Article and photos by Shawn Hamilton, Clix Photography

Have you ever looked through your photos after shooting your friend barrel racing, show jumping, or galloping across a field — only to find they’re all blurry? Or perhaps you’ve wondered why professional horse show photographers at ringside use those large, heavy lenses. Capturing a crisp photo of a horse in motion requires several factors to work together, and understanding those fundamentals can make all the difference.

My article Fundamentals of Equine Photography: Portrait and Conformation covered the basics of preparing your subject, lighting, aperture, and depth of field for portrait and conformation shots. In this segment, we’ll build on that foundation to explore how these same principles apply to action — how to capture that perfect moment of a horse suspended in midair, cutting sharply around a barrel, or galloping full stride through the open field.

SHUTTER SPEED

The shutter speed determines how long your camera’s “window” is open to let light reach the sensor or film. Think of the aperture as a window with curtains: when the curtains open, light floods in. The length of time those curtains stay open is controlled by the shutter speed.

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Now imagine there’s a horse running through a field outside that window. If you open the curtains for several seconds, you’ll see the horse move across the field. If you only open them for a split second, you’ll freeze a single moment in time — perhaps mid-stride or mid-jump. The same is true for your camera: it only records what happens during the time the shutter is open.

Above: A shutter speed of 1/1000 was necessary to stop these fast riders and horses in the Indian Relay Races at the Sheridan Rodeo in Wyoming. An aperture of f/6.3 allowed for a deeper depth of field to keep many of the racers in focus. An ISO of 500 was necessary even in the bright light of the day due to the small window or aperture necessary to increase the depth of field and keep a fast shutter speed.

Above: A shutter speed of 1/800 stopped this cute colt in full gallop. An aperture of f/4.5 kept some flowers on the same plane as the foal in focus, blurring out the ones in the foreground and background.

Shutter speed is measured in seconds or fractions of a second. For example, 1” means one full second, while 1/250” means one two-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second — fairly quick, but not fast enough to stop a running horse. To freeze equine motion, start around 1/500” or one five-hundredth of a second or faster, adjusting for the horse’s speed. The faster the shutter, the sharper your image will be.

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Many cameras offer a “sport mode” that automatically increases the shutter speed for motion. Some smartphones also include a Pro Mode or allow manual control through third-party apps.

It sounds simple: just increase the shutter speed to freeze action. However, the faster the shutter, the less time light has to reach the sensor — so you need enough light in your environment to compensate.

Above: A shutter speed of 1/500 was enough to stop Gustavo on Aguijón (Sting) cantering in the water at Rancho las Margaritas in Mexico.

Above: To capture a horse in motion over a fence, a high shutter speed is necessary. This image of Tiffany Foster and Verdi III at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games was shot at a shutter speed of 1/1250 at an aperture of f/5.6, a less shallow depth of field allowing for both sides of the fence, as well as the horse and rider, to be in focus but still blurring out the spectators.

APERTURE

The aperture controls how wide that “window” opens when the shutter lifts. It’s measured in f-stops — for example, f/4 means the aperture is one-quarter the focal length of the lens; on a 100mm lens, that’s a 25mm-wide opening.

Above: This shot of Selena O’Hanlon and Columbo at Rolex in 2009 stopped them in motion at a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second using an aperture of f/8.0, increasing or widening the depth of field so that the entire log fence would be in focus. A 2.8 aperture would have allowed more light in but would have blurred out the front and back of the log.

Above: When shooting a rider from straight on, a smaller aperture increases the depth of field keeping both the horse and rider in focus. This image from Rancho las Margaritas in Mexico was shot at an aperture of f/5.6.

A wide aperture (low f-number, such as f/1.4, f/2.8, or f/3.5) allows in more light, which supports faster shutter speeds. That’s why it’s much easier to photograph fast action outdoors on a sunny day than in a dim indoor arena. Even with the aperture fully open, your image is only as bright as the available light — unless you add flash.

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Above: This is the size of the aperture or window that allows light through on a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open. Aperture is a fraction of the focal length, so on this 50mm lens at its widest opening at 1.4, the opening is 50 divided by 1.4, which is 35.7 mm.

Above: This is the size of the aperture or window that allows light through on a 50mm lens at f/2; 50 divided by 2 is 25mm.

Above: This is the size of the aperture or window that allows light through on a 50mm lens at f/5.6; 50 divided by 5.6 is 8.93 mm.

Above: This Canon 100mm to 400mm lens has a maximum aperture opening of 4.5 at a focal length of 100mm, and a maximum aperture opening of 5.6 at 400mm.

Above: An aperture of f/6.3 was used here to increase the depth of field and keep all the horses in focus as they ran across the field at Bonnie View Farms.

Above: At f/8.0 the depth of field is somewhat deep, allowing for more of the surroundings to be in focus.

