My other half and her Horse jumping.

[MRT_40D]

During the local show season last year i took my camera along to watch my other half compete

Im still learning how to track him properly.

I tend to use the camera in shutter priority, the highest frame rate the 400D will give me (3.5FPS), AL Servo focus and centre focus point. I set the IS mode on the lens to mode 1 so it doesn't try to correct me panning the lens left to right but helps stop any upward or downward movement.

I also take practice shots on the other people competing and use the histogram to judge the light etc.

Here is what i got:





And a pose shot

[djguk47]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Nice set of shots of a good looking horse.
Your other half looks good as well but I will keep the comments to the subject of your shots and will not say things like "she has a nice seat" as non show jumping people will take my comment the wrong way....

These are my thoughts on your shots.
Looking at the exif info I see that you have used a fairly high ISO and a small aperture which has made the backgrounds equal to the subject...your other half and her horse.
When I am shooting polo, jumping or menage work I tend to have a fairly large aperture to keep the background soft or blurred so that the subject is nice and sharp. A large aperture will enable you to decrease the ISO and help reduce any noise.

The other thing to keep in mind is the "style" of the jump and where you have positioned yourself in relation to the jump. A jump, say a spread jump will have "wings" which if you are in the wrong spot will stop you getting a clean shot of the horse jumping.
I try to get the horse just before the top of the jump so that it is in full stretch upwards and you can see all feet of the ground, or the back feet just touching the ground and the muscles of the horse straining for the jump. Catching the power of a horse in a jump, to me anyway, makes a good shot. Have a look at say Horse and Hound and take a close look at any of the jumping photos which have been published.

Just some things for you to think about, along with everything else you have to think about.

David

[MRT_40D]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the comments not had anyone who actuall knew what they were talking about look at any of my pictures before

I normally have my ISO set at 800 (abit high as im learning now but i found it helps with the light if it suddenly clouds over) but what would be a good suggestion? 400?

I guess that ill have to get a feel for how to set the aperture properly, again still abit of a novice :)

As for position i picked my spot because the course is only small and i wanted to make sure i had a good shot of the whole route so i would get some side and head on shots.

ill be trawling the horse and hound website lol

[briansquibb]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Another tip - crouch down so that you see the underside of the horse. This will make the jumping look more impressive on the smaller jumps - also then the rider will be looking down towards the camera. For example in #1 and #2 you cant really see the face of the rider - take the picture from the ground level and you would see the full face.

Brian

[djguk47]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

I would look at opening up your aperture, your first is f/18, 2nd is f/14 and 3rd f/13 which I think is far to small and almost suitable for landscapes rather than show jumping in a confined area.
I would start with ISO at 200 as the first 3 shots appear to be on English sunny days, albeit with some cloud cover, but keep an eye out for the light changing.

Colin C has written many words of wisdom regarding panning along the lines of when panning always take at least three/four shots and not just the one shot as if you take a single shot your natural instinct is to stop panning once you hit the shutter release button.

Do you shoot using RAW or just JPEG????

I bet your other half is having jumping sessions in a school during the winter months ( the clue is the clip her horse has). Go along and practice your shots while she is practicing her jumping. You get the practice and she gets to see how she is working the horse.... a win win situation.
However, in the school you will have to up your ISO because all schools have absolute crap lighting.

David

[briansquibb]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

I bet your other half is having jumping sessions in a school during the winter months ( the clue is the clip her horse has).

David

Isn't that a hunting clip?

[djguk47]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Isn't that a hunting clip?

I think you are right young Brian.....or maybe a blanket clip.... can't remember as my polo ponies were never clioped during winter..... but of course if she does go hunting it means more jumping and then you get some great action shots, horses jumping, riders falling...

David

[MRT_40D]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

I would look at opening up your aperture, your first is f/18, 2nd is f/14 and 3rd f/13

I have been having a practice today while i was out with the camera and im struggling to set the aperture whilst in TV (shutter priority ) mode

I cant seem to have the option to set it manually and ive only noticed it changing when i alter the shutter speeds.. and doing that sets the shutter speed to slow so everything is a bur. back to the user manual i think..

I do take practice shots while she is practicing but the school is very small so we can only have one jump up.. and i cant use the 70-300 as i have to stand miles away to get her in shot over it

she does go out with hunt groups but i rarely go with them as they i never know the route they are taking and id only get pictures in the car park then they all bugger off hahaha

Dont ask me what clip it is i have no idea i just remember helping her do it and jake wasnt a fan..

