Horse photography workshop with Christiane Slawik

Photographing horses has always appealed to me. But unfortunately, the opportunity to do so is quite rare. Therefore, I decided to attend a workshop with Christiane Slawik. She is one of the most famous animal photographers and has specialized in horse pictures. The course took place at Farmersplace near Zurich. Markus Eschbach also teaches bareback riding there.

Christiane teaches her photography courses with her husband Thomas Fantl. At the beginning, all participants were able to express their expectations and everyone was picked up on their prior photographic knowledge. There were tips on proper exposure, lens selection, choice of focal length and shutter speeds. For example, the camera should definitely have a zoom lens from 200 mm.

Then we sat down in the grass at the edge of a pasture and waited while Christiane, her husband and Markus Eschbach brought various horses. Practiced were portraits, horses in motion, horse details and also mounted horses galloping and jumping. Capturing the horse in motion, choosing the right framing, getting the right focus and all that without blurring, as well as with noble expression (ears alert, nice leg position) was not easy for me. It requires a lot of knowledge and anticipation of how the horse will move and a lightning-fast ability to get along with the settings on your own camera. Towards the end of the workshop, all participants were asked to present their best 10 photos. These were then discussed and further tips were given.

For me this workshop was a good starting point into the moving animal photography. Rarely have I become so aware of my photographic weaknesses as I was with a galloping horse thundering towards me. The really beautiful, atmospheric photos are then but more in the private shooting. A workshop that lasts two days can't always wait for the most atmospheric light or the perfect backdrop. Nevertheless, the Farmersplace offers a lot. Beautiful weeping willows, wonderful paddocks and lots of different breeds of horses.

There are very different workshop locations, with very different horse breeds and ambience. If you are interested in more details, you can find them on the homepage of Christiane Slawik: https://slawik.com.