Lori's Horse Portraits
Fredericksburg, VA
ph: 540-850-6064
Lori
Photo Hints
Taking a great photo is very important. Here are some hints to make it easy.
Make sure the sun is behind you when you take your picture. If there are shadows on your horse's face, the details that make his or her face unique will be obscured.
High sun is optimum (the photo taken around noon), and high cloud cover is all right as well. However, I have seen some beautiful photos taken in the afternoon that bring out the brilliance in the horse's coat, just watch those long shadows.
Taking the photo indoors with a flash can wash out coat color and the flash can make the eye look strange.
Blurry is a no-no. It is better to have a high resolution photo that is a little further away than a close up that is blurry.
Try not to get too close to your subject because that can distort his or her face.
Side view or three quarter's view is best, and shows their faces properly.
Try to be at the same level as your subject. That might mean hunkering down a little to photograph a pony or standing on a mounting block to take a picture of a 17h 2" giant.
Stand at the Girth for full body photos, otherwise the back end may end up looking undeveloped.
Excersize the horse a little first if you want to help perk them up. This also brings the veins out in their faces and causes their nostrils to flair a little, adding drama to the finished portrait.
It helps to have three people involved. One person holding the horse (either mounted or holding reins or halter) one person taking the picture and the third person to keep the horse looking interested. Horses seem to think photo sessions are boring and find it a fine time to take a little snooze. A person holding a treat or something that holds the horse's attention can get those eyes lit up and the ears perked. It pays to make this extra effort as it adds charm to the finished painting.
Take lots of photos!
Oops!
Too close! Too much distortion. (Hey! What's that funny clicking thing?)
Too blurry, it's indoors and the light is behind the subject. Three strikes! (You can see how she's growling. Don't make your pony angry by taking a bad photo!)
The light is great in this photo, but the photographer was too close to the head, so there is distortion, the angle is wrong so we don't get a good view of the filly's pretty face, and her ears are back.
It's a good side pose, and her ears are lovely, but the light is behind this sweet little mare so her already dark colored features too are obscured by shadow.
Good lighting, nice angle but Zzzzzz, this horse is asleep!
Action photos are great, but you need a good camera to capture the movement without blurring. Also the light here is coming from the wrong direction and the horse and rider are just too far away.
Larger photos or high resolution photos are best so I can see the details on the horse's face or body and capture their unique look.
Remember, it's best to have the sun behind you, shining on the horse - that way the light will pick up the highlights in the horse's coat and eyes. Take several photos and have someone holding a treat to tease the horse into an attentive stance with ears pricked and eyes open...unless you want to capture the horse with a sleepy relaxed look.
Sending Photos
Understand the better the picture you send, the better material I have to work with. Send them via email, or contact me for an address to send hard copies.
When sending photos via email, send as many as you want, but you should attach only one at a time with your email. Emails with several large attachments tend to gum up in the system and don't move. Just write your name in the email, and the name of the horse, attach one photo and click send. In the subject line write which photo you have sent out of the total, e.g) 'one of three' etc.
Lori's Horse Portraits
Fredericksburg, VA
ph: 540-850-6064
Lori