[Trevoreast]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

I have been having a practice today while i was out with the camera and im struggling to set the aperture whilst in TV (shutter priority ) mode

That’s how shutter priority mode works, you choose the shutter speed the camera chooses the aperture.
If you need a wider aperture than the camera offers, try dropping the ISO to one hundred to begin with.

In pic one, you choose a shutterspeed of 1/320 of a sec and set your ISO speed to 800
The cameras meter suggests AV F14 taking account of your ISO 800 setting.
Slowing the ISO speed would result in a wider aperture.
Does that help ?
Trev

[MRT_40D]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

In pic one, you choose a shutterspeed of 1/320 of a sec and set your ISO speed to 800
The cameras meter suggests AV F14 taking account of your ISO 800 setting.
Slowing the ISO speed would result in a wider aperture.
Does that help ?

Yes it does thanks Trev, i was looking for a setting to change with either of the wheels on the body to help set the Aperture.

Ill bare that in mind... so with that principal what would be a good ISO setting for a sunny day? i usually always use 400- 800 as i was told before that this was the case. Im guessing its not?

[Trevoreast]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

The more light the less ISO speed you need to get the shutter speed you require.
I don't know what shutter speed you need for show jumping to freeze motion etc because I haven't snapped horses. I'm sure others will know.

In TV mode the camera stopping down the lens to narrow apertures like F14 is just the camera's way of avoiding over exposure.
The problem is that the stopping down to F14 gives you more DOF than might want. This means you need to take up a good postion to avoid distrations in the BG.

You could switch to AV mode, then decide on the aperture, try ISO 100 on a sunny day.
In AV mode the camera will set the shutter speed, if that speed is not fast enough, raise your ISO in stops until you get the right speed.

You would have to ready to adjust your ISO if the light changes.

Trev

[MRT_40D]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Well with that in mind next weekend my other half is taking part in an Indoor jumping competition and ill be heading along to get some photos...

The only problem is i have read that with my Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 USM IS i may struggle with the lighting? Will this be the case?

I have never photographed horses indoors before and im wondering how much of a hinder this may prove.. I have read that you really need a lens around the f/2 mark to archive sharp pictures in low light.

The issue i have is that in show jumping they will be moving quickly so i will need the shutter speed up to capture them but if the light is naff im buggered.

Is there a recommended way of doing this and getting sharp results or should i just hire myself a shiney 70-200 f/2 L series for the week to play with??

Martin

[djguk47]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Martin,
You will have to up the ISO when shooting in the school, but, you will only know this when you see what lighting there is. If it is a competition then the lighting will possibly be better than a smaller school which usually has crap lighting.
Is there anyway you can get to where the show jumping will take place this week so you will have an idea of the lighting and also get an idea of where you can position yourself to take the shots of your other half.

Whereabouts in the UK is the jumping comp taking place??

If you were to hire a f/2 yes you will be able to use a lower ISO but it does seem a bit of an expensive exercise.

I think for this exercise use your 70-300, be ready to up the ISO and let us see what you are able to achieve.
The forecast for the weekend is wet wet wet so natural light will be bad anyway. Save the hiring of a L lens until the summer and outdoor use.

David

[MRT_40D]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Hi David,

The event is at Trent Valley Equestrian Centre its not far from me.. just in Nottingham (Trent Valley).

http://www.tvequestrian.co.uk

Well the arena is 1800 m2 and looks like it has plenty of roof windows to allow light. I made a mistake with the dates its actually the 23rd of Jan so hopefully the weather will be better.

Ill give it ago with my 70 - 300 and see what it can do, its the first event she going to this yr so its just a practice really.. for both of us as ive not had much chance to play with the 40D.

On the plus side she will be having a practice in the school on the yard so (weather forgiving) ill have a test play then.

Thanks

Martin

[djguk47]

Re: My other half and her Horse jumping.

Hi Martin,
Had a look at the web site and the arena looks quite impressive. I would forget about the "raised spectator viewing area" and get down near the entrance to the school so you are at least at eye level. See if you can get along the side of the school.
Wander around with the 70-300 fully extended and with the hood on, camera bag over your shoulder and I bet they let you into areas to get some good shots. I doubt if there will be an official photographer there...apart from you.... call their bluff...

David