Congress Pics

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I've tried writting this a few times but the short and most simple thing to say is.If you don't like it, don't buy it.

I work at a photography studio. Everyone wants perfect images and they want them fast. No one cares how much work or time it takes to properly edit a photo.
While this is true how would you feel if your horse won a National Championship or a Grand National Championship and you do not even have 1 good picture of that. Not in the ring during the class, not center ring and presentation or not at the back drop.

I do not feel a clear photo of your horse which is easily identifiable is asking to much. I feel a photo that is not to dark to see anything is not asking to much.

I know of several people whose horses win and they do not even pay the 45 bucks or whatever the price is for the photos of some dark horse with some shadowy figure handling it. VERY SAD INDEED!

The issue is not editing -removing a handler or lead the issue is simply put the photos in the first place. So dark you can not tell one dark horse from another unless your handler is wearing something neon to stand out. Angles all wrong for a experienced horse photographer. Time is not the issue either as many halter classes go on for 20-50 minutes.

Photography has been an issue at our Congress and National shows for some time now.

Let another photographer come in and enter the ring as well and then let the buyer choose which they feel is best.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm just saying that from what i'm reading you are expecting way to much from this type of photography.
Every time that I publish a show photo, the credits in the ad amount to free advertising for that photographer. (the guy I mentioned a few posts ago understood this concept and was happy to assist me in my efforts to get his work published at no cost to him)

Expecting...I expect to get the quality of service that they imply they will deliver and I expect to NOT be treated like a copyright thief for wanting a quality digital copy that is worthy of me dropping a couple of hundred bucks to advertise.

Let another photographer come in and enter the ring as well and then let the buyer choose which they feel is best.
Bingo...your name says it all.
 
Don’t think for a minute that it’s just the lack of fixing the things they didn’t photograph correctly that perturbs me. I assure you that it’s also the quality of the photos themselves. I’ve been told that a photographer’s goal is to take a picture that doesn’t need to be edited.
I'm going to put my two cents in here on the photos that were taken at Congress...

I was highly disappointed in the quality of photos as well.

The photos taken of my horses, were horrible!! The angles were way off, total disappointment. I wanted to buy pictures of my horses too. This was my first time at Congress and all my horses place Top 10, most Top 5!

The only picture I did buy was of Baylee at center ring because he won the class.

I am so praying that National pictures will be much, MUCH better.
 
[i am so praying that National pictures will be much, MUCH better.

Well it is the same photographer and the pictures have been horrible for the most part. I would suggest to you that you have your camera and someone in the stands to take pictures for you. I know you have a great zoom on your camera from photos you have posted. Otherwise I think you will once again be very disappointed!
 
I for one agree with what Lisa, Mike, Bingo and Sheryl have said...there is just one thing I don't understand, why do we have to pay extra to have a release on a picture of MY OWN HORSE...I feel they are privileged to have the chance to photgraph my horse
default_wub.png
. I have also had photograpers use my horses picture for thier own advertising, why don't they need a release from me, shouldn't I get a free photo or SOMETHING for them to use my horse in thier advertising, they don't have to note who owns the horse like I have to say who took the dumb picture....I also find it interesting that you order a photo and no mention of the fact they have some big ole copyright hoopla and then you get your cherished photo of your precious child in the dark, with a big stamp to make sure you sure as heck don't share this cruddy picture with anyone.....
default_laugh.png
 
I was not to happy last year with my photographs at congress..at all, which is why i did not buy anything. Why should i pay for something i dont feel was worth the money.

I love the photo CD's...we had a show last week and i got a CD with 400+ photos on it from the show AND i had them do a personal photo shoot after our classes which was FREE and included with the cd. I paid $55 for the cd.....now it was just a local photographer and i told him i planned to put some photos on my website, he said okay and ran the credit speach by me...yes yes of course. To bad washburn couldnt put together a CD...that would be neat. Honestly, i rather have my photos on the computer....i never go back and look at printed photos...i glace threw them on my computer and that is it...much easier to just give me a CD.

If you paid for a photo/service...i would imagine you would except the highest quality of service. Period. End of story.
 
I do not feel a clear photo of your horse which is easily identifiable is asking to much. I feel a photo that is not to dark to see anything is not asking to much.I know of several people whose horses win and they do not even pay the 45 bucks or whatever the price is for the photos of some dark horse with some shadowy figure handling it. VERY SAD INDEED!

The issue is not editing -removing a handler or lead the issue is simply put the photos in the first place. So dark you can not tell one dark horse from another unless your handler is wearing something neon to stand out. Angles all wrong for a experienced horse photographer. Time is not the issue either as many halter classes go on for 20-50 minutes.

Photography has been an issue at our Congress and National shows for some time now.

