful continuous shoot mode. If the action shots are not working out, try switching to video mode and capture short concise clips no longer than 30 seconds.
If the horse has other special talents like jumping or tricks, capture those on video as well. Keep all your clips short. Don’t keep filming until the horse makes an error; try to record only perfect clips, or edit them afterwards.
You want the viewer to come and see your horse in person. Your photos and video are the sales pitch, put your best hoof forward and happy shooting!
A few rules
- Only use photos you have taken yourself or have written permission to use. For example, if you have a fabulous photo from a show, taken by a professional, do not assume you can use it in an advertisement. Contact the photographer and ask if there is an additional fee. If there is a fee, consider paying it, because the time and effort to re-shoot a similar photo can end up costing you more.
- Only use great photos. Don’t mix and match professional quality photos with not-so-great snapshots that won’t do your horse justice. Pick your best photos carefully, more is not always better.
- This article first appeared in the November 2015 issue of NZ Horse & Pony magazine
