Some of my favorites from the County Fair Speed Show!

[Smitzel269]

This was my 1st time photographing any riding or speed events with my DSLR. I used the kit lens. Unfortunately I couldn't get into any good places to shoot and most of these shots were taken from the stands. There was actually an "Official" photographer there and I didn't want to "steal" his shots by standing in the open. Therefore, it was hard to avoid the busy backgrounds. But I did what I could and I don't think they came out too bad. I shot these all in manual mode which I'm still getting used to. Luckily it was a nice sunny day out! C&C welcome. You would be awesome if you read the caption above each photo before you C&C though!

1.) Some Showmanship. This was the first day I went out to photgraph -


2.) I think this is a little soft which kind of ruins it. But I really like the stance of the horse and how the girl is studying the pattern before they take off. It's also cool how everything matches -


3.) This one was really fast and he had great control over his horse. The horse pretty much stopped on a dime. The horses face is a little blurry which I'm not happy about though, and unfortunately I got a little fence on the bottom, but I can crop that out -


4.) She won 1st in about every speed class except like one. Again, I got a little fence on the bottom and there are judges in the background, but I still think it would do good with some cropping -


5.) I'm quite partial to this picture although I'm sure a lot of you will dislike it. It could be because I liked this rider a lot. The horse was CRAZY and fast so I was just trying to get a shot. Unfortunately I cut out the bottom of the hooves and the tail a little -


I would also appreciate some recommendations for nice lens up to $400 for these type of events. I got a lot of shots like the one below, and it's not cutting it. I need to get closer to the action! A lens good for sports with some zoom, $400 or less for a Canon Rebel T3i Thanks! -

 

[Smitzel269]

Anyone? Please

 

[Smitzel269]

Looks like I wont be getting any

 

[Chriss]

At first glance, they all just look like snapshots to me, but they have potential. My advice would be to go in, crop them, edit them, and THEN post the best ones that you have on the forum. That way you will get more advice and you will have better photographs as a result.

 

[tirediron]

Given the circumstances, they're not bad at all. This is a very difficult type of event to shoot, especially when you don't have the benefit of a prime location from which to shoot. I think the recommendation to crop is a good one, and I would definitely shuck some of the extra space around the main subjects. Aside from that, I think your own comments cover most things. As for your lens question, I'm really not sure about the prices for Canon gear, but I would think that you should be able to get a decent used 70-300 for that price, and a 70-200 f4 for not too much more.

 

[jgooz]

they feel like snapshots, but considering the circumstances and that ive never tried to shoot anything like that it looks like it was fun. i have to say 5 is my favorite, if only you got the whole horse in the pic and cropped it down it could be a very nice action pic

 

[jmurphy]

Looks good for your first attempt at something like that. I like #5 the best.

 

[TheBiles]

I'm sure you can find an EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM on Craigslist for around $400. I seem them pop up all the time.

 

[Smitzel269]

Thanks guys!