You are probably wondering, what is the number one question that people ask me…
…How on earth do you photograph these black background portraits?
Today I am going to give you a quick little step by step guide of how you can take a black background portrait of your very own horse.
Find the Perfect Location
Location is incredibly important when it comes to taking black background portraits of your horse. The best place to take these pictures is in the aisle way of a barn. Find the shady side of the barn aisle way (the side where the sun isn’t shining straight into the aisle way), and then close the barn doors on the opposite end of the barn.
This spot will be where you place your horse. You will probably notice that it is light on the end of the barn where the doors are open and the further away you get from the opening the darker it gets. Hopefully it will end up completely black in the background if you have a long enough barn.
Enlist an Assistant
Next get a trusty friend to help you, because I promise it won’t be easy to get your horse to stand still on your own why you are also trying to snap the perfect picture of him. Perhaps bring your horse’s favorite treat or a peppermint wrapper as well in order to keep their ears forward and alert when you are snapping the photos. Getting your horse’s ears up can truly make or break a picture of your horse.
Groom to Perfection
Make sure your horse is groomed to a T and looking their best and their halter or bridle is nice and clean. There are many tips and tricks on grooming your horse for photos online if you are not sure how to get that extra sharp look. Even something as simple as cleaning your bit can make a big different in your horse’s portrait if you choose to have their bridle on. You can choose to use a more natural look for your horse if you would like but these photos are especially classy when your horse is groomed neatly and their hair is shiny!
Step #1: Stand your horse near the edge of the barn opening.
Remember how we talked about finding the perfect spot earlier?! Well now is the time that you put your horse in that perfect spot so that the light gradually falls off of your horse and you get the perfect black background.
#2: Find the correct Exposure
You will need to properly expose the picture for your horse’s head so that, hopefully, the area further behind your horse fades away.
If you are using a phone, you can get the proper exposure for your horse’s head by simply tapping on your horse’s head to tell your camera that is what you would like to be in focus and properly exposed. Phones are pretty magical like that. On an iPhone you also have the ability to press and hold your finger down on the area where you focus and lift your finger up to raise the exposure aka, make it brighter, or lower the exposure aka, make it darker.
If you are using a camera you would use your settings to properly adjust the exposure until the horse is correctly exposed and your background fades away.
#3: Snap Away and Get Creative
Finding the perfect location and setting up your camera are the hardest part. Once you have that under control start to snap away. Get creative. Try posing your horse in different ways and using different angles. Try taking a picture from down low or up high, turn your horse sideways, straight onto the camera, ask them to bend their neck around. Go crazy. The world is yours to explore. Don’t forget the most important part…Have Fun!
I hope you have enjoyed this quick tutorial on taking the perfect Black Background Picture of your horse. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Share your favorite picture on social media and tag Karinda K. and let us know that you loved the tutorial so that we can see all of your amazing pictures!
