Camera Ready

An outtake. Moments like these can't be planned. They're my favorite. Shot with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L @ f/5.

Unlike humans, horses are utterly indifferent towards cameras and lenses.  Despite a curious attitude and perhaps zany temperament, a horse doesn’t know any better—and I’m sure this is a good thing.  When Nancy Kirwin asked me to take her new business portrait with her horse, Ready, I had some experience with equine irascibility, yet I was unsure of what to expect.  My previous attempts to photograph horses were either scenes of hilarity or trepidation: one time, I chased a horse across a field with a Vagabond II power pack over my shoulder, a light stand equipped with an Alien B800 in one hand, and my Eos in the other.  Another time, I made a few frames of Berry, Lisa Allen’s horse, and spooked it with my Speedlites.  On both occasions, I didn’t really need to get too close to the horses, and I didn’t have an experienced handler/companion on location.  I learned on this shoot that making a good portrait of a horse comes down to trust—an ineffable bond between rider and steed.

Another take, this time lit with Speedlites. 430exII camera right, through a 90cm x 90cm Lastolite EzyBox. 430exII camera left, through a 60cm x 60cm Lastolite EzyBox. Shot with an EF 70-200 f/2.8L @ f/5.

Ready was quite ready and willing to participate, but he wouldn’t put his ears forward.  Nancy suggested this made for a proper photograph, as the direction of a horse’s ears indicate where their attention is.  Makes sense.  So, getting Ready “camera ready” merely meant getting his mind off the various distractions at hand—as it turns out, I wasn’t one of them   The hydro crew down the highway was one.  The highway itself—two hundred meters distant maybe—provided an abundance of distraction.  In the end, it all worked out, with the help of mutual friend Susan Regier off-camera, back left, banging on the gate with whatever metal she could muster.  So, photogs—and horse lovers—-if you ever need to make portraits, bring a noise-maker, preferably something particularly jingly.  Here are a few examples of the portraits, with notations for the photo geeks.  Thanks to Nancy for the opportunity, pleasant company (and SMILE), and to Sue for her help.

Susan Regier and Nancy Kirwin, medium close up. Lit with a 430exII camera right, through a 90cm x 90cm Lastolite Ezybox, and a 430ex camera left, through a 60cm x 60cm Lastolite Ezybox. Shot with a 16-35mm f2/8L @ f/5.6.

Susan Regier and Nancy Kirwin. Lit with the sun, camera left, and a 430exII, camera right, through a 90cm x 90cm Lastolite Ezybox. Shot with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L @ f/6.3.

Nancy and Ready, medium shot. We started with ambient only shots, the light being just about right. Shot with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L @ f/5.

A nice outtake. It occurs to me now that Ready should have been in profile like this for these shots, with Nancy looking at the lens. Ah well. It's a nice look. Shot with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L @ f/4.