Photographing a running horse?

[Lautermilch]

I did these images and was not happy with the results so the person wants a rematch

Lori at the Ford Ranch

Explore this photo album by Dean Lautermilch on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

The ranch has 200 acres and she wants to do it again on a clear day in an open field. I will set up a location for the flashes next to a tree and she wants to ride by.
Any tips on setting up the flashes? I have three speed lights and have no idea of how much area they cover since I only use them for fill flash on portraits.

 

[TwistedThrottle]

Nice pictures and I like the idea of riding by a flash! I’ve never done anything like this but look forward to seeing what you come up with, hopefully you’ll share your results with us.

What camera/lens, flashes are you using? Are you shooting high speed sync? Do you have an opportunity to test out different setups before the shoot? If I could give any tip, I’d suggest you test it out with a friend before the shoot at about the same time of day to see how the lights spread and how they compete with the sun. I’d imagine you’ll need to have the lights far enough for even illumination but too far and they drop off quickly(inverse square law). If you’re asking too much of your lights, they might not recycle fast enough and will end up with dark frames as they ride by.

Here’s a few questions I have that might help get you in the ballpark for setting up the lights. Are all the flashes going to be setup as one key light or are you going to spread them out? Will you be using any modifiers to make the light source bigger like a big scrim or the side of a white building? Are you going for a dark or light background? Are you shooting on a tripod or handheld? Any creative ideas like panning with low shutter speeds or different hertz on the flash?

Again, hope to see what you capture. Good luck!