Equine Photography

Although I consider myself to be an equine photographer...I don't just shoot horses. I enjoy capturing all types of animals with my camera.

Especially my own pets. This photo is of Duchess, one of our Great Danes. She is such a stunning looking dog, with her blue eyes and pink skin I had to take this photo into photoimpact and add a pink background. The pink boa she is wearing is real, and not added in a photo program.

Now you know my husband and I have two great danes. We also have two horses, two ferrets and a 55 gallon aquarium full of fancy goldfish.

I need help learning to photograph fish...I have a canon digital rebel, if you have some tips for me you can email me at cesstrelle@aol.com or add a commment at the end of this lens.

I also want to buy a filter for my 300mm USM canon lens. I need it for when I'm shooting in bright daylight. Got a suggestion for the brand I should buy? Email me or leave a comment please. I'd love to hear from you.

PHOTOGRAPHING BARREL RACING
For the fans sitting in the stands.

Usually only the pro photographer can sit inside the arena to take photos. So, where do you get some of the best pictures of your kids/friends/wives while they are barrel racing? You can get some great shots just from sitting in the stands with the other fans.

I can't say which side is better to sit on. I like both for differnet things, you'll learn as you start taking pictures which side you like the best.

It's taken me years (without help or classes) to learn the art of equine action photography. Knowing when to press the shutter at the precise moment is key! Don't rely on holding the shutter release button down and automatically shooting several frames and picking the 'right' one.

Sometimes the action is so fast that your camera's auto shutter release button being held down can't really catch up to what's happening and you end up missing the shot anyways.

So, here are some things I've learned....

Do not get your hopes set on photographing the first barrel unless you are at a barrel race with professional riders (even then, it's not always a chance of a good shot). The first barrel is one of the hardest to master by horse and rider. Usually what happens is the horse runs too far past it, too close to it, and could even knock it over. Some professional barrel racers run into this problem occasionally, too.

The best barrel is the second barrel. Usually most horses take this barrel well. You want your photo to show the horse and rider during the turn or coming out from the turn, with the rider looking up to the next barrel.

The third barrel is where you can get some really good shots, too. The horse is really digging in to get around it, the dirt is flying, sometimes the rider's inside foot is literally touching the ground, depending on how hard the horse is turning. Plus, the 'run home' is a great place to take some really good action photos.

If you're there at the barrel race to photograph one person (friend or family member), I would start off (only if you have a digital camera, don't want you wasting expensive film with this method) taking practice shots of all the other barrel racers as they take thier turns to race. Then, go back and view the photos you just took and see what you could improve on, hopefully by the time your friend or family member gets ready to race, you will have a better understanding of when to press the shutter release button.

You can purchase my stock images at shutterpoint by going to:



or you can go to:



And you can purchase my images on gift items and framed prints here:

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