Poorly lit riding arenas...horse action!

[RJphotography]

First of all - Great Forum here! Greetings from Canada. I'm going to be shooting at an indoor horse show with my Nikon D70 and Sigma 70-300 f4/5.6 lens. Flash is not an option and the lighting is crap. So.......this psuedo-beginner is looking for pointers. The equipment takes super outdoor shots (show jumping last weekend - sorry I don't have one to post, maybe next time), but indoors I'm pretty stumped. I need to freeze the action completely AND it's not very close to me - sometimes right at the end of the lens. I'm concerned this lens, because it is only f4 won't work very well (f2.8 would be better??), but.....any suggestions on how to get the best shots with the lens I have in this situation....would be appreciated. I plan to do alot more of this type of photography. Thanks.

[Photo-John]

You definitely need a faster lens. And see if you can do some testing before the event. I'd recommend renting a 300 f/2.8 prime. If you don't need that much reach, then the 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR would be awesome. A monopod would be a good idea, too. Where in Alberta are you? You should be able to rent lenses in Calgary.

[RJphotography]

Thank you - and....that's what I was afraid of......but alas we are just south of Calgary and could definitely go the renting route. Already use the monopod or tripod - great for jumping where all the shots are at the same spot, but lots of this action is too erratic (cutting, cattle penning, working cow horse competitions) and fast to use either....but we'll figure it out! I'm not giving up THAT easy!

[another view]

I've never tried to photograph in one but have worked on lighting layouts for a couple of smaller ones. You're right, the lighting definitely leaves a lot to be desired for photography! I think you'll wind up using a fast ISO speed on the camera and shooting your lens wide open.

How close can you get? A relatively inexpensive lens that might be helpful is an 85 f1.8. On a D70, that's an equivalent 130mm f1.8, and I've seen them used under $300 US. Lenses with VR are nice, but of course they don't stop action. You really need as much shutter speed as you can get, and it will probably take a wide aperture and high ISO to do this. Problem is, with that little depth of field (f1.8), you'll probably wind up with a small percentage of usable pictures depending on what part of the subject is in focus. Closing up a couple of stops can help "pad" the depth of field, but there goes the shutter speed.

I guess my point is that it will probably take some experimenting. I've been shooting a lot of concerts lately and had similar issues...

[lealee8]

Hello, I just joined this forum today so I hope I'm doing this right.

I shoot horse shows on a regular basis now. The best I can say is to use a 1.4 or 1.8 lens and pan the camera. This won't give you stop action but is about the best your going to get without a flash. You will also want to up your ISO.

Just curious as to why not flash? I haven't had much of a problem with it so far and shoot some pretty green horses. I also have the announcer make announcements thourghout the show that we are using a flash and they need to see me before the class or have the announcer say "no photo" as they enter.

After lots of research on the matter the only suggestions I have received from others has been perhaps mounting strobes in the rafters. Two problems with that; One: If you're not in the same arena all the time you have to mount and unmount them all the time and Two: is the dirt factor.

I truly wish I could be more helpful and hope you find a solution.

[Photo-John]

Welcome to the site. Thanks for registering and sharing your experience. The more variety we have here, the better. Every kind of photographer has specific experience. It's good to have someone who shoots horse shows. I'm sure you know things the rest up us don't.