What type of camera and camera lens do you use to capture horses over jumps? Also, if your taking pictures of someone, a portrait for example, what lens do you use then? Looking to get into photography, just getting an idea of what everyone uses for what. If you have any photo editing software you would recommend, that would be great too!
If you’re just getting started, I would recommend getting the nifty 50 lens – 50mm fixed, super cheap (I think like $50?). That plus the kit lens (standard 18-55mm lens that will come with a starter DSLR) should get you through a variety of situations to start. Big fancy zooms can come later – you just need something fast and versatile. I think the portraits from the 50mm turn out really nice.
As for cameras, I have a Canon Rebel T3i that I like. I bought it while going through journalism school and it served me well in situations where I had to shoot fast to get a good, print-quality photo. I traveled to lots of remote areas for stories and did not treat it as well as I should have and it has held up beautifully. It’s not the quietest of cameras, so street shooting can be tough if you’re trying to get a candid (people hear the shutter and turn to look, which can ruin a nice moment). But at $599 brand new, it’s a good price for a solid DSLR with video capability.
People tend to get really caught up in buying the newest cameras and the nicest lenses, but honestly, unless you’re shooting for NatGeo you can get some fantastic photos with a simple set-up. You just have to get comfortable with the manual mode (I also use aperture priority in time-sensitive situations) and keep your finger on the trigger.
ETA: For editing, I use Photoshop exclusively. I have the Adobe Creative Suite subscription and it costs me $9.99/month, and I believe there’s a hefty student discount you can take advantage of as well.
I have a Nikon D3300 with a standard 18-55 lens for normal distance horse show candid shots and a zoom lens (55-200 I believe) for jumping photos. I got both in a bundle package with my camera body last year and have been happy with both of them and haven’t felt the need to upgrade yet.
Here are some jumping pictures I took at HITS some on the camera I mentioned, some with with my friends similar Cannon Rebel both used the same lenses pretty much. http://ishouldhavebeenahousewife.blogspot.com/2015/01/equestrian-photography.html
Here are some flat work and candids solely with the my camera that I talked about above. http://ishouldhavebeenahousewife.blogspot.com/2015/04/great-weekend-for-horseback-riding.html
I’m not professional by any means, I do it solely as a hobby and so I can take pictures of my pets/family/vacations etc
PS I also decided on the Nikon D3300 because it was shock and dust resistant and had a little bit newer technology than the D3200 without that much of a price jump.
I use a Canon 5D Mark iii with either the "nifty 50’ or the 70-200 f2.8 L. For editing I really like Lightroom. They have a 30 day free trial if you go to Adobe.com. If you are just starting out you could look for a class or course in your area. There are also a lot of super helpful websites & always YouTube lol. This was from Rolex last year, it’s one of my favorites from that show.
https://rlgaryantes.smugmug.com/Other/2014-Rolex-Kentucky-Three-Day/i-K7n2ZZG/0/S/RFDemeter3-S.jpg
I shoot with a Nikon D7000. It’s a mid-range consumer level DSLR. I use either my fixed 1.8 (I can’t remember if it’s 35mm or 50mm…) or my basic zoom lens (it’s like 80-200mm?) You can buy the fanciest equipment in the world, but if you don’t know how to use it (aka “I’m shooting jumping horses, so I’ll shoot in sports mode”), then it won’t help you out at all. There’s a lot of online tutorials/classes that would help a LOT.
None of these were taken with fancy high end equipment. None of these were edited with pricey software either (although if you can afford it, PS is heavenly.)
I also have the Nikon D3300 and have been really happy with it. I bought it with a kit that included two lenses (18-55 and 55-200) and the camera bag. It’s been a great starter camera and it’s very easy to use and takes great pictures. FYI I saw it on sale at Costco this weekend for around $650!
I have the Nikon D3300 as well and I really love it. I have the stock lens (18-55) and do sometimes use it, but most of the time I use my zoom lens (55-300mm). I do use the zoom lens for portraits
Portrait photoshoot (taken with the 55-300mm zoom)
Action shots from the American Gold Cup (also taken with the zoom lens)
I use Adobe Lightroom to edit and Photoshop to add a watermark. You can get the Adobe Creative Cloud pretty inexpensively if you’re a student - there is a student discount and you just pay monthly. I can’t remember the exact price though.
[QUOTE=541hunter;8335184]
If you’re just getting started, I would recommend getting the nifty 50 lens – 50mm fixed, super cheap (I think like $50?). That plus the kit lens (standard 18-55mm lens that will come with a starter DSLR) should get you through a variety of situations to start. [/QUOTE]
I shoot with a Nikon D5100 DSLR, a basic, entry-level model. When I was using a film SLR (Canon), I had a 55-300mm zoom for the horse shows that could shoot all over the big rings at Lamplight and Kentucky, but I haven’t bitten the bullet and bought a new one for my digital. This is mostly because I’m cheap AND getting exceptional shots with my 50mm (the aforementioned “nifty fifty,” in my case about $150 for an AF-S 1.8) cropped to zoom.
Without getting too technical, the 5100 isn’t a full frame camera, so the 50mm shoots more like a 35mm because of the crop factor. It’s a great portrait lens that creates that beautiful bokeh (background blur, shallow depth of field) that really makes the subject crisp. Generally, I keep the prime lens (the 50mm has a fixed focal length, no zoom) on all the time. Given that the kit lens offers virtually no more zoom, I’d rather just keep the prime lens on and move back to frame my shot.
I shoot with the Nikon D5200 mostly with the Nikkor 70-300mm zoom lens for jumping shots. I just use the kit 18-55mm for candids. I don’t do much as far as traditional portraits go. I play with my settings a fair amount and I like to take a lot of continuous shots rather than just one at the peak of the jump. It’s a little hit and miss sometimes but it’s just for fun for me.
I have a bunch of public albums on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/equisuz
I have a tripod and a monopod but I usually handhold the camera. I’m sure it would be better if I used the monopod but it just seems like one other thing to carry.
I do have and use photoshop usually to fix mistakes I’ve made with exposure or something. Have fun and take lots of photos. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You can usually get a decent deal when you buy a kit. I bought mine at Adorama.com and have since bought additional lenses for wide angles and micro as I also like to take photos of flowers.
A fixed lens would be great, but sometimes I find my 50mm means I can’t get the full image in without moving too far back. Get a 35mm too, it’s easy to swap them. Having said all that, if you are new to photography I would suggest a bridge camera that has a lens that can do most of what you want. It will be easier to get to grips with, cheaper and the shots will probably be good enough for what you want.
