Online Course - Equine Photography

Equine Photography

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          This course is an introduction to the art of photographing horses. Whether you want to be a professional equine industry photographer or just want to shoot extraordinary pictures of your horses, this course will explain all the details of camera, light, angles and the unique skills related to horse photography. Instructor Lynette Smith has suggestions on the purchase of a camera, and you will be expected to submit numerous photos as part of lesson assignments.

       I. Introduction to Photography
               A. Defining Digital Photography
               B. Define Yourself, Your Subject Matter and Your Audience
               C. Your Artistic Vision
               D. Basic Photography Terminology

       II. The Camera
                A. Choosing the Correct camera
                B. Lenses, Light and Arenas
                C. Tips
                D. Accessories

       III. Defining Exposure
                 A. What does the term “Exposure” mean?
                 B. Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority
                 C. ISO – how it affects exposure
                 D. RAW vs. Jpeg
                 E. White Balance

         IV. The Art of Seeing
                  A. Exposing Light
                          1. Characteristics of Light
                                 a. Direction of Light
                                 b. Front Lighting
                                 c. Side Lighting
                                 d. Back Lighting
                                 c. Quality of Light
                                 e. Mood
                                 f. Rim Lighting
                                 g. Photograph Horse in Different Light
                  B. What Are Your Objectives
                  C. How to Shoot a Good Head Shot
                  D. A Few Tips to Remember

           V. Defining Your Style as a Photographer
                    A. Photograph what you like. Find your passion
                    B. Culling your photos
                    C. Scouting the location
                    D. Right-brain versus left-brain
                    E. Photography is subjective
                    F. Tips

           VI. Setting the Pose
                     A. The Rule of Thirds
                     B. What are Your Objectives for the Photo?
                     C. Framing the Subject
                                1. Stick to the basics
                                2. Know your subject
                                3. Get the best angles
                                4. Expression
                                5. Background
                                6. Light
                                7. Helper/Assistant
                     D. Point of View
                                1. Depth of Field
                     E. Equine Photography Tips
                     F. Elements and Fundamentals of Composition
                     G. Photographing the Horse In-Hand
                                1. Practice
                                2. Tips for Photographing Conformation
                     H. Headshots
                                1. Action Photos
                                2. Movement of the Horse
                     J. Photographing In Indoor Arenas
                     K. Understand the Different Disciplines.

            VII. A. Motion
                             1. Panning
                             2. Stop Action Shots
                     B. Final Thoughts
                             1. Storage and Organization
                             2. Helpful Websites, Links and Forums
                             3. Tips

          A camera will be required for this course. The instructor suggests a digital SLR camera which has a manual mode option and interchanging lenses. The first two lessons in the course will cover different types of cameras. A camera or tablet will not be sufficient to complete the required assignments.