Horses are beautiful, photographic creatures. Some of the horse photos I have seen done by professional photographers are simply stunning and are keepsakes forever.
Have you ever considered professional photos with you and your horse?
Horse photography can be perfect for senior pictures, horse competition winnings with ribbons and trophies or simply capturing moments between you and your horse and how much they mean to you.
I recently had my very first equine photo shoot and I Ioved every minute of it. Here are some things I learned and how my experience went so you can prepare for yours!
Equine Photo Shoot Considerations
#1 Decisions Beforehand for an Equine Photo Shoot
Do you have desired photographs in mind? There are edits that can be made where the background is made black for a stunning representation of your horse. You can also get closeups of you and your horse or photos with just the horse or horses only. Researching a photographer’s website is a good idea so you can see what they can offer.
Don’t hesitate to mention a certain type of photo or edit you want! Being open and honest about your ideal photos will land everyone on the same page 🙂
#2 Decide on Outfits
How many outfits you want and let your photographer know because this is a crucial detail. Bring cover ups! Cover those pretty dresses and beautiful outfits with a jacket, hoodie, and wind/sweat pants or anything to help keep clean. Dirt and dust tends to flock to anyone in proximity of horses and their area.
#3 How Many Horses/Pets?
Do you want other pets or animals photographed? Do you have a helper? I had two which proved to be MUCH more difficult than I thought it would be. Luckily, my photographer asked and she said she usually had a helper which proved to be a life saver!
Also decide if you want tack or no tack. You can use just bridles or nice halters OR tack them up completely depending on the result you want. I opted for bridles only because I had two horses and was already stressed 😜
#4 Toys and Trinkets
Do you have anything to help capture your horses attention? Think plastic bags, sparkly pom poms, carrots, hay, anything. my photographer and her helper had downloaded horses whinnying on their phones and it worked! My horses thought there was a field of other horses off in the distance they couldn’t see. Other tricks she mentioned using were remote control cars too.
#5 Groomed to Perfection
Horses should be show quality groomed! Add highlighter if you want, bathe, brush, use finishing spray and clip them up to perfection. Some detail shots can show every aspect of your horses face and features so doll them up accordingly.
#6 Location Location Location
Do you have areas nearby or will you trailer somewhere? I chose to stay close to home already having two horses and a 6 a.m. appointment. We ended up using the neighbors front landscape (no property was damaged) and the empty field next door. She edited them perfectly and the result was very well done.
#7 Beautify YOU
My makeup stayed very well, even with the early morning May heat in Arizona. My hair however, did not. Depending on the temperature and weather I suggest keeping your hair curled up or at least rolled up (if you curl it!) with bobby pins or a net or anything to help it keep its curl a bit longer. I wish I would have teased mine more and kept the curl pinned or something because it went flat fast – even though I thought I had over teased and used hair spray.
Also, don’t forget those nails. There were a lot of shots with my hands placed on my horses face, sides, back, etc and one of my hot pink nails had fallen off. Luckily most of the shots were of the “good” hand but I also regret not taking care of my nails before the shoot too.
Overall, my first equine photo shoot was an incredible experience and I am so happy with all the results. I would definitely do it again and I am disappointed I waited this long to begin with.
Photos such as these are perfect keepsakes for not only you but your family and friends. They can be used on cards and framed and hung in your home to show the truly special horses in your life.
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