(based on 1 rating)

This book is for people with an affinity for horses, regardless of their affinity for cameras. Logically, they have the greatest appreciation for better horse pictures, even if they don t have a clue how to take them. A camera teaches you how to see without a camera, said Dorothea Lange, an influential photojournalist of the Depression era. Through the camera you develop a more discerning eye for horses. You distinguish more in their individual conformation and the dynamics of their movement, their expressions and behavior. You recognize the ephemeral quality of light and how it affects what we see. The world simply becomes a more interesting place. Horse photography does not lend itself to a traditional how-to approach, except at the most elementary level. It is not like paint-by-numbers. We don t all have the same expectations, nor are we working with predictable ingredients. And that s the beauty of it. Our photos are unique images of unique individuals. -- from the Introduction This easy-to-use and easy-to-understand guide teaches you how to bypass technical considerations and learn to see horses in a new light, fine-tuning your observation skills to recognize photo opportunities, and discovering how to take best advantage of them. Regardless of whether you use a film, digital, or video camera to shoot conformation, action, or art photos, youll benefit from chapters on choosing and controlling the background, working with natural light, communicating with the horses handler, and looking at the entire scene from the horses perspective. Youll learn to circumvent common problems such as distortion (for example, when the horses head looks larger than its hindquarters), distracting background objects, camera shake, sun flare, and the spaghetti approach (the naive notion that taking lots of random pictures will result in a good one). Groves shows how to take portraits of people and horses together, and includes tips for taking your camera on the trail. With regard to action shots, youll learn how to adjust the shutter speed and anticipate the action in such specific events as jumping, reining, rail classes (Western pleasure, hunter hack), roping, barrel racing, team penning, and dressage. Since videos have become not only home movies but selling tools, a section is devoted to creating persuasive moving pictures. An easy-to-use guide to help you set up and capture flattering images of horses. This easy-to-use and easy-to-understand guide teaches you how to bypass technical considerations and learn to see horses in a new light, fine-tuning your observation skills to recognize photo opportunities, and discovering how to take best advantage of them. Regardless of whether you use a film, digital, or video camera to shoot conformation, action, or art photos, youll benefit from chapters on choosing and controlling the background, working with natural light, communicating with the horses handler, and looking at the entire scene from the horses perspective. Youll learn to circumvent common problems such as distortion (for example, when the horses head looks larger than its hindquarters), distracting background objects, camera shake, sun flare, and the spaghetti approach (the naive notion that taking lots of random pictures will result in a good one). Groves shows how to take portraits of people and horses together, and includes tips for taking your camera on the trail. With regard to action shots, youll learn how to adjust the shutter speed and anticipate the action in such specific events as jumping, reining, rail classes (Western pleasure, hunter hack), roping, barrel racing, team penning, and dressage. Since videos have become not only home movies but selling tools, a section is devoted to creating persuasive moving pictures. This easy-to-understand guide shows how to overcome technical limitations and learn to see horses in a new light, fine-tuning observation skills, and discovering how to take best advantage of photo opportunities. Groves shows how to take portraits of people and horses together, and includes tips for taking cameras on the trail and adjusting shutter speed for such action events as jumping, reining, and barrel racing.