Okay, now be honest. How many photos of your horse are on your camera roll? I’m going to venture a guess most of the images are of your horse. Capturing the day-to-day with your horse in photographs keeps the memory of those moments for you to look back on. I have six tips to help you take better pictures of your horse with just your phone. You don’t need a professional camera to start using these tricks, only the phone you already have.
Tip #1: Finding good lighting for your photos
Lighting influences the quality of an image. In low lighting, your pictures will lose clarity and become grainy. The best way to avoid this is to take photos in natural lighting outdoors. However, avoid harsh direct sunlight outdoors by moving to a shaded area. The shade will give you more even lighting. Plus, you won’t be squinting to look at your phone!
Tip #2: Find a non-distracting background
The focus of the image is your horse. Find a background that doesn’t distract from your horse. Taking a couple of minutes to tidy up when possible can make a huge difference.
Tip #3: Move closer to your horse
I suggest moving closer to your horse instead of using the zoom feature on your phone’s camera. Often photos can become blurrier when zooming.
Tip #4: Adjust the focus on your phone’s camera
After opening the camera on your phone, tap on your horse’s face. Then you should see a small box around the spot where you tapped. It adjusts the focus so that your horse’s face will be clear. Getting the perfect photo only to find out later that it’s fuzzy can be annoying. Try this trick to avoid this struggle.
Tip #5: Getting your horse’s attention
Use treats to capture your horse’s attention. It works! Shaking a grain bucket, crunching a peppermint wrapper, or holding a carrot usually does the trick.
Tip #6: Find the right angle
Photos of your horse straight on or at a slight angle downward are going to appear best. I’ve noticed that when pointing the camera up at a horse, the horse’s head can look larger than it is. The proportion of your horse’s head and body won’t look quite right.
