Horse shows: Questions

[Tony_Whaling]

You can normaly use flash in the Uk with in-hand and ridden showing. Whats called western riding here, which includes reining there is no problem. With jumping and dressage its pretty well a no no.
Shows here go on as long as the ground is safe, or they cant get the lorries on the venue. I have attended a few shows where lorries have to be towed on and having to tow them off through the mud is pretty reguler. With more and more large all weather surfaces been used the weather can get pretty extreme before they stop. The only thing that I have seen stop show jumping on them once its started was extreme wind when the jumps even weighed down with sand bags were going over and they take a break when theres lightning. On one occasion I was photographing show jumping in an howling wind, absolutely frozen daft and then its started snowing as well. I quit after half an hour of snow, on getting back in the marquee we used then I was told to get straight back out there has they all wanted photos of them selves jumping in the snow storm.

tony

[Mike Keller]

I don't shoot for the shows, but we have a couple of saddlebreds and I shoot my kids and friends in practice and portraits, and I know several of the people who are shooting these local shows. No jumping, just saddleseat (English and hunter) and western classes.

It's all outdoors, but the ring is covered, with some lights, so you wouldn't get a shot without flash. (on a sunny day it's horribly backlit, and at night the lights are inadequate) The only non-flash is academy classes (young or inexperienced riders) who might not be able to handle a horse that spooks. OTOH, no saddlebred that spooks at a flash should be allowed in the ring; many are trained with sparklers and fire extinguishers to fire them up!

Two photogs I know print at the show, another prints enlarged proof sheets for easy viewing and ordering. They all pretty much shoot everybody in the class, plus a posed shot of the winner and a victory pass of the winner. One guy shoots a LOT with a wide variety of angles and crops; another shoots pretty much the standard trotting passes that everyone wants. I don't know if one does better than the other, although the second person does need to shoot more. (this as a potential purchaser of photos, my kid won her class twice this weekend and even my daughter didn't think much of the pictures)

Minimum three people: photographer, printer/salesperson/table manager, runner/assistant/fill in for the printer. You get the idea.

None of these people use a trailer, they have a tent and tables.

BTW, we don't shoot flash on jumpers either. You just pray for a nice day.