Equine Photography Tips- What is White Balance?

Have you ever taken a photo in an indoor arena that had an awful yellow tint, or maybe took a photo at sunset, hoping to get some nice warm colors, but it looks blue? The reason for this is your camera cannot determine what white is - you need to tell it what white is. For certain lighting factors, we need to adjust our white balance.  White balance may also be referred to as color balance or color temperature.

I find most people shoot  on Auto White Balance (AWB).  In this setting the camera has to guess what white is and does not always get it right.  Camera models have different locations where you can adjust white balance, but you may have noticed several icons on your camera- light-bulb, sun, clouds and a few others. These represent different light sources and will tell your camera what white is, so you get proper colors. Some cameras have a K setting, which allows you to fine tune your white balance. Each of these represent the color temperature that the light source emits. 

I keep mine set at K, and will adjust as needed.

White Balance is measured in Kelvins - color temperature in light sources.
1000-2000K - Candlelight
2500-3500K - Tungsten Bulb (reg light bulb)
4000-5000K - Fluorescent Lamp
5000-5500K- Flash
5000-6000K- Sunny
6500-7500K - Cloudy/Overcast
8000-9000K - Shade/ Heavy Overcast

Adjustment scale in Lightroom

The lower temperature is the blue/cooler side of the scale and the higher temperatures are on the yellow/warmer side.

Taking a few moments to adjust your white balance will result in proper coloring of your image with more vividness and saturation.  You are also able to get a little more creative with your photography by adding a little more warmth or coolness to your images.

The images below are all the same, but they were shot in RAW format rather than jpg, so I was able to adjust in Adobe Lightroom easily to demonstrate how color temperature can effect your photos.

Taken just before sunset in heavy shade, but the sun was peaking through the trees to give a little rim light.  This is the 1st shot I took right after shooting with several flashes, so the the temperature was manually set at ~5200.   The white looks a little blue in these and no warmth in the photo.

Being sunset, the camera cannot detect white. If I had the camera set to AWB, it would have more than likely turned out looking like this - looking very blue without warmth.

With a little adjusting in Adobe Lightroom, we added some warmth.  After taking this photo, I remembered to adjust my  white balance  to ~ 7500K so they all would have the warm glow from the sun setting.

To learn more about white balance and other ways to improve your photography check out Terri Cage Photography's mentoring and lessons

Equine Photography: Its All About The Light Part II

As I mentioned in Part I early morning and late afternoon/early evening, just hours after sunrise and before sunset is the best times for creating beautiful images.  This time is also commonly known  as the Golden Hour because of the wonderful soft even light that can be found at this time. Photographing in the harsh mid-day sun can give unwanted shadowing hiding details and may over-exposed parts of your image and colors seem somewhat muted and hazy. Sunrise vs. Sunset is personal preference, but I like to photograph grey and black coat colorings in the morning, since the morning light has more pastels and blue tones. While red and gold tones are more prominent with the warmer tones at sunset. This is the normal with sunrises and sunset, but not the rule and you can never fully predict Mother Nature.

Learning to use the golden hour will greatly help improve the quality of your images, no matter what your subject is.  By positioning yourself in different angles from the sun, there is several different ways to use this light.  The following images are taken at different times of day from morning to dusk to give an idea of the use of light.

Taken early morning on a partly cloudy day.  Love the stillness of mornings! Sun was directly behind me.

Taken mid-day, lots of  distracting contrast and shadows that hide details and we have some overblown highlights and over exposed background.

Late afternoon light gives a soft light with some shadowing, which actually gives some depth to your subject, but doesn't over blow highlights or cause too much contrast that takes away details. Sun was behind me at a 45 degree angle. Look at the shadows for the suns direction.

Soft late afternoon early evening light gives even soft diffused light with even tones without harsh shadows or blown out whites. Sun was at my back at approximately a 45 degree angle.  You can see a soft shadow behind the horse to give an idea of the light direction

Taken 1 hour before sunset with the sun 45 degrees behind subject. Once again using the trees to diffuse the light slightly. The subject has a nice back-light giving a rim light effect, but still maintaining some of the details of the subject and having a small amount of sun-flare.  Also gave light to the insects in the image.

