Equine Portrait Prep Guide
Welcome to your complimentary prep guide for your Equine Portrait Session! The personal tips and tricks below are ones I have learned over many years of photographing horses, and following this guide will ensure your photoshoot will be an enjoyable success, resulting in stunning artwork created from your own horse’s beauty.
The Set up
Equine Portrait Sessions are photographed in the comfort of your barn, only requiring a completely shaded barn aisle way or arena doorway wide enough for your horse to stand comfortably in. Please ensure the aisle ways are clean and free of debris or clutter and any overhead lights can be turned off during your session. If we are working in an arena doorway, please have the area leveled and free of manure.
A quiet area is preferred, as it will be easiest to direct the horse’s attention into the poses desired if they aren’t distracted.
Assistant or second hand
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to have a second hand or assistant available! It is a HUGE help to have a horse knowledgeable friend, family member or your trainer available to assist in posing your horse or directing your horse’s ears and attention. This allows me to continually photograph and capture the ideal images that I will not be able to capture if I am the one assisting.
Exercise & Patience
If your horse tends to run HOT ... lunge or ride them an hour prior to your session. Allow enough time for your horse to cool down and have any sweat marks removed before your session.
If they are typically ANTSY on the ground ... during the weeks that lead up to your session brush up on ground manners and being able to stand quietly in the doorways.
If they are bomb proof and RELAXED ... avoid exercising them and know what motivates them to show expression and personality.
Treats
Know what your horse loves a head of time, and have additional treats available for your session.
Treats are used as motivation to help direct the horse’s movement as well as rewards for being patient and cooperative while photographing. Your horse is more likely to enjoy this adventure if we provide well deserved snacks along the way!
*If you choose to use apples or carrots, please have them pre-cut into small pieces to prevent your horse from producing an abundance of spit and slime.
A clean horse & tack
Equine Portraits are HIGHLY DETAILED. Any dirt on your horse or tack will show in these images. The better your horse looks, the better the images will be!
BATHE (and DRY) your horse prior to your session. A dirty, dusty, or wet coat will show in the images and can not be recovered in post production. Please ensure your horse has time to fully dry before the shoot begins, as wet coats will show in your photos.
TRIM up the long whiskers or ear fuzz, clip bridal paths, spray down any crinkled tails from being bagged, and apply hoof polish after hooves have been picked and bell boots removed.
TOUCH UP your horse’s eyes, dust or dirt out of their nose with a spare rag, and keep a rag handy to use for slobber from treats enjoyed during the session.
CLIPPING - If you plan to have your horse clipped for their photoshoot, please clip 7+ days in advance. This allows your horse’s hair to grow in slightly and the clipper lines to disappear. If you clip your horse the day prior, or day of your photoshoot, do know that your horse will have clipper lines in all of their photos. Retouching of these lines will be an additional fee.
Tack choices
CLEAN & OIL TACK prior to your session (this includes saddle pads, bits, polo wraps, and bell boots.). Leather bridles or halters are required for portraits. If you do not own a show or leather halter, we will use a clean bridle instead. Please have on hand a clean lead rope without a chain. Chains will distract and clutter a photograph and will not be removed in post production.
A BRIDLE is going to elevate your horse to look and feel more formal and dressy - think black tie! A with a simple metal snaffle is best -- but figure 8's and other jumper, dressage, and western bits are welcome. Please ensure your reins can easily be removed, as most bridles are photographed without the reins, supplemented with a lead rope that is removed in post production.
A HALTER is going to provide a more casual look and feel to the images. Show halters are preferred, but a clean leather halter is acceptable.
The “NAKED” look, is the most popular choice! Without tack, this accents your horse’s authentic beauty without the additional lines, buckles, bits, or bling. This look is achieved using my “Naked Halter,” available to every client!
Please Keep in mind…
If you don’t want it to show in the photos, let’s prepare to have it taken care of PRIOR to your photoshoot!
Treats
Know what your horse loves a head of time, and have additional treats available for your session.
Treats are used as motivation to help direct the horse’s movement as well as rewards for being patient and cooperative while photographing. Your horse is more likely to enjoy this adventure if we provide well deserved snacks along the way!
*If you choose to use apples or carrots, please have them pre-cut into small pieces to prevent your horse from producing an abundance of spit and slime.
A clean horse & tack
Equine Portraits are HIGHLY DETAILED. Any dirt on your horse or tack will show in these images. The better your horse looks, the better the images will be!
BATHE (and DRY) your horse prior to your session. A dirty, dusty, or wet coat will show in the images and can not be recovered in post production. Please ensure your horse has time to fully dry before the shoot begins, as wet coats will show in your photos.
TRIM up the long whiskers or ear fuzz, clip bridal paths, spray down any crinkled tails from being bagged, and apply hoof polish after hooves have been picked and bell boots removed.
TOUCH UP your horse’s eyes, dust or dirt out of their nose with a spare rag, and keep a rag handy to use for slobber from treats enjoyed during the session.
CLIPPING - If you plan to have your horse clipped for their photoshoot, please clip 7+ days in advance. This allows your horse’s hair to grow in slightly and the clipper lines to disappear. If you clip your horse the day prior, or day of your photoshoot, do know that your horse will have clipper lines in all of their photos. Retouching of these lines will be an additional fee.
Tack choices
CLEAN & OIL TACK prior to your session (this includes saddle pads, bits, polo wraps, and bell boots.). Leather bridles or halters are required for portraits. If you do not own a show or leather halter, we will use a clean bridle instead. Please have on hand a clean lead rope without a chain. Chains will distract and clutter a photograph and will not be removed in post production.
A BRIDLE is going to elevate your horse to look and feel more formal and dressy - think black tie! A with a simple metal snaffle is best -- but figure 8's and other jumper, dressage, and western bits are welcome. Please ensure your reins can easily be removed, as most bridles are photographed without the reins, supplemented with a lead rope that is removed in post production.
A HALTER is going to provide a more casual look and feel to the images. Show halters are preferred, but a clean leather halter is acceptable.
The “NAKED” look, is the most popular choice! Without tack, this accents your horse’s authentic beauty without the additional lines, buckles, bits, or bling. This look is achieved using my “Naked Halter,” available to every client!
Please Keep in mind…
If you don’t want it to show in the photos, let’s prepare to have it taken care of PRIOR to your photoshoot!
Pