Photo Bombing Horse

[mrs.hankIII]

Kept trying to get a decent picture of the horse in the foreground. He's a bit more shy. The one in the background is a clown. I think he's making that pretty obvious, isn't he?

 

[mrs.hankIII]

C&C is welcome.

 

[tirediron]

 

[IzzieK]

That first one is a cutie...are those two shots the same?

 

[EOV]

That first one is a cutie...are those two shots the same?

They are not the same. The first one is definitely funny but the second on is better composed as you don't have a fence line running through the horses nose on that one.

 

[Bamps]

Very good shots, IMO. I like the first one best, as it shows the horse in the background.

 

[mrs.hankIII]

Two different shots. Never even noticed the fence line until it was pointed out! I still have a lot to learn. I did notice the big pine tree growing out of his head but, since the property and pasture are nothing but trees it's hard to avoid when they're turned loose.

Thank you for pointing that out! And thanks Bamps, Izzie, and tirediron.

 

[BillM]

I really like the second one, horses are harder to frame than most would think. I know cause i keep trying but failing miserably lol


But if I was going to edit #2 I would bring up the shadows and blacks

Exposure +0.85
Contrast +5
Highlights -20
Shadows +20
Whites -100
Blacks +50
Clarity +25

 

[mrs.hankIII]

I'm not an expert on this editing thing. But his neck looks...pixalated?? Is that even a word? There's something I'm seeing from his throat latch to shoulder that doesn't seem right to me, as a horse person.

 

[kundalini]

Do you have an external flash, a hot-shoe mount? How about a two step ladder? The reason I ask is because either of them would be of a benefit and having both is a bonanza for this type of shot.

The sky is quite bright with clouds, but does have blue streaks running through it. Add to that a very dark subject and the dynamic range is vast and likely beyond your camera's capabilities. Don't know, just a guess. Having the external flash will allow you to under expose the background a couple of stops giving much more detail in the clouds and expose the horse properly, giving much more detail in the shadows.

The two step ladder elevates you obviously, but this is important because you want to be eye level or slightly higher to the horse. Barring a ladder out in the paddock, is there a wooden fence that you could use? The idea is to reduce the amount of featureless sky by having a higher PoV (point of view) and thereby having less of it in the frame.

If neither of these options are available to you, having the sun to your back will probably be your best bet for a good exposure.

Lastly, try to find a background that is thick with a tree, a bush or a shrub (anyone remember Lady Bird? and I ain't talking about Hank Hill's dog). In your second photo, the tree just under the horses nose is a fine example of what I mean. If you can something like that which covers the entire background and by opening up your aperture, you will certainly isolate the horse from the background. Read make the subject pop.

Just my 2¢.

 

[mrs.hankIII]

I do have a ladder! Do not have an external flash. Just shooting with my t3i and kit lens. Unfortunately, while there are A LOT of trees, there aren't very many clumps of trees. They're mostly scattered in a way where it's almost impossible not to have one jutting out from somewhere in the shot. Honestly, wasn't even really thinking of composure at the time, you can tell that with my first one. Took a quick glance at it and thought "Hmm. I can take a few steps this way and clean this up a little," and that's where the 2nd shot came into play. Sun was slightly over my right shoulder, but not entirely against my back. I normally shoot in the late afternoon. It was just by chance I looked out of the garage and saw the boys out playing like fools. Quickly threw my camera on the settings I THOUGHT would work (their play sessions don't normally last very long) and just started shooting. This was before I even understood exposure. So looking back at this shoot, I'm a little sad that I didn't know then what I know now. Amazing how much you can learn in just a few short weeks.

Here is what most of the photos looked like. Just boys being boys.

Nothing to write home about. Luck, is how that second one happened, I think. Or maybe it was the 2 seconds it took to check out the image on the screen, look at the real image in front of me, and make the necessary adjustments to actually produce a somewhat decent picture.

No wooden fencing except right down along the barn. Everything else is electric rope type fence.

 

[mrs.hankIII]

Looking at them again, I'm really good at making fence jut out of their faces