Show Jumping -CnC requested

[The Apprentice]

So recently did my first shoot at a horse show-jumping event and I think I've learned a few new things along the way.

f4, 1/500sec, ISO 1600

f4, 1/500sec, ISO 1600

f4, 1/640sec, ISO 1600

f4, 1/500sec, ISO 1600

Things I've picked up on;

1) Try not to get right in front of the jump - even if the riders head is up chances are the horses head is going to go up as well and with that and the mane most of the time the riders head will end up hidden. Instead try to position to the side a little more so that you can catch the head looking toward the next jump (seems to be the direction most look at once the horse is in full swing over the jump).

2) Riders make really strange facial expressions. Some of them very unfetching as they ride, which adds an added complication since all else might be ok with the shot.

3) A horse and rider are very tall in the frame, so portrait aspect is going to be very common unless your totally side-on to a jump or moving horse and rider.

4) I found I was shooting rather wide and that when I've been editing I've needed to crop away parts of the shot - partly as a result of the tall rider and horse aspect and trying to ensure all parts remain in the shot. Whilst its wasted frame its not too bad in my view - better to get hooves and tail and heads in than to have them clipped off.

5) 70-200mm f2.8 is a good workhorse for an indoor shoot; however 120-300mm can work as well giving a bit of a tighter frame for some shots in the 200-300mm range; but 120mm is far too long (esp on crop) to be the shortest working distance.

6) I shot most of the event at f4; which combined with the small area made for some very unfetching and busy backgrounds. Sadly even at f2.8 I suspect they'd have still been fairly busy backgrounds - not an easy thing to deal with inside (I stuck at f4 mostly to try and ensure horse and rider were as much in-focus as possible - rather than pull back to f2.8 and risk more blurred noses or faces).

7) Manual mode all the way in the mostly constant lighting inside; handheld light meter might be more use than test exposures and histogram review; but otherwise stick to a fairly staple series of settings that work. Saying that after editing I think I could have gone to f3.5- lost a bit of depth but gained that little bit of aperture for a little more brightness (I've been boosting by around 0.48 on exposure on most shots).


That's what little I've picked up upon, I'd greatly welcome any input on my photos and upon the skill/method of working in such conditions that others have to give. I hopefully will get another chance this year to shoot another event so I hope I can go back with some experience and some new ideas/methods to try out and get improved results (esp as the year progresses and the light might get even worse - I was lucky that it was a bright day outside so the lighting+skylights gave enough to work with comfortably).

I've also found that with the conditions I'm not as used to working with such a noisy and high ISO shot - so any pointers on processes people use to work with these kinds of shots would be most welcome.

 

[Didereaux]

nice set. Next work on slowing your shutter speed and panning...just enough that the background shows a touch of motion blur or that some blurreddirt is moving from the hooves. This is a finesse thing but probably the one factor that separates a pro horse jumping shot from simply a good 'frozen' technical shot. A bit of blurring gives some separation to the subject which is usually needed as background at these events are always cluttered at best.

As for ISO you can drop it down a stop and add in +1 EC this produces less noise. So where you were shooting at 1600, you could easily have shot it at 800 with a +1 EC. Play with this, you will find it a nice thing to know and useful.

 

[KC1]

I love horses. I had one when I was younger in Michigan before my family moved.

 

[Overread]

nice set. Next work on slowing your shutter speed and panning...just enough that the background shows a touch of motion blur or that some blurreddirt is moving from the hooves. This is a finesse thing but probably the one factor that separates a pro horse jumping shot from simply a good 'frozen' technical shot. A bit of blurring gives some separation to the subject which is usually needed as background at these events are always cluttered at best.

As for ISO you can drop it down a stop and add in +1 EC this produces less noise. So where you were shooting at 1600, you could easily have shot it at 800 with a +1 EC. Play with this, you will find it a nice thing to know and useful.

Not sure how I can use the exposure compensation in this context. The exposure compensation has to come from somewhere. If I'm at f2.8 (widest aperture) and at the slowest shutter speed for what I want or can shoot at then ISO is really the only variable I've got. If l lower the ISO then I have to slow the shutter speed.

I've tended to find that 1/500sec is boarderline; possibly as fast as can give some motion blurring if panning; but I've done very little of that and would need the right jump/situation and a lot of practice.

