About Your Shoot

Booking a shoot can be quite a daunting process, but here are some resources to help you make the best decisions and give you all the information you should need ahead of the big day!

Ordering Guide

T's and C's

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FAQ's

Ordering

What to Expect

I will arrive at the location of your choice at the agreed time and introduce myself to you and your horses. Prior to the photoshoot, we will discuss any particular shots you want me to capture. Your horse should be clean and pampered before my arrival. The shoot will begin with me having a little look around the location to consider the backgrounds and where best to begin. We will discuss your outfits, and typically the outfit changes and background locations will allow us to divide up the shoot effectively.

I work with all natural lighting - even for the black background images! For those, I require a barn, stable or field shelter that doesn't have a window at the back. I use the darkness created by the space to give the effect of a studio. Black background images can be taken as part of a 2 hour portrait shoot.

Having someone on hand to help out during your shoot is a massive, massive help! It will allow us to add so much more variety to the shoot – they’ll be able to move around behind me, off to the side or even in the distance to get your horse looking different directions. This enables us to be so much more creative with the positioning and posing of your photographs! It also means there’s someone there to hold your horse if needed, it’s a definite “must have” to make the most of your shoot! It’s also lovely having a familiar face on the ground to help make the shoot even more relaxed. Horses can start to switch off to the noises and silly dancing we do to get their ears forward, it can get very complicated for me having to throw things, compose shots and concentrate on giving directions too – so having someone on the ground who can wave buckets, leap about and if necessary, rustle bushes to get your horse looking happy is super valuable!

Please don't panic if on the day your horse/pet decides they don't want to play ball! I have experienced many different situations - some animals love to pose for the camera whilst others will fidget! I want to make each and every shoot enjoyable for everyone I have the pleasure of photographing for. Don't panic if your horse keeps snatching the grass or doesn't like that tree I want him to pose under, relax! After all they are animals and standing around for a while can bore the quietest of horses! If I see this happening I will quickly adapt the current photo set up to give them a little change of scenery. My pockets come packed with polos and treats as well as rustly packets/squeaky toys in order to get their attention and ears forward.

The "Great British Weather" - or not so great at times! We can't predict the weather in advance and a miserable, rainy day will put a damper on your photo session. In the event of horrible weather/flooding or snow, your photoshoot may be cancelled and re-scheduled. Photoshoots will go ahead if it is cloudy! If necessary I will contact you as early as possible to postpone the photographs to another time.

After the shoot, I will begin processing your images. This may take a few days, or a few weeks depending on the season. I will then email you with a link to your gallery along with a guide about how to display your images which includes an order form and information about the products I can offer. We can then discuss what works best for you to show off your favourite images.

KEY POINTS:

Your horse should be groomed and ready for when I arrive
Remember to bring a clean bridle, leather headcollar and a neutral coloured leadrope
Ask a helper to come along on the day of your shoot to help get your horses ears forward - it really makes all the difference!

Styles & Posing

Styles and Posing

Not everyone is naturally comfortable in front of the camera, so don't let the initial scary "posing" title put you off. It's my job to make sure you enjoy this experience and capture beautiful moments between you and your horse. I'm going to totally contradict this section of my website and let you know that most of the shots I capture are totally un-posed! This is because naturally, you'll do certain things around your horse that you won't even realise. When he leans into you for a nuzzle your automatic reaction is to scratch between his eyes or hug him tighter - that's what I love! These photographs are to capture authentic moments between you and your horse.

With that all being said I will guide you to look relaxed in front of the camera. Working with a variety of different owners from the very young to the more mature all with a variety of different worries about how they look in front of the camera, I've developed a range of different poses to make you look and feel great! The idea of being a model for a couple of hours can seem very daunting. I'll have had a good look around the location before we begin your shoot and have a plan in mind about positioning in relation to your horse and guide you through these. Not only does it give you a vast range of variety when viewing your photographs, but they also help tell that story between you and your horse. I'm open to ideas and requests about how you'd like to be positioned in the photographs and during the shoot, I'll ask you for some ideas to help make the shoot your own.

