Three day eventing - cross-country

[YangMills]

I don't shoot much sport other than equestrian. Here are a couple from last year's Badminton event that I have just re-edited, chosen for the riders' expressions:

 

[Hali]

Great images, and those expressions are awesome. I would love the start shooting some equestrian events. Need to find some around me.

 

[YangMills]

Great images, and those expressions are awesome. I would love the start shooting some equestrian events. Need to find some around me.

Thanks for that. I enjoy all sorts of equestrian sport, especially since you can get really close to the action in cross country, racing, polo (well, when the ball’s nearby), and some of the more bizarre kinds of events like horse-boarding, so you don’t need massive reach.

By the way the guy in the second shot missed the next jump, which is in the water at right angles to the water entry, and he already knows he’s going to miss it as he’s come in at the wrong angle. A second later:

 

[Photofarmer]

what focus method?

 

[YangMills]

what focus method?

If I remember right, servo, tracking people, eye enable

 

[Achim_65]

I'm a little jealous because I have to drive a long way for cross country. Unfortunately, only jumping and dressage takes place in our region.

btw: Great pictures!!

 

[YangMills]

We have two five-star three day events in the UK.- Badminton where these were taken and Burghley. Actually Burlghey is much closer and I’ve been there in previous years. But we also have a cross country course that hosts slightly less prestigious eventing as well as lots of point to point and both jumps and flat racing locally. So lots of opportunities for shooting equestrian events.

ETA: corrected spelling of Burghley.

 

[Achim_65]

I've been photographing tournaments for 20 years, but I live in a corner where equestrian sport is a minor matter. So I had about 10 tournaments a year where I didn't have to drive that far. Occasionally I went on to support colleagues or to do press work, but that was the exception rather than the rule.

Unfortunately, we don't have cross country at all. There was a derby once a year, but unfortunately that hasn't happened for two years.