photography and horses
Horses, whether wild or domesticated, whether young and playful or old and tranquil, whether mare or stallion or gelding ... - all of them are fascinating to watch, all of them make great photo-subjects.
Their subtle colors, their graceful though powerful movements, their way to interact with each other and to interact with their humans - there are so many different motifs to find.
You can take great action shots, specialice in horse sport photography, show emotional encounters between horses and riders or beautiful landscapes with grazing horses.
There are so many different angles, almost unlimited possibilities to photograph horses and there is just one thing that will really help you to take those pictures: Get to know your subjects, so that you can aniticipate their behaviour, so that you are ready to release your shutter at just the right moment.
horse in portrait
This is even more important if you want to take a special portrait of a single horse. There is always the classic option, of course: a perfectly groomed horse in profile, alert, ears up, eyes open, showing conformation (showing quality). Those might be the perfect photos to advertise for breeding and sale, they show the horses's exterior to perfection but they almost always fail to show their individual character. They do not tell their story.
As a horse-woman myself, I know those pictures can truly be beautiful but ... - I prefer those images that show more than just a beautiful horse, those that tell a story.
Slideshow: Horse in Portrait
The horse portraied above is paint-horse Mister King of Hearts.