 

[Didereaux]

nice set. Next work on slowing your shutter speed and panning...just enough that the background shows a touch of motion blur or that some blurreddirt is moving from the hooves. This is a finesse thing but probably the one factor that separates a pro horse jumping shot from simply a good 'frozen' technical shot. A bit of blurring gives some separation to the subject which is usually needed as background at these events are always cluttered at best.

As for ISO you can drop it down a stop and add in +1 EC this produces less noise. So where you were shooting at 1600, you could easily have shot it at 800 with a +1 EC. Play with this, you will find it a nice thing to know and useful.

Not sure how I can use the exposure compensation in this context. The exposure compensation has to come from somewhere. If I'm at f2.8 (widest aperture) and at the slowest shutter speed for what I want or can shoot at then ISO is really the only variable I've got. If l lower the ISO then I have to slow the shutter speed.

I've tended to find that 1/500sec is boarderline; possibly as fast as can give some motion blurring if panning; but I've done very little of that and would need the right jump/situation and a lot of practice.

I made the assumption (probably in error) that your camera would allow you to set an EC while in manual mode. I use a 7Dmk2 and can do that.

 

[Overread]

Yes but EC is only a bias.
In auto or semi-auto modes the camera has aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The camera has, in those modes, control over one or more of those settings (more if auto ISO is chosen where the camera picks the ISO). Exposure Compensation in those modes is simply telling the camera that when it meters it should set it setting(s) to over or under expose rather than purely to hit hte middle value it normally does.

The exposure is still made with aperture, shutterspeed and ISO.

Manual EC I can't do on the 7D, however I would assume its mostly for using auto ISO in manual mode and letting the camera bias its setting ( the ISO ) based on the meter reading.

 

[beagle100]

So recently did my first shoot at a horse show-jumping event and I think I've learned a few new things along the way.

f4, 1/500sec, ISO 1600

f4, 1/500sec, ISO 1600

f4, 1/640sec, ISO 1600

f4, 1/500sec, ISO 1600

Things I've picked up on;

1) Try not to get right in front of the jump - even if the riders head is up chances are the horses head is going to go up as well and with that and the mane most of the time the riders head will end up hidden. Instead try to position to the side a little more so that you can catch the head looking toward the next jump (seems to be the direction most look at once the horse is in full swing over the jump).

2) Riders make really strange facial expressions. Some of them very unfetching as they ride, which adds an added complication since all else might be ok with the shot.

3) A horse and rider are very tall in the frame, so portrait aspect is going to be very common unless your totally side-on to a jump or moving horse and rider.

4) I found I was shooting rather wide and that when I've been editing I've needed to crop away parts of the shot - partly as a result of the tall rider and horse aspect and trying to ensure all parts remain in the shot. Whilst its wasted frame its not too bad in my view - better to get hooves and tail and heads in than to have them clipped off.

5) 70-200mm f2.8 is a good workhorse for an indoor shoot; however 120-300mm can work as well giving a bit of a tighter frame for some shots in the 200-300mm range; but 120mm is far too long (esp on crop) to be the shortest working distance.

6) I shot most of the event at f4; which combined with the small area made for some very unfetching and busy backgrounds. Sadly even at f2.8 I suspect they'd have still been fairly busy backgrounds - not an easy thing to deal with inside (I stuck at f4 mostly to try and ensure horse and rider were as much in-focus as possible - rather than pull back to f2.8 and risk more blurred noses or faces).

7) Manual mode all the way in the mostly constant lighting inside; handheld light meter might be more use than test exposures and histogram review; but otherwise stick to a fairly staple series of settings that work. Saying that after editing I think I could have gone to f3.5- lost a bit of depth but gained that little bit of aperture for a little more brightness (I've been boosting by around 0.48 on exposure on most shots).


That's what little I've picked up upon, I'd greatly welcome any input on my photos and upon the skill/method of working in such conditions that others have to give. I hopefully will get another chance this year to shoot another event so I hope I can go back with some experience and some new ideas/methods to try out and get improved results (esp as the year progresses and the light might get even worse - I was lucky that it was a bright day outside so the lighting+skylights gave enough to work with comfortably).

I've also found that with the conditions I'm not as used to working with such a noisy and high ISO shot - so any pointers on processes people use to work with these kinds of shots would be most welcome.

good "cliff notes" for equestrian events