EQUESTRIAN & ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY - JAN HUNTER
You may think that photographing horses is a bit of a busman's holiday for someone who teaches photography for much of the year. You'd be wrong though, because as a lifelong horse lover, rider and eventually owner, I have always enjoyed being around horses, so photographing them well is a real pleasure.
One-to-one Training
If you'd like to learn the skills of equestrian or action photography yourself, I'm available for tailored One-to-one days in the East Midlands region.
Horse Portraits
I particularly enjoy producing portraits that show the true character of the horse, like these two of my friend's horse Jay - a real athlete who goes out of his way to please.
Although I'm not generally a great fan of edited photos, I do think the black background makes these shots, taken in the warm, soft light of early evening.
A really good portrait of a horse requires more than just skill with the camera though, understanding their personality and producing an image that shows them as they really are is an even greater challenge. This often means spending some time talking to the owner and observing the horse to learn as much as I can before deciding how to photograph him.
Horses in Action
Horses in action present an altogether different challenge much like wildlife photography, with the need to take a well-exposed, sharp shot when the subject is moving rapidly, often from light to shade and back again in just a few seconds. Often it's impossible to get as close as I would like to the action, so long lenses are essential.
I confess that I only enjoy this type of photography because I do it for my own pleasure - I once watched a freelance photographer in the water complex at Burghley Horse Trials, with one camera set up on a tripod next to one jump and operated by remote shutter release, with another two cameras slung over his shoulders, each with a different lens for the other two obstacles. He must have had several thousand images to trawl through by the end of the day. Earning a living like that is hard work indeed!
Jan Hunter