By putting your subject between the sun and yourself, you can create and nice silhouette, with a lot of sun-flare and rim-light around your subject. You may also get some very warm colors.  Shooting directly into the sun makes it difficult for your camera to focus, so you may need to resort to manual focus.  A very clean lens makes focusing easier.  The trees were used to diffuse the light and help in focusing.

Taken right after sunset giving a silouhette, with nice soft warm colors in the background,

Equine Photography: Its All About The Light Part I

Light is the most important aspect in equine photography, this is not limited to equine photography, but all photography.  After all in the Greek language photo means light, and graph means draw.  So when we take a photograph we are drawing with light.  So even if you never take your camera off auto, you can learn to use light to obtain the best possible  image with the knowledge you have on the use of light.

There is a reason photographers like to take photos in the early morning or late evening, commonly known as the golden hours.  The light is the best at these times and there are several reasons why. The sun is lower, so the ozone is thicker, so the light is softer, diffused and easier to control. Morning light usually has more pastel colors where the evening light has warmer tones. Scheduling a time to take photographs during these times is always a good plan, but what about those spontaneous photos. Here are a few tips.

Taken late morning late summer,
partly cloudy day.
See diagram below for setup

First off you must know were your light sources are coming from.  Where is the sun?  Is there anything reflective; sand, the side of a  building, water, a concrete driveway, you would be surprised where your light can come from. Where are the shadows?  The direction of the shadows will be your biggest indicator of your main light source.

Bright sunny days can always cause a problems especially mid-day when the sun is directly over head.  Dark shadows are everywhere and cannot be avoided.  If you are doing a portrait with a person and a horse, find some heavy shade.  It will soften the human subjects face and help prevent squinting. This is why cloudy days are the best for doing horse/human portraits.  If you are photography just horses, shade is not as important since horses really don't squint and the sun does help bring out the shine of the coat too. There are still shadows though.  The shadows I am talking about are not the ones that are cast on the ground, but the shadows on the actual body of the horse. The shape of the horse can cast shadows on the underline, under the bulging muscles and under the head and neck.  This can cause problems on dark horses and they can loose their definition. Put your back to the sun and the horse directly in front of you.  You will see the shadows, so position the horse were you can get minimal shadows, being mid-day you will get shadows regardless. This is where finding other light sources help, try to find reflective surfaces we spoke of earlier.  Use a concrete pathway or driveway to reflect light to the underside of the horse- a bright side of a building can help also. Some of the shadows will still be there, but not as evident. The difficult part is get everything, especially the horse, into position and still keeping a clean attractive background.

Learning to use your available light to your advantage can be a big help in getting better images with what you have on hand. I do suggest to learn more about photography and learn the functions of your camera to improve your skills even more.

Subscribe to this blog to follow more in the series of using light.

How to Help your Horse Show Photographer

Horse Show Photography can be hard work and with more equine photographers no longer providing services to equine events it may be hard to find a true equine photographer to come to your event.  Why? Most can be explained in this excellent article by Shawn McMillen - Horse Show Photographers Are Facing a Crisis. It explains the reasons for the lack of photographers at events, mainly due to the cost of doing business and the abundant copyright theft.  He was also cheered and jeered in the comments. Most jeers were for the cost of images and prints, so I wonder if they really read the article. Many of the cheers were from fellow photographers or honest customers. As a show manager copyright infringement is out of your control.  You can help deter or report it, educate others, but you can't prevent it.  So what other ways can you keep your photographer to come back?

When I  photograph an event as the official photographer, I make every attempt to photograph every horse. If I did not get a horse, it is usually because the class was large and too short. Of course there other reasons, as needing to do some camera maintenance and an occasional short break.  We work tirelessly, the days can be long and the elements can be unforgiving. In most cases we do not get paid for our time, only for the images we sell.  So when I see numerous others with cameras at events, it can get a little discouraging.  I have no problem with those photographing family members and friends, but those that take photos of almost everyone is different story. What is even more annoying is when they find a place close to you and using the high speed shutter of their camera click, click, click away.  I find it extremely distracting when I am trying to time my shots to get the best image and most appealing placement of the horse's stride.  I was recently photographing a show and because of the nature of the show was ask not to be in the arena and photograph from the stands. No problem, it makes it a little more difficult during rail classes, but doable. Since I am in the stands, I try not to block the spectators view.  At this show, another photographer would stand right above me and click click click. Not only was it distracting for me, but they blocked every one's view behind me which in my opinion was rude.  I stay quiet and out of the way, so many may not even know I was there. As I have always said, the main purpose of a show is to compete and for others to watch. Photographs are just something extra.

