2007 Congress Demonstration Series

Jeff Kirkbride Shares his Skills and Talents at the 2007 Congress
by Carly Williams

Jeff Kirkbride, a professional photographer for more than 23 years, presented a lecture at the Congress entitled “Equine Photography.”

Kirkbride has been the official photographer of the All American Quarter Horse Congress since 1999, yet has never spoken at the Congress before. “I’m not a very good public speaker,” Kirkbride joked. The reality, however, is that Kirkbride and his crew of 22 people are so busy that they rarely even get the chance to sit down!

“Our goal here is very simple, really,” Kirkbride explained. “We have to take a picture of every single horse that shows here, get the perfect shot and get that proof up almost immediately.” Although Kirkbride laughs at how silly that goal sounds, he truly tries to attain that goal at every Congress.

Not only does Kirkbride Photography have a backdrop set up for win pictures, there is also a second backdrop in case of long lines, arena shots to be taken for every class, the Super Sale, corporate sponsors, queen candidates and the National Youth Activity Team Tournament.

Once Kirkbride finished explaining exactly what he does during the Congress, he gave some basic information to the lecture attendees on how to take an equine picture. “There are only two options for a standing picture,” Kirkbride said. “There is the three quarter shot, and the profile. Every good picture uses those angles, or a variation of them.”

Kirkbride also recommended that future photographers look through equine magazines. Any good shot in a magazine will follow those two shots (for standing pictures). For action shots, Kirkbride pointed out that it is all a matter of timing. A photographer must look at the horse and count their cadence of movement, similar to the timing of a song. Once the photographer has the cadence in their head, they don’t have to look at the legs, they can check for ears, hand placement and other important features of a good photograph.

Kirkbride also had another tip for future photographers… learn patience! “You have to have the patience of Job to do this job,” he said. It is important to always stay patient and remember that you are a horseman too. “Read the horse and relax the rider. You can tell when the horse is getting upset and needs a moment to calm down. Allow them to do that and remind the rider that everything is all right. Everyone needs to be happy to have a good shot.”

For more information on 2007 Congress Lectures and Demonstrations, please visit www.oqha.com/congress/lectures and www.oqha.com/congress/demos.