Using flash around horses

I'm taking some photos soon of horses and their owners. It will be

an outdoor setting with the owner and horse in open shade which

usually would call for some fill flash.

 

Has anyone had experience using flash around horses? My concern is

that they may be spooked by the flash. I've taken plenty of horse

shots, but none using my flash for fear of this happening. Maybe

they aren't even bothered by it?

 

Any suggestions on posing 3 to 4 people along with a horse :-) ?

 

Once again, thanks to all in advance for any help.

 

Cheers

I do a fair amount of work around horses and have not had any problems. If I am doing a

portrait

shot, I usually fire a few test flashes far away and then work closer if I don't know the

horse. Once they see it, for the most part, they are alright with it. In speed or rodeo work I

have not had any problems with flash. That all being said, horses are funny creatures, I

know because I own two of them, so be prepared for them to spook. Always better to

expect it...

 

As for the posing, try starting with the horse on a 45 degree angle and two persons on

each

side of the head. That way you get balance and still see the some length of the neck so it

gives the proportion to the head. You can also have the horse perpendicular to your

camera, people lined up in front of him and then have the owner bend his head and neck

so his head faces you. Kind of depends how much of the horse you want to show. The first

example works well for tight shots but doesn't show off the entire horse.

 

Good luck!

 

Pete

In my somewhat limited experience, some do spook a little, most don't. I have the rider/handler prepared, and then I pop a couple of test flashes. By the third or forth (and nothing bad has happened), they couldn't care less. There was a thread about this a few weeks ago. I keep a small assortment of bright crunchy items in my pocket. I get lined up and toss one in the air to get the horse's attention. It only works once or twice, and then they go back to ignoring you.

 

having a few of those apple/oatmeal treats in a pocket is handy too

Bryn

 

I do hundreds of horse photographs yearly and never once had a problem with flash.

Having said that I always spend 30 minutes with a horse whenever possible before hand to

let him get used to me, it is often you which will spook the horse other than the flash.

This makes the horse more comfortable and will get you a better photo opportunity.

Take Care, Pete

generally horses won't spook on the flashes... but it all depends on your setup! If you have a fairly big setup with studio strobes, umbrellas, big softboxes etc they might spook on your setup (not on the flashes going off, but you might have problems getting the horses into your setup)... most often those give the best expressions though, because the horsee is not bored but alerted, and it shows

I've had mixed response, but ALWAYS ask the owner / rider first. Some horses will spook at just the sight of a big flash set-up. There's nothing more heart-stopping then seeing a rider thrown and a wild out-of-control horse... Big animals, small brains! Good luck!