A sport that involves a horse and its rider navigating a series of obstacles and jumps, showjumping is very rewarding to photograph. While my day job is to find the best deals on cameras and lenses as Digital Camera World’s Ecommerce Editor, my background is in equestrian photography. My photos have been used by The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound and many more for various advertising campaigns, books and pre/post-event highlights. The showjumping arena is a place I know very well.
A great showjumping photo conveys the natural movement of the horse with the rider’s face in focus. This often requires you to stop down to around f/4, or my preferred aperture of f/5.6. You will need to get both subjects in focus – if either the horse or rider isn’t sharp, the photos aren’t worth the space on your memory card. While a 70-200mm zoom range will cover most smaller venues, you’ll soon want to add a 400mm or 600mm super-telephoto to your kit bag.