I have photographed many equestrian events of several different disciplines. Some of them I was asked to be the photographer, others I asked if one was needed. Some of the show manager are great and almost treated me like royalty, but others I can't even the time of day.  Giving me the royal treatment really isn't necessary, but not I really don't like to be cast aside. Either way, we both have the same end  goal which is a successful day.  Letting the exhibitors know where their photos can be seen and purchased is part of the success for both of us. Having professional photographs done at your event gives it an extra special touch and your exhibitors really appreciate it, but if they can't find them it doesn't help anyone.  So if I can't get the info I need or my info isn't made available to the exhibitors, it isn't worth the time to photograph the event.

Trying not to turn this into one big complaint, so will get back to the main purpose of this post.
How can you help your show photographer?  Here are my top ten suggestions.
Before the show
1. List the photographer on your show bill and other marketing pieces. Helps the show and the photographer-see above.
2. Add the photographer to the show website, facebook page and other web-base listings with their link.
3. Give a list of exhibitors name and numbers, ride times and so forth so they can easily identify exhibitors . Some photographers will separate classes or exhibitors into galleries for easy viewing.
4. Provide them with show schedule, classes and if applicable patterns. This will help them plan their day and having patterns will help them find the best spot for the best image.
5. Let them know were they can and cannot go or if you prefer them only use available light and not use flash or strobes.
During the show
6. Announce that there is an official photographer taking photos, Many times when this is announced several will come up to me and make sure I take photos of them or someone else. They also tell me they didn't know I was there until it was announced
7. Offer a place for the photographer to set up a table if needed or get business cards ahead of time and include in registration packets. They may also want a safe place to keep equipment.
8. Inform them of any unlisted breaks or changes in the schedule. That way they know when it is a good time for them to grab some candids, get a requested portrait shot or even take a break.
9. If you see someone else soliciting photos, kindly ask them not to. If they not stop, ask them for a copy of their business liability insurance and tell them it is require to take photos. That should do the trick.
After the show
10. Provide the photographer with email addresses so they can notify them where to find images. Show management can send also this out.  Be sure to copy the photographer when you sent it out, so they know it has been done.

2011: A Look Back at Some of My Favorite Photography Moments

First off I want to thank everyone for your support, some very fun times and choosing me for your photography needs.  Although photography is the way I pay my bills and have had a few not so great experiences- I love my job!  

I thumbed through the images I took in 2011, which was close to 100,000. A majority of those were at equestrian events, but many were portraits, other events, practice shots and my own personal photos of family and friends.   The images I chose weren't necessarily the best images, but ones that spark a memory, brought a smile to my face  and a few "bloopers".

Please enjoy  and  I look forward to a great 2012!

In January I took a trip to Colorado with my horse judging team. We took a couple quick trips to Rocky Mountain National Park. Since I have only been there in the summer, I was so glad to see it in the winter and yes it is beautiful! The scenery is something I will always remember, but  watching the girls attempting to walk on the ice and snow was much more entertaining. 

Texas is not really known for large snow amounts, but it seems the past few years we have been getting much more than normal.  The horses seem to enjoy it for short periods of time, but I really think they were ready for our normal Texas winters.

Its all about the kids! Several of my favorite moments. Starting at the top row a little on the images.
I watch this toddler throughout the whole show, never stopping and full of energy. Near the end of the days I think her batteries wore out.
We do snow angels, why not a dirt angel!
Doing some backdrop photos, I just thought this was the cutest team.  Cute pony and one happy child.
Nothing like friends and a well broke horse for a good laugh and a great way to end the day.
I LOVE lead line classes. Great way to start your show career with high fives and blue ribbons.
Had to throw a non horse image in. Being a Dachshunds owner, I just loved this session with her new dog.
I photographed a local Equestrian Special Olympics and this youngster just won a medal.   In this case the saying "a picture is worth a 1000 words" is very appropriate.
Last minute touch ups

Had the pleasure of photographing some cool horses this year, so many colors and patterns.  Was amazed at how many Leopards I saw. The Dressage image is an App/ Friesian cross!

