Photography Basics – Photographing Horses on the Beach

Make sure you have a good camera strap and be sure it is firmly attached. You may wind up knee deep in the surf, so wear shorts and shoes that you don’t mind getting wet. I use a waterproof pouch for my phone, key fob and wallet. Keep a microfiber cloth handy for condensation or in case your lens gets splashed. A large floppy hat protects your face and ears, but also decreases glare in the viewfinder. It’s best if you don’t change lenses because there is always sand blowing around at the beach. This is one place I absolutely use my 28-300 all in one lens. You could use a 70-200, but you won’t get the big colorful sky. A 24-105 would work, but you won’t get the dramatic frame filling shots.

To me the shoots have four distinct parts and require different settings and techniques. For the first twenty minutes or so the horses and riders come by one at a time and move pretty slowly. This is the time to get great color in the sky, and also a good time for slow shutter speed and panning. If you aren’t experienced with panning, take some time to practice at shutter speeds of 1/8 to 1/30 sec before going to your first shoot. Not every panning shot will be good, but when everything works just right they can be great. For the first couple of years I concentrated on good color in the sky, and let the horse and rider become silhouettes. Modern sensors and software make it possible to bring out detail in the riders while keeping deep color in the sky.

As the light increases, the horses will begin to pick up the pace and start to gallop. Experienced horse photographers will tell you the money shot for horses is to have all four hooves in the air. This won’t happen until they are at a gallop or faster. At this point you have the option of panning with a slow shutter speed or trying to freeze motion with a higher shutter speed and higher ISO. This might be a good time to try Auto ISO. To get all four hooves in the air, shoot at least 8 to 10 frames/sec and delete the rejects. Usually you’ll find that one shot in each burst or two. Also your success rate improves with experience.

Most of the group leaders will try to do a shot of all of the horses and riders in the water in front of the rising sun. Contrast is very high and gets worse by the minute as the sun rises.

Usually the riders will take a break after the group shot to let the horses cool down. This is the time to get some portraits of horses and riders. The light is a bit harsh for good portraits, but if you pay attention to the light and have the riders move for the best light you’ll get some good shots.

After the cool down/portrait time it’s time for some high speed passes with the horses coming at you. This is the time for high shutter speeds and high frame rates. The light is harsh, so you may have to work a bit in post.

If four hooves in the air is good, eight is even better.

Always keep your eyes open and be aware of what’s going on around you. This is important for safety, but also there are those unexpected actions that happen in a split second. With luck you may be in just the right place at the right time.

Once you shoot horses on the beach, I think you’ll be as hooked as I am. There may be other places to shoot horses on the beach, so keep an eye out for events on your travels.