Please have a look through the various blogs I have posted as well as other photographs on the website. If there's a particular image you love, please let me know and I will do my best to recreate it during your shoot!

Location

Most people invite me over to their yard for their shoot. Be that at a livery yard or at their home. Whilst you may not initially think your yard is the most picturesque, you'd be surprised. All yards have paddocks, gateways and lots of other hidden gems that you may not notice because you're there everyday.

However you may wish to travel your horse somewhere for the shoot, we can discuss this at the time of your booking if you would like some inspiration or ideas.

Preparing Your Horse

A few days before your shoot, weather permitting, bathing your horse to get the scurf out of their coat is a great starting point - especially for those of you with grey ponies! Tidying up their mane, tail and feathers helps create a neat and tidy finish. Trimming a few days prior to the shoot, instead of on the day helps allow a little growth and for the hair to find it's own way to lay - helping to create a natural shape. The same applies to clipping your horse during the colder months, to let any clipper lines grow through. The majority of my clients tend to not plait their horse as they're wanting fun, relaxed, less formal pictures of themselves with their friend, however, this is totally down to individual preference.

On the day of your shoot, give your horse a good once over with a brush and remove any noticeable stains where necessary, allowing plenty of time to dry before I arrive. To finish up: a quick wipe over the nose, eyes and around the mouths and a dab of hoof oil!

If you think your horse is going to be a little excited before heading off to your chosen location for a shoot, give them a light lunge, allowing adequate time for any sweat to dry off. Most importantly, try to stick to their normal routine where possible so that they are not unsettled before their shoot. Some turnout before the shoot may help to settle their mind too. A small bucket of feed before I arrive will keep their bellies full so they can focus on you rather than the edible surroundings!

Ensure your tack is clean, including the bit. A bridle or, leather headcollar and neutral/dark coloured lead rope is best. Bring both along to your shoot as we can swap and change your horse's tack as you change your outfit if you wish. I also suggest bringing your saddle along to the shoot, just in case you wish to have some images on board!

Preparing Yourself

And now for the hard part! Where do you begin choosing what to wear?

To ensure variety across your images, I recommend bringing several different outfit choices, along with any accessories you may wish to use to dress up, or down your outfit. You may also need to change part of your outfit if you end up getting dirty or covered in slobber - horses love to be helpful like that!

3 different outfits is an ideal number:

A smart/casual "going out top" that you can accompany with jeans or smart trousers
A casual outfit: a summer dress, shorts, a polo shirt etc
A smart outfit such as an elegant dress, or your show gear

It's important you feel comfortable in what you're wearing, although please remember practical footwear around horses, I don't want any squished toes!

What to Wear

Things To Consider:

What's the weather up to? It's not going to be much fun if you arrive in a polo shirt on the coldest day of the year! A smart jacket accompanied by a scarf or even a knitted headband looks great too!
Too much to choose from? Don't forget you can change your outfit 3 times during a 2 hour shoot!
Short dresses - don't wear anything too short as this may limit the poses we can try!
Wear something you'll still appreciate in years to come. A shoot is an investment that will bring you joy for years to come - think about what you're wearing. Something timeless such as jeans and a lovely top will still look great in the future - perhaps avoiding that loud shirt if you're not sure you'll still like it would be a good idea!
Neutral colours and minimal patterns - try not to distract from the horse too much. Patterns and wacky colours don't always look that well against the horses coat. Instead, find a colour that will compliment your horses colouring.
Safety - shoes! Open toed shoes are not great around horses, reduce the stress on the day worrying about your little toes being crushed and wear something sturdy and practical. Boots are often a popular choice or even pumps.
Accessories - bracelets, earrings, scarves, belts, hair clips and hats can easily be put on, altered, used a props or taken off, helping to add some variety to the images.
White - whilst I can remove stains (as inevitable when being around horses, mud and grass!) from clothing - white tops may not necessarily be a wise choice.
Find something that compliments your skin tone - if you're of a paler completion, it may be best to avoid colours that will wash you out such as pastel colours.
Consider your surroundings - make sure you don't blend in!

Wear something you're comfortable in! I want to make sure you feel GREAT when you see your images.