Equine Photography Workshop

Day two in The Fens and today we concentrated on photographing horses in the studio and in between thundery showers outside.

The attention to detail our tutors displayed was testament to their professionalism and we took over 90 minutes just to prepare to receive the horses, setting up a background and lighting so we could capture interesting images.  We were ably supported by a daughter of one of the tutors, as well as the owner of this horse, Sooty.  To create this shot we had one tutor standing holding a strobe light on a long boom above and to the right of the horse's head.  The daughter was crouched down in front, enticing the horse to bend its neck with small treats.  We needed plenty of patience and then the opportunism to release the shutter at the critical moment the horse was finally coaxed into the right position.  

I have been so used to capturing standard shots of horses it was a revelation to use other poses to create abstract images, but still engaging.

We ended the day with Nancy, a young mare, in one of the paddocks, using high speed sync flash to capture the dramatic skies coming across the Fens.  They soon sent us scurrying for cover as the rain came down.

A truly wonderful weekend workshop, where the tutors went above and beyond to impart their experience and knowledge to those attending.