Barrel Racing can make some interesting Hair-dos

I have been visiting and photographing the horses at Remember Me Rescue for a few years now. The horses pictured above are Perfect Peace, King of Speed and Light on Broadway  I am always impressed by the intelligence of the Thoroughbred and how willing they are to learn and trust. In the lower center photo Donna is using pool noodles to de-sensitize and I had to laugh since pool noodles are what I I use to get horses attention and get that nice arched neck.  King wasn't even phased. The center right images is available for purchase and profits will benefit RMR.  In the below images, is permanent resident Yeah Me Do "Yammi"

What a fun bridal session. Even the dog smiled!

Taken before a trail ride, this border collie looks like he has it all under control

I photographed several events, although I think I should call them milestones. The background image is of the Bar J Wranglers, from Jackson Hole Wyoming, they performed at a 75th birthday surprise party (man with the surprised look) and I have to say I really enjoyed their performance. The other top photo was a coming home event for one of our Marines.  The turn out was unbelievable and everyone wanted to shake this Marine's hand. I made sure I shook his hand and thanked him before I left. I photographed a young ladies birthday party, and a group of teenager girls are so fun to photograph.  They do not cover their faces  when they see you coming, instead they strike a pose.  One of the most heartfelt moments I had all year was at 65th birthday party, were a father did the opposite and gave his kids presents. These presents were some important symbols of their father's life; world champion belt buckle, bronze star to name a few. This act literally brought tears to my eyes. The last image was taken at a wedding, I have a ton of images of this young man dancing, he had some moves.

This is really my least liked photo of the year, but it was did change my life for a few months. Early May I broke my ankle in 2 places, as well has breaking a few ribs. I was bed ridden for a few weeks to "avoid" surgery. Thank goodness those days of being confined to the house paid off.  I did avoid surgery and used the time to research photography techniques, update my website and practice a little photo shop.

My broken ankle cause my family to delay our annual trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, something I look forward to the minute we leave the previous year.  The scenery is incredible and the wildlife is abundant. I love the mountains and my favorite one is Long's Peak, which can be seen from many different points of the park.

I do believe this would be classified as a Photo Bomb

Not sure if these would be considered a photo bomb, but more of a total photo take over

Some of my favorite photos to take during equestrian events, is candids and the lineup. Many times the subject doesn't even know I am taking the photo and they are much more relaxed.  Can also catch some sweet moments with the rider and their horse.

If I said once, I have said it 100 times, those who help me get horses attention and ears up, work harder than me.

I love the connection humans have with horses or is the connection horse have with humans.

This turned out to be a favorite spot for me to do photos.  No traffic, good light and nice scenery. I only used it twice, but I did try to find similar spots for other photos. Larissa was working on a modeling portfolio and we got some great shots of her.  Thanks to JJ's Designs for lending some awesome outfits

Some photo sessions can get a little long, so sometimes goofing off happens and I am sure to catch it on camera.  If someone comes by on a Harley  during a photo shoot, why not stop them and ask to pose with you. If you text during a session, be sure to put your hat on sideways.  Never hurts to dance in between frames. If there is a chair and it starts to rain, pick it up and put it over your head and act like a rock star.  If you are 6 foot, get on a kids mechanical horse, no one will ever see. Give your steer a kiss, they kiss back, and their tongue even gets stuck in your hair.  Goofy faces are always good.  Not sure how to pose next, just strike the famous Karate Kid pose.  Bringing your boyfriend and a rope with you to a session will invoke some fun

October was a fun and uplifting month.  Since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month I photographed several events  that were fund raisers for different non-profit organizations.

So much pink! 

So much support!

Saw many tears and cheers

Met many survivors, fighters and loved ones.

Admired the volunteers who put in countless hours organising these events, and the many volunteers who made this events possible.

Cheered for those who raised the funds and obtained sponsorships for research, the under insured and awareness.

Prayed along side of all of them

When geese interrupt your session, chase them! Another favorite place ( and family)  to take photos, too bad it is in their own front yard and not a public place. Jealous! Their place is beautiful.

Who says chivalry is dead. After finishing her class her saddle came loose. After dismounting and fixing her saddle, she looked around for a mounting block, but none was around.  Her horse was very tall, so one of the gentlemen in the staging area offered a knee as everyone in the stand cheered her on.

