Ashleigh K's Top Ten Tips
written by Ashleigh K
TIP 1: First things first, always make sure that you have fed your horse before you start your shoot.
TIP 2: This is not a one person job you should always have someone there to hold your horse as well as an extra person to get their attention.
TIP 3: Your horse’s ears being forward will make or break your pictures. I am often asked how I get a horses ears forward. These are the few tricks that I use. A feed bucket with pellets, carrots and packets.
TIP 4: To get a great head shot have your horse at a slight vertical and let him turn his head the opposite way.
TIP 5: One of the trickiest shots to get is of your horse galloping into the sunset. To get this shot without any blur you will need to set your camera to a minimum of 1/400th of a second. Try messing around with these numbers a bit to see the difference between them and what works best for you.
TIP 6: Now that you have figured out how to get a perfect movement shot with no blur, the best way to get the canter shot is when your horse is coming around a corner.
TIP 7: It’s super important to make sure that your horse is clean and brushed to make sure they look their best. A shining coat and face will take your horse to the next level. Use baby oil on their face and olive oil in a spray bottle on their body for that extra shine that will make your horse pop.
TIP 8: The best time to take your shots is at sunset or sunrise to really bring out their new shiny coat. But it’s not just about the time of day, the position of the sun is even more important. Make sure the sun is always behind you to pick up the shine on their coat.
TIP 9: If it is the middle of the day then rather take your photographs in the shade as the sun is too harsh.
TIP 10: If you are looking to capture that magical halo around your horses hair you will need the sun to be in front of you, behind your horse. You will need to make sure there are trees or a dark background behind your horse.