Getting that shot

After the spring jumping competition, the girls at the local riding school found out that I could take quite nice photos. And apparently there is no limit to how many photos of themselves and their horses they can have, so we agreed to meet in the field on a sunny day to take some photos and have some fun.

Now, as any observant viewer may notice, the girls are riding without helmets and saddles. This was to get better photos, and I had not thought through the risks involved in riding like this.

Fortunately, the horses behaved properly…

Of course, I could say to myself that this was not my problem. In fact, I think I did… However, I also think that as photographers (amateurs and professionals alike) we have a responsibility to not encourage people into taking unneccessary risks just to get better photos, nor allow them to push themselves. And I know that I would never have forgiven myself for taking those photos if one of them had been hurt during the shoot.

On the other hand, I am not sure that I totally understand the real risks involved. Just as with the photos of Sigrid, I have seen a lot of photos taken where the riders are without helmet in far more risky circumstances than the soft field we were using… At least I have learned to review the risks next time so that I (and the subjects) don’t take unconscious risks.

We also found the time for some non-action shots. I noticed that one of the girls had the name of her horse tattooed on her neck, and it made for a striking image together with the horse.