Performances overall and questions

Hi everyone!

I have really wanted to enter some performance photos into shows but, looking at everyone else's, it kinda gets me down. (How perfect they are) and i feel discouraged so i put it off.

So, ive come to this. Im going to try anyway, enter my own photos (however good they are. I can try my best :)) and see how i go. I easily forget that omhps isn't that competitive and it's about having a go.

I dont mind if i dont place, but it'll help me learn, so..

I have a few questions:

In a say, jumping performance scene, does the background have to be realistic or can it be a plain white/halter style background?

I dont really know the limitations or info about performances so if you have anything you'd like to say about it please tell me!

Thankyou!

HeidiSB

I honestly know little to nothing about performance showing, but I can tell you that I've seen both types of backgrounds.

I definitely know that feeling. I also don't have room to create realistic backdrops for traditional models (I have no idea where I could store such a thing without my cat destroying it). So I'd be interested in the answer. :)

Totally agree with you jeslynnighthawk. I've been there one too many times

My own performance showing experience is limited, and much of it is of the Anything Goes variety, lol. So is my space and skill, so I'll share the advice I've given to myself (especially after *judging* some fairly amazing performance classes =8-0): start simple, and by that I mean simple classes. For example, Jumper entails the more complex jumps, more tack options, more setup options. Try Hunter instead. The jumps are natural, the tack is more basic, and you're less likely to be up against a full blown Grand Prix Stadium scene. ;-) Same thing with Western disciplines. Don't frustrate yourself trying a roping scene, start with Western Pleasure or even Reining - your model can be backing, turning, or even standing for a moment *before* being backed. ;-) Study the requirements and think about what a horse will be asked to do.

Backdrops: not as hard as one might think, again depending on the class. You're not likely to do well with a cross country entry with a plain white background. But you can do a simple English Pleasure entry in an indoor area, and an off-white/grey/or tan posterboard behind the model can be the arena wall. ;-) Brown felt or even a neutral color towel can be arena footing.

Always check tack for correctness for the class, and adjustment/fit. Dolls are often optional, *except* for equitation classes; read the show rules carefully. Have fun, let your imagination grab your creativity and take it out to play, and don't get discouraged!.:-)

I ventured into performance fairly recently, and my best advice is to each time do what you can with whatever you've got handy at the moment - just jump in and have a go, then keep improving each setup or scene as you come by better ideas, props, skills and opportunities.

Study your target disciplines on video to discover moments your model can portray well. (If your chosen moment is an odd one within that discipline, making a reference card for your entry as "proof" should help it.) Read the real-world rules of the sport to confirm legal tack. Clever use of perspective and depth of field can mask lackings in tack and posing. A lot of tack and props one can make or at least mock up oneself from everyday materials - I've had decent success with "single use" paper tack & props, fleamarketed toy tack with modifications, homemade tack from recycled leather & wire, twigs and branches tied into obstacles, soup cans for barrels, even horse-drawn vehicles scratch-built from fruit box wood, old toy car wheels and white glue. Serviceable tack needs not be dear (but may cost you in frustration and ideation during its creation... :P )

If you can take your models outdoors, you can happen across good "backdrops" and footing without the acquisition & storage needs. I've taken nearly all of mine this way, even if due to my locale I can only photograph out for most equestrian disciplines during a few summer months each year, weather & schedules permitting. (I pack tacked-up models along for work & holiday trips whenever I can to save on gas, on the off chance there'll be a photo opportunity. Also biking trips and walks can yield cool spots to use nearby, especially for small-scale setups. I've gotten fine pictures in early mornings on empty beachball courts, golf course outskirts, parking lots, roadsides and garden center driveways. Even a simple miniature fence helps break up the scale difference for outdoor photos.)

I hope you'll give it a go - and most importantly, have fun & keep trying!

Koni brings up an important point: with photo showing in performance, you won't have a judge examining your model from all angles, so you only have to worry about what IS visible. Don't lose your mind with tiny buckles: adjust things on the show side (or use fake buckles that don't have to be adjusted), and tape the straps on the other side (I use painters tape; it's gentle and easily removed).

We did a thread in a photo club I show with: "The Ugly Side". Members posted what the other side of their performance entries looked like. It was very educational - and absolutely HILARIOUS. ;-D