Image Processing in Horse Photography
What role does image processing actually play in horse photography?
In my opinion, image editing is rightly a very important and indispensable step in the process. While in landscape photography or in many other areas of photography you can flexibly search for great locations and backgrounds, in the field of horse photography you often have to make some cutbacks for safety reasons. Most shoots take place on a meadow next to the stable, safely fenced in or the horse is secured with a rope and halter. Because safety should always be the top priority. However, this alone means that in almost all shoots with horses there are already a few disturbing objects (fences, halters, stable buildings, etc.) that have to be removed and retouched. Adjusting light and shadow, as well as the colors, also plays a big role, as you are always dependent on natural light. This alone means that you often have to brighten the images afterwards with image editing and adjust the luminosity. In view of these points, incorporating your own personal image style and the photographer's preference into the image editing almost takes a back seat.
Image processing is influenced by...
Equipment und Art zu Fotografieren
Image editing is first of all influenced by your style of photography. Depending on the settings you use to photograph, what equipment you have, and how you pay attention to details and image composition while taking photos, the extent and type of image editing you do will change.
software
There are various programs that you can use for image editing. Depending on which program you use, the way you edit your horse photos will change. The extent of your image editing will also be influenced by this.
image style
Your image style, your preference for color and light and what you want to express and depict with the image is ultimately the last point that significantly influences your image editing in horse photography. Here you decide how your image should look in the end and you focus on what is most important to you personally.
Why do I edit my horse pictures ?
With my image editing, I want to further develop my own style of photography. When I photograph my horse pictures, I focus on very specific things. This can be different for each subject. Sometimes it is just small details, like touches, sometimes the entire environment and the background should also be in focus... but all of my horse pictures have one thing in common: portraying the horse's character as freely and authentically as possible and focusing on the relationship between human and horse.
I use image editing to bring out these values better. This allows me to work out exactly these details and draw the eye directly to the things that are important to me. I would like to tell you a little more about how and why I edit my horse pictures. I also want to express something very specific with my pictures. I want to focus on the emotions and a consistent image style helps me and my customers to perceive and recognize the desired emotions.
Which software and image editing programs do I use?
For editing my horse pictures I only use the paid programs Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
I use Adobe Lightroom primarily to create image selections for my horse pictures, to sort and manage them, and to carry out the initial development and basic optimization of my horse pictures.
During my shoots, I take around 800-1500 horse photos. After the shoot, these are transferred to Adobe Lightroom and sorted there. You can learn exactly how I do this, which settings I have made in Adobe Lightroom and how I organize and manage my image catalog in my video training, or I would be happy to explain it to you in person in a 1:1 personal coaching session.
I then carry out further and detailed retouching in Adobe Photoshop. Here, disturbing elements are removed from the horse image, the focus is made on the lights and shadows using Dodge&Burn to give the horse images more depth, and the fur and skin are cleaned and optimized. However, I always try to proceed as naturally as possible when editing images. Although each image is adapted to my personally developed image style, the images should not be changed too much.
1
color adjustment
2
exposure optimization
3
Adapting to your own image style
fur and skin retouching
4
Entfernung störender Elemente
5
More depth through Dodge&Burn
6
" Through image processing, an image becomes work of art ."
Editing the horse pictures is an important part of my work. They are not just meant to be simple photographs. Each of my horse pictures contains a lot of heart and love that I share with these beautiful animals and photography. I want to create a very specific style of images with my pictures, to convey a feeling that both the horse and the human lived and experienced in that very frozen moment.
Therefore, for me, photography is not "just" a craft, but also a real art form. By editing the horse pictures, the photographer creates his own, personal style, which turns each photo into a work of art.
How do I edit my horse pictures ?
Would you like to know what I pay attention to when editing my horse photos and develop your own image style?
In my video trainings , I show you step by step how you can edit your horse photos efficiently and sustainably so that you end up with a natural and authentic result . I also show you my development and what you can learn from my experiences and insights so that you can soon develop your own feel for horse photography and develop your own style of photography.
Here you can see some before and after developments of my horse pictures. From the RAW file, to the image optimization in Adobe Lightroom, to the final retouching and image editing in Adobe Photoshop. If you would like to learn how I edit my horse pictures, then please contact me without obligation or stop by my shop.
RAW file
to Adobe Lightroom
to Adobe Photoshop
RAW file
RAW file
nach Adobe Lightroom
to Adobe Lightroom
to Adobe Photoshop
to Adobe Photoshop
speed retouching
As an example of how I go about editing images in both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop, I have recorded the retouching of one of my horse photos as a speed retouch. The speed is increased by 1000 times. Unfortunately, editing your horse photo won't be that fast . But you get a little impression of the order in which I proceed and what my image editing looks like.
Speed Retouching Adobe Lightroom
Speed retouching Adobe Photoshop
So you can see that editing my horse photos is not just about removing distracting objects in the background of the horse photo, but about bringing out the motif, with the aim of creating a harmonious and colorful image. When editing the images, I use all possible tools to focus on the emotions in the image. Because the first glance at my photos should not be at the beautiful view in the background or the great color of the horse's coat, but at the connection between human and animal. I achieve this primarily by using targeted light and shadow. Even though the foundations for the result are laid during the shoot and the photography itself, when choosing the poses, the outfit and location... Editing the horse photos also enables me to clarify the focus afterwards using the Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom programs and adjust the color concept of the images so that an all-round successful and harmonious image is created.
Video training and coaching in the field of horse photography
focus on image processing
You will find some video trainings on this very topic in my shop, which are suitable for both advanced and beginners. Depending on the video, I will explain to you step by step how I edit my horse photos. Using several examples, I will show you short image optimizations, but also detailed retouching and image editing, where I will address possible difficulties and more complex work. You will learn about the different tools I use to edit my photos and, of course, some general background knowledge on the subject of image editing with Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Would you like to find out more? Take a look at my shop or send me a non-binding request for 1:1 personal coaching.
My Development
No one is born a master, and I would not call myself a master of image editing. When I started horse photography in 2018, my goal was actually just to combine my love of photography with that of horses. I happily snapped away without really thinking about what I wanted to express or achieve with my horse pictures. It was clear that I wanted to capture the relationship between horses and their people. I also knew which types of horse pictures I liked and which ones didn't really suit my style. By looking through many portfolios of other horse photographers and through a lot of practice, I finally developed my own style. I learned what is really important in horse photography and image editing. What mistakes to avoid and what to pay attention to during the shoot with the horses themselves in order to have fewer difficulties with the subsequent image editing. In addition to my own practice and experimentation, I took part in coaching and video training sessions from other, already very experienced horse photographers. This enabled me to improve my skills even further and took a huge step forward. My development is of course not yet complete, because image processing in particular is constantly evolving. You should therefore always continue your education to stay up to date. And of course your own style and taste also develop. You become more confident in editing horse photos, you have more confidence, try out more and new things. And that is exactly how it should be. Development is never complete... always remain open to new things and, even after years of successful photography, do not close yourself off to learning from others and expanding your knowledge.
You can read more about my development over the years and how you can also continue to develop with your horse pictures HERE .
beginning of my journey in 2018
Mein Stand im Jahr 2024: echte Emotionen
... and still not at the end