Once again I attended the Breeder's Cup.  We also did some farm tours, watched some morning workouts, attended a luncheon and took a look at some of the horses in the Keeneland sales.  Starting at the top and moving clockwise,  yes that is Goldikova and she looked right at me ;[) , Sarafina getting a little excited in the post parade- I think she was trying to get all the photographer's attention that were behind her and had the cameras pointed else were. St Nicholas Abbey looking my way while in the winner's circle after winning the Breeder's Cup Turf.  Euroears during morning work out, he is gorgeous.  We had as special visit with the great Peppers Pride who was heavy in foal. My daughter had two hyperventilating moments-1st meeting one of her favorite racehorses; Blind Luck and second, meeting and even getting hug from Mike Smith. Center is Court Vision after winning the Breeder's Cup Mile as a long shot.

Its all about the blanket!

Thanks to Three Chimneys and Lanes End for hosting open houses so we could visit some our favorite stallions.
Can you name all the above stallions? 1st person to name them all in order top row 1st, left to right will win a 11 x 14 print of one of the above images of their choice.

Vacation Time: What camera should you buy? Part II

In the Part I five basic points were suggested in considering a camera to purchase for your vacation. Price, camera size. brand, ease of use and your subject matter. Price and brand were covered pretty much as needs to be. Just a few things to touch on.

Taken With a Sony a350

As with the price, if you think you might use your new camera in more situations after your vacation, then you might want to budget more. Do have children in you near future, nieces, nephews, yours, friends? Have you recently retired, looking for a new hobby or are you planning on traveling more in the future? Photography can be addicting. Don’t forget to budget for batteries, memory cards and camera case.

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII

A little more on camera size. Think about the nature of your vacation. Are you doing a lot of sight-seeing, shopping, camping, hiking or taking a cruise? Are you going to be in high populated areas, large crowds? Are you going to want to keep up with a large camera case? If you really want to capture your memories, you should be more willing want lug it around. Never fails when you don’t bring it, there is always a perfect photo op that you just missed.

Taken With Panasonic DMC-FZ7

Are you technically challenged, never read the manual and toss it aside or do read it cover to cover. This is where ease of use needs to be brought up. A good hint for the finding the technicality of a camera is to look at the manual before you buy. How many pages and will you read them. The thicker the manual than more frustrating it may be for someone who in a non-manual reader. Most stores won’t let you open up the box just to see the manual. But if they have a display camera, they should have a manual. If not locate the manual on-line. The more the technical a camera, in most cases the higher the price. In my opinion, if you are going to only going to shoot on auto, opt for the less expensive point and shoot rather than the DSLR.

Taken with a Sony a350

Next point to keep in mind if what will be the majority of you subject matter. Scenery, architecture, indoor, low light situation, action or even underwater. Will you be in damp or wet areas or dry and dusty. There are plenty of cameras that are marketed for certain types of situations and there are plenty that work in most. Some of the features on cameras will increase the price of the camera, so it is a feature you won’t need or want you may want to look at a few more cameras. Once again I want to remind you to check the photography restrictions on the places you want to visit.

I would  be glad you help you find a good camera to fit your needs and once you get your camera, be sure to sign up for photography lessons. If you decide that it is too much hassle to take photos, bring me along as your own personal vacation photographer and photojournalist (wink wink).

Check out these articles on popular vacation spots for photography

Top 10 vacation spots great for photography

25 Most Photographed Places on Earth

The attached photos were taken with:
Canon 5D Mark II  This is a great camera, but is expensive and large. Unless you are very serious about photography it alot to keep up with while on vacation.

Panasonic DMC-FZ7  Have had this camera for 6 years and it has held up great.  It is now my daughter's camera and she really enjoyes it.  Not recommended for low light.  Has a high zoom capapilites, but as with any digital zoom you loose image quality.

Sony a350 Had a lot of fun with this DSLR, was pretty easy to carry around too.

Other camera's linked on this page are just to show examples, not recommending or saying they are inferior to other similiar prodeucts.

Camera reviews DP Review 

Camera retailers
BH Photo

Adorama
Don't forget to get plenty of memory for the extend of your vaction if you are unable to upload images to another source until you return home.