LENSES

Your lens dictates how wide the aperture can open. A 50mm f/1.4 lens, for instance, opens to about 35.7mm — wide enough to let in lots of light. By contrast, lenses limited to f/3.5 or f/5.6 restrict that light.

One of my favourite lenses was this Nikon 300mm f/2.8. This is one of those lenses you will see at sport events ringside — big and bulky, but oh so much fun!

Many zoom lenses also vary their maximum aperture: they may allow a wider aperture at the shorter focal length but close down the aperture at the longest. This is why professional photographers often use those large, heavy lenses at horse shows — they’re designed for action and offer large apertures at long focal lengths, allowing for faster shutter speeds at longer distances.

If you’re just starting out, a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens is a versatile and reliable choice for action photography. It maintains a wide f/2.8 aperture opening all the way from 70mm to 200mm, allowing more leniency for faster shutter speeds at distances. 

DEPTH OF FIELD

Depth of field (DOF) is the zone of sharpness in your photo, or how much of the image, front to back, appears in focus. Aperture directly affects this: the wider the opening, the shallower the depth of field — meaning what is focused on will be sharp but what is in front or behind it will be somewhat soft or blurred.

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Sports photographers often use shallow DOF to keep attention on the horse and rider, blurring out distracting backgrounds. However, when shooting straight on, a very shallow depth of field can be tricky. Focus on the horse’s nose at f/2.8 and you might find the rider slightly out of focus.

To keep both horse and rider sharp, narrow the aperture (use a higher f-number) to increase the depth of field. But remember, doing so reduces the light entering the lens, which limits your ability to use fast shutter speeds. That’s where ISO comes in.

ISO

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is the standard measurement of light sensitivity to film or to the sensor. Increasing ISO makes the sensor more responsive, allowing for faster shutter speeds even in dim light. However, it also records less information, which can result in graininess or “noise” and make the image less sharp. Modern cameras and editing software can reduce this effect, but it’s still best to use the lowest ISO possible for your lighting conditions. Many cameras can automatically adjust ISO; this is convenient, but be aware that higher settings will affect image quality.

Above: The equestrian events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong were primarily scheduled for the evening when it was cooler. An ISO of 1600 was necessary here in order to stop Eric Lamaze and Hickstead in motion at a shutter speed 1/500. An aperture of f/4.0 allowed both horse and rider to be in focus, but the back rails of the jump are soft.

Above: A bright sunny day at Grandview Horse Trials allows for a high shutter speed of 1/1000 at a low ISO of 100.

Above: In the indoor arena at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games, an ISO of 3200 was necessary to get the shutter speed of 1/800 to stop Belgium reiner Cira Baeck and her horse Colonels Shining Gun in motion. 

Above: With an ISO of 4000 a shutter speed of 1/400 was obtained to stop The Wranglers Drill Team in action at Road to the Horse 2025. With an aperture of f/5.6, most of the flags are in focus.

Above: In order to capture Lorenzo with this poor lighting at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games, an ISO of 10,000 was necessary to get a shutter speed of 1/400 at f/2.8. One can see that this resulted in noise or graininess of the image.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY TRIANGLE

The Photography Triangle is the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO — three settings that constantly affect one another. Adjusting one means compensating with another. There’s no special formula; it’s about deciding what matters most for your shot.

Do you want to freeze motion? Prioritize fast shutter speed.

Need more light? Open the aperture or raise the ISO.

Want sharp focus throughout? Close down the aperture but be ready to adjust the other two.

Mastering this balance takes practice, but once you understand how these three elements interact, you’ll have the creative control to handle any lighting or action scenario.

RULES TO REMEMBER

A fast shutter speed (1/500 or faster) stops motion.

A wide aperture (low f-number) lets in more light, allowing faster shutter speeds but reducing depth of field.

A higher ISO can compensate for low light but may introduce grain or noise.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope this article helps shed light on the finer points of equine action photography. The next time you’re ringside or in the pasture, experiment with different combinations of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Understanding the photography triangle — and how each setting affects the others — will help you capture those magical split-second moments that showcase the power, grace, and speed of the horse.

Grab your camera, head to the arena or open field, and give high-speed photography a try. You might be surprised by what you can capture when everything clicks.

If you have questions about equine photography, you’re welcome to contact me: 

Shawn Hamilton

• Cllix Photography
• clixphoto7@gmail.com
• 905-925-5634
• Facebook - Shawn Hamilton
• Instagram - Shawn Hamilton

Our next article, coming early 2026, will explain more about focus modes, composition, framing, and scenics with horses. Sign Up for The Hoofbeat E-Newsletter - Unique Stories, Fun Contests, Special Offers to be notified when this article is published.

Related: Fundamentals of Equine Photography: Portrait and Conformation 

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