An interview with Oklahoman Photographer: Linda Earley

Behind the Scenes with Linda Early

     Linda Early is an excellent photographer that does live shots at Remington Park from time to time. We decided to get a closer look at what she does and share her story with you all, so we had to go Behind the Scene......

Q1: What sparked your passion for equine and other animal photo's and at what age did you discover this love?


A:   I've owned horses for 40+ years and always wanted to get good photos of them. In 1984 I finally bought my first 35mm camera and I was hooked. I've been taking photos ever since.

Q2: Of all the pictures you’ve taken, can you think of a fav or a specific picture that meant the most for you to take?

A:   One of my favorite photos is actually not of a horse or dog but of musician Stevie Ray Vaughn. I was living in Austin, TX in the late 80's freelancing for a couple of music papers and I went and saw him play at the Opry House. I was front row center and was able to capture his passion for playing guitar on film. It was an amazing night. He passed away a few years later.

Q3: In your opinion what makes a good picture, what makes your say "I'm keeping/deleting this one"?

A:   In horse or dog sports you want to capture the peak of action so that is one of the first things I look at. I also look at the focus, composition, exposure, etc. Many times I have had photos that I wasn't crazy about but the owners loved it because it captured their horses or dogs personality.

Q4: Of all the events that you take photo's for at Remington Park, which is your fav event to capture?

A:    It is always fun to take pics at the camel and ostrich races but I also love shooting the big Quarter Horse stake races/futurities.

Q5: If you could go to any one live event and capture it all through your camera what event would you choose, why?

A:   The Olympics! I love shooting sports and that is the ultimate event for any sports photographer. I would also like to shoot the Kentucky Derby especially all the "backstage" shots in the weeks leading up to the event.

Q6: What is the best Equine picture your ever laid eyes on?

A:    I see so many great photos on the internet that I would love to hang on my wall that picking one would be impossible.

Q7: How often do you take pictures for events, how often for fun and how often for just pure practice to work on your craft?

A:    If I am not out messing with my horses on the weekend then I try and find some event to go shoot. Sometimes I am freelancing and sometimes it is just for practice. I am a member of the PSA(Photographic Society of America) and they have various photo competitions all over the world that I enter so I am always trying to come up with good competition photos.

Q8: What type of camera(s) do you use, and what would you recommend for a beginner who may be reading this?

A:    I shoot with the Canon 7D and have a Canon 50D as a backup. For shooting out at Remington or any sporting event I would recommend getting an SLR camera(interchangeable lenses). Point and shoots are fine for still shots but are just not fast enough to capture the action of a fast moving horse or sports.

Q9: If you could work alongside any one photographer who would it be?

A:   There are so many equine photographers that I would love to hang out and learn from. Gabrielle Boiselle from Germany, Bob Langrish, David Stoecklein, Barbara Livingston, Robert Vavra, Alexia Khruscheva and so many more. Hard to pick just one.

Q10: Is there a place where people can view the bulk of your work?

A:     My website is under construction but you can see some of my photos on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/17712565@N00/