Mike and I were both on the road last week at the Arabian/Half Arabian Region 13 Championship show in Springfield OH. Friday it poured buckets of rain all day, but (lucky for me) I can still feature some amazing photos in my blog post. Certainly not through any skill of my own, but rather because Jeff Janson is the official show photographer for Region 13! At this particular show that means pictures by not only Jeff, but Mary Janson and Mike as well.
One of the really fun aspects about working the booth for Jeff Janson Photography is that the Booth Gal (i.e. She-Who Runs the Sale Booth) is the person that hears all the comments! The "oohs and aahs" and (I kid you not) the occasional gasp when people get their first look at their proofs! OMG is frequently heard as well.
Saturday afternoon was a perfect example. Several groups of people commented on the fact that, in addition to fantastic win photos, there are really unique art shots as well.
Jeff really enjoys creating lighting designs for each arena, and each ring presents challenges. As a rule, Jeff provides 2 to 3 photographers for the main ring of a Regional or National Championship show.
Each photographer has their own angles and "shoot" zone and each of those has specific lighting to create the different effects that you see in a Jeff Janson photo.
This creative take on horse show photography is a nod to the "other Jeff Janson Photography". Many people reading my blog posts are familiar with Jeff's photos from the many horse shows and farm shoots that he's done. What many people don't know is that he also does high end commercial photography! It is his experience in designing lighting for jewelry, designer fashion and fine art, combined with a lifetime of horse experience, that distinguishes Jeff Janson Equine photos from the others.
The photos such as the ones shown above are produced by very careful placement of strobe flashes. Jeff's lights illuminate specific spots in the arena (directional lighting), not the entire arena.
First task, make sure all the strobes will fire! The wireless transmitters eat up batteries and they are turned off at night. Each morning, it's important to make a quick test of all of them to make sure they're all ready to fire! (Helpful tip: Pack lots of extra AA batteries!). For the light to hit the right spot they've got to be up high. In coliseum settings that's easier than in this arena. Setting lights here required special clamps, extension cords and lots of duct tape. And a tall ladder! Thanks to Dalton Budd for letting us use this one! Once Mike turns on the transmitters and the strobe heads, it's time to test fire them! The best way to do this is as shown above. In the photo above, Mike's looking towards the spot in the arena that this strobe lights up. In the photo below, I managed to get a shot of the strobe as it fired, and you can get a general idea of how the light sculpts an incredibly beautiful shot of this Half Arab English Pleasure horse.
When you click on this link, www.jeffjanson.com, you can not only check out recent and archived show proofs, but his commercial and fashion photography as well! And be sure to like Jeff Janson Photography on Facebook too!