How to: Pro Tips For Photographing Wild Horses

Images and tips by Alyce Bender

Photographing wild horses is a captivating challenge that blends the beauty of nature with the thrill of untamed motion. These majestic creatures, roaming freely across vast landscapes, offer photographers a rare opportunity to capture raw power, grace, and freedom in its purest form. However, successfully photographing wild horses requires a keen eye, patience, and the right equipment to adapt to unpredictable movements and varying lighting conditions. In this blog, we’ll dive into the techniques and settings you’ll need to master, and how Tamron lenses can help you achieve stunning shots of wild horses in their natural habitat, bringing their spirit and vitality to life.

TIP 1: USE A TELEPHOTOZOOM LENS

By opting for a variable focal range (zoom) telephoto lens, such as the Tamron 50-400mm for Sony E or Nikon Z mount, or 150-500mm for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z mount, you can capture dynamic images without compromising your safety or that of the wild horses. This is especially helpful when there are geographic features, such as water, between you and the subject or you want to capture an image of the entire herd. Additionally, a variable lens helps minimize changing lenses in dusty environments which helps minimize dust and dirt on your sensor. Win-win!

TIP 2:  WATCH THE EARS

With wild horses, much of their language is telegraphed through their ears. Their ears tell us what direction they are listening to, if they are alert, sleepy, or angry/annoyed. Ears often tell the story before any vocalization is made. If you can learn to read their ears you can pre-focus on the subject horse that is most likely to act out in some form or fashion. Having a fast shutter speed of at least 1/1250 is highly recommended for when action suddenly kicks off within the herd.

TIP 3: PHOTOGRAPH DURING THE SHOULDERS OF THE DAY

Dawn and dusk are ideal times to photograph wild horses. With most wild horses in the United States living in the arid, desert areas of the Western states, this time of day usually has cooler temperatures and the horses become more active. Soft morning light and the stunning golden hour before sunset provides amazing lighting situations to help showcase the beauty and strength of these living legends.

TIP 4: NOT ALL ACTION IS CONFRONTATIONAL

Wild horses have a complex social hierarchy within the herds in each rangeland area. There is much more to their interactions with each other than just stallions fighting. Make sure to capture more of the tender moments between band members and family to tell a complete story and diversify your portfolio at the end of the day.

TIP 5: DON’T FORGET BACKLIGHTING AND SILHOUETTES

Because the horse is such a universally known shape, having been used in domestic situations for so many centuries, silhouettes backlit with wonderful color can create images that speak to horse lovers everywhere and can be utilized as bold statement pieces in Western motif interior design. By exposing for the background light, allow your subject to completely go dark, focusing only on capturing a sharp outline.

Learn about these lenses and more at an authorized Tamron dealer in your area or visit the TAMRON Store today.