Let another photographer come in and enter the ring as well and then let the buyer choose which they feel is best.
A photographer can not change the lighting that is given off in the area, and by the sounds of it the lighting is very poor. The photographer can use flashes to get better light, if the photographer at the show did not have a flash then she/he was not trying at all. As for getting photos in the ring, we all know how many photos we can take of our horses and only get one "good one" now put other horses lined up all around it, judges to avoid, very poor lighting with an on board flash, and the pressure of getting a shot of every horse standing perfectly with ears up, a very hard task. Are edits done before you get to look at them when you go to order? if not then yes they will be dark, there are things to be done to fix them, however it's hard to say how bad they are since i have not seen them myself. Most of the time i can make dark photos lighter and they look fine, the problem is when they are to dark you loose all the detail and get a while veiling when you try to lighten them.

I doubt another photographer from another company would be aloud in the ring at all. Most event photographers are contracted to photograph the event for years. For example the studio I work for is contacted for day cares and preschools for 3 to 5 years depending on the school.

I know this has been a problem for years because i read about it every year. Once the contract is up i'm sure that AMHR wont sign on with this company again. I would suggest that they find a studio with three photographers, 2 for taking photos of the classes, the more photographers you have in the right the higher chance of getting good photos of each horse. The other for the Center ring shots, this would save time, the camera would already be set up in sync with the flash and the lighting would only change slightly from horse to horse depending on if the horse has a dark or light coat.

If i had a horse that won at congress or worlds or nationals, yes of course i would want a photo of ourselves in the ring, but i would not make a big deal out of it if the photographer did not get one of us. I would not buy a center ring shot even if it was good. I would much rather wait till I got home hired my own photographer (and i'm talking high end equine photographer) to take really good outdoor photos of the horse with his ribbons trophies and myself all dressed up just like at the show. Of course thats only what i would do, may not be your cup of tea.

That being said, I think there is a great number of photographers out there who take on more they can chew. Is there only one photographer at these shows? That is way to much work for one photographer so be expected to get perfect shots of all horses all day, halter would be easy compared to driving! I have never been a show photographer but sometimes i go and take photos, whatever i get i send to the horses owners. I have never shot at an indoors show, but let me tell you, it's very hard to get the right picture of a horse performing in the ring. The horse may be stood up good, neck arched, ears up,....eyes closed!

edited to add

I have also had photograpers use my horses picture for thier own advertising, why don't they need a release from me
Yes they do!. They need your permission before using the photographs for display or any advertising.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think Washburn is so-so... there were a couple photos I bought last year at Congress of a mare I purchased, but they are so dark I can't get my 8X10s to scan.

I guess the lesson learned is to take your winning pony to the Backdrop area for a posed shot of your halter horses ... but that doesn't work much for your Modern Road pony...

I don't think they are great but I don't think they are horrible. I'm usually disappointed that I don't get pictures at all of some of my Nationals horses (even when I didn't win, I was still hoping for some "show pictures to use as advertising") and I have only bought a few over the years.

I would LOVE to have two different photographers at the National venues! The more cameras on the horses, the more likely ONE of them will get your horse and not be left out, and the more likely that someone will get a decent shot when your horse is actually set up right, using its neck, or a nice expression, or a good point in the extended trot...

Andrea
 
A photographer can not change the lighting that is given off in the area, and by the sounds of it the lighting is very poor. The photographer can use flashes to get better light, if the photographer at the show did not have a flash then she/he was not trying at all. however it's hard to say how bad they are since i have not seen them myself.

Exactly the key here is that you have NOT SEEN THEM YOURSELF! So obviously you have no idea the quality of the photos. Those who are posting that you are choosing to argue with have seen them for several years.

I find it amazing that a professional photographer can not get decent lighting in a photo when at every other event including those held at the same facility with different photographers lighting in photos is not a issue at all.

Of course one has to consider that the lighting can not be such a huge issue since the driving pictures are never as dark as the halter pictures. The arena lighting does not change at all for driving and halter so something is not right.

Not to mention that at Congress this year not only was there the flash on her camera but placed around the arena were other flashes that appeared to go off simultaneously with her camera flash.

Of course not every picture will be perfect when it comes to poses that is the name of the game when shooting horses. However when it is rare to see a good one not only of your own horse but anyones it is pretty easy to conclude the issue is with the photographer period.

Perhaps if you had actually seen the photos in question you would have a much better understanding of the depth of the issue instead of assuming we are all just asking for to much to have a picture (that has been edited) where someone other then ourselves can see it is our horse in the dark shadows!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[i am so praying that National pictures will be much, MUCH better.

Well it is the same photographer and the pictures have been horrible for the most part. I would suggest to you that you have your camera and someone in the stands to take pictures for you. I know you have a great zoom on your camera from photos you have posted. Otherwise I think you will once again be very disappointed!
Bingo,

Deep down inside, I don't expect the photos to be any better at Nat'ls. Which is truly sad. I will have my trusty new camera with me there and will be snapping away. I'll have to show Leeana and Dana how to use it too.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top