Hi there western riders…I went to a local Saddle Club show with my SIL as a groom and took along my Canon Rebel T2i…I’m still figuring things out, but here are a few pics that I think turned out ok. Any pro/semi pro photogs out there care to make any comments?? Riders, what would you look for in action pics?
Thanks!
IMG_1732 by laurentian92, on Flickr
IMG_1733 by laurentian92, on Flickr
IMG_1894 by laurentian92, on Flickr
IMG_1923 by laurentian92, on Flickr
As a rider I’d be very happy with the pics. ESP the barrel pics
THe pics you posted look great as far as action shots.
I would suggest (and maybe you did, I can’t tell from your post) taking AS MANY as you possibly can, because its hard to get great action shots from one or two snaps of the button. Then, the riders can have a variety to choose from. Your “good photo” may not be a “good photo” to the rider.
As a rider, I’m really picky about what I consider a “good photo” of my riding classes.
Great photos! Ditto what others said about snapping lots of frames.
JrBlueMoon wants to get a “serious” camera for her birthday. Is this a good one for starting out? She literally used her nice digital camera so much that it rolled over and died one day and I’d like to replace it with an upgrade.
[QUOTE=bluemooncowgirl;6524443]
Great photos! Ditto what others said about snapping lots of frames.
JrBlueMoon wants to get a “serious” camera for her birthday. Is this a good one for starting out? She literally used her nice digital camera so much that it rolled over and died one day and I’d like to replace it with an upgrade.[/QUOTE]
I have a nice digital SLR (Nikon D7000) and from looking before I got it, and from trying other cameras, I would be really hesitant about buying a camera as a surprise gift unless you can be stealthy about getting the recipient to try stuff out beforehand, because there are enough cameras out there now that are reasonably close in performance that smaller details like the ergonomics (size in the hand, weight, button/dial placement) can and should be taken into consideration.
One of my friends has a camera that some might rank as a little ‘nicer’ than mine, but given the choice between the two I’d still opt for mine because I HATE the way his feels in my hands. It’s just the wrong size, stuff is in the wrong place, it doesn’t feel comfortable to use. I found that on a few different cameras of varying brands when I was camera shopping. Stuff didn’t feel comfortable to hold, or controls seemed like they were in weird places relative to where I’d expect them to be, that sort of thing.
For what it’s worth, although I haven’t had many chances to take horse photos (I don’t get out nearly enough with my nice camera) I have been quite happy with the performance of my Nikon D7000. Good photo quality, that sort of thing.
Great advice, kdow. And stuff I didn’t think about! We are blessed with a plethora of camera stores here, so maybe she and I can take a field trip soon and she can try some out for feel.
I know nothing about photography (or barrel racing for that matter), but if I were the rider in the 1st pic I would blow it up, frame it, and hang it my living room for all to see 
Yeah, the first pic is a great action shot!
OP - if you know the rider, tell her to look up to the next barrel, not at the one she is turning 
That is how shoulders drop in and knock them over. Always look where you’re going, not where you’re at!
[QUOTE=OveroHunter;6524719]
I know nothing about photography (or barrel racing for that matter), but if I were the rider in the 1st pic I would blow it up, frame it, and hang it my living room for all to see :D[/QUOTE]
LOL, thanks OveroHunter, I guess that’s the kind of response I was hoping for from the people in the pics.
As for the question about the Camera, my kit (including 2 lens) ran about $1k altogether, so, by no means the most expensive, but not really something you’d want to buy on a whim…there are lots of decent point and shoot digitals out there, at a significantly lower price.
[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;6524758]
OP - if you know the rider, tell her to look up to the next barrel, not at the one she is turning That is how shoulders drop in and knock them over. Always look where you’re going, not where you’re at![/QUOTE]
This!!! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one thinking “OMG seek and look at where you want to go!”
I second getting yourself a lot of cards for your camera and go in rapid fire mode. It looks like you got yourself in a great spot for a nice angle (won’t help if the rider begins the pattern on the left barrel instead of the right – you’ll get the horse’s butt on the bend around the last barrel) and fire away.
With that said, it’s also helpful to become familiar with the game patterns and how they’re run (if you’re not already) so you can figure out the good angles before starting to shoot.
The good thing about digital cameras is it costs you nothing to take a bazillion pics other than the initial cost of cards. Are these your nieces in the shots (you said you went with your SIL, so I assume the girls in the photos are family)? If they practice this stuff at home, see if you can hang out with them the next time they practice just to get more experience with action shots.
[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;6524850]
This!!! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one thinking “OMG seek and look at where you want to go!”
I second getting yourself a lot of cards for your camera and go in rapid fire mode. It looks like you got yourself in a great spot for a nice angle (won’t help if the rider begins the pattern on the left barrel instead of the right – you’ll get the horse’s butt on the bend around the last barrel) and fire away.
With that said, it’s also helpful to become familiar with the game patterns and how they’re run (if you’re not already) so you can figure out the good angles before starting to shoot.
The good thing about digital cameras is it costs you nothing to take a bazillion pics other than the initial cost of cards. Are these your nieces in the shots (you said you went with your SIL, so I assume the girls in the photos are family)? If they practice this stuff at home, see if you can hang out with them the next time they practice just to get more experience with action shots.[/QUOTE]
Vaquero, no these kids weren’t family, just kids in the 12 and under classes…I’m familiar with the patterns for barrels as well as pole bending…I also DID shoot a ton of pics on rapid fire, the ones I posted are just a few of probably 400 or so…I’m more after what riders would like to see in shots…I’m not planning on going in to this commercially, just as a hobby. Though, I did have the show organizers email me after I posted some pics on their club’s members page asking if I would come again and shoot pics next year…it gets me free food, and free passes to the Fall Fair and awards banquet, so, not a bd score I guess.
[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;6524850]
I second getting yourself a lot of cards for your camera and go in rapid fire mode. It looks like you got yourself in a great spot for a nice angle (won’t help if the rider begins the pattern on the left barrel instead of the right – you’ll get the horse’s butt on the bend around the last barrel) and fire away.[/QUOTE]
This is definitely the best approach for getting dogs-in-action and kids-in-action photos, so I imagine it works well for horses also. And you can sometimes surprise yourself with what you end up with - I’ve had photos that I looked at later and said “I thought it’d be a nice picture, but I wasn’t expecting it to turn out THAT good!”
My only problem is sometimes I forget I have it set to do that and end up with half a dozen photos of the sunset or something.
The other thing to plan to spend some money on, with a nice camera, is the strap/holster/whatever set up. I do not know a lot of people who do photography at all ‘seriously’ who like the default neck strap thing that comes with most SLR style cameras - it tends to just put the weight in an uncomfortable place on your neck if you use it for long periods, and gets in the way, and the camera also hangs in the way of doing things since it’s right on your chest. I don’t think I ever even put the one that came with it ON mine. 
(I have a wrist strap that isn’t to carry the camera with so much as just to serve as an ‘oops, it slipped!’ safety because sometimes my grip strength is bad due to my arthritis. And recently I got a Black Rapid strap which I am quite liking because the camera hangs basically at your hip so it’s not right in the way but is super-easy to just reach down, grab, and bring into position. But I know there’s a ton of other options also. They’re not going to be anything like as expensive as a decent camera, but they’re still a bit pricey if you’re thinking of it as ‘just a camera strap.’)
Ahh okay, I missed comprehending your question then.
As a rider, I like unity pics – where I look like part of a well-oiled machine with my horse. That first link I really like (IMG_1732) – I wish the girl was looking up though! – no gaping mouth or resistance on the horse’s part, etc. The horse also looks intense – like he can’t wait to get around that barrel and go for the next (or home) like in IMG_1733.
I also like the take off photos where the horse has just turned that last obstacle, gets his butt under him, and is kicking it into high gear for the trip home – usually the rider has a hand on the horn and has extended the reins up the neck to give the horse his head.
The trip home also makes for some of the best “floating” shots where the horse is in the suspension phase of the canter.
Although this is a “butt” shot, I like the intensity it has…the horse is digging in and making the turn for home…he was wide of the mark though, as the barrel is out of the picture to the right.
IMG_1941 by laurentian92, on Flickr
LOL, and I like this simply because of the rider’s mount…not something you see everyday around here!
IMG_1704 by laurentian92, on Flickr
[QUOTE=myguyom;6525065]
Although this is a “butt” shot, I like the intensity it has…the horse is digging in and making the turn for home…he was wide of the mark though, as the barrel is out of the picture to the right.
IMG_1941 by laurentian92, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
Nice butts!
I like this picture - I agree that the intensity of the horse is what makes it good, and I actually like the fact that it’s different because it’s a butt shot (OK, helps that the rider has a nice butt too, right?). If you had the barrel in it it would be better - did you crop it out or just shot the rider in the center of the frame?
This is a nice shot to work toward capturing with each rider - the coming toward you shots of course has to be taken, but what a nice shot of a horse really working the hind end.
[QUOTE=S1969;6525219]
Nice butts!
If you had the barrel in it it would be better - did you crop it out or just shot the rider in the center of the frame?
This is a nice shot to work toward capturing with each rider - the coming toward you shots of course has to be taken, but what a nice shot of a horse really working the hind end.[/QUOTE]
I didn’t crop the barrel out…he just made a very wide turn…that’s why he was pushing the horse to really dig in. I was aiming to get something different, and although most folks don’t appreciate the “butt” shots, I really like this angle, especially when the horse is really working hard. I have a continuous shooting feature, so I should be able to get shots like this of most riders…it does help, as you say, that this particular rider has a nice butt!! LOL
I loved your first barrel shot. Great clarity! If you are wondering what shots sell, check out Barrel Horse World or News. Online or in print, they have lots of shots of that “perfect” moment in the turn. Most of my college friends barrel raced and I think I remember the photographers going for the first or second barrel. Typically tighter turns and less “popping off the barrel” at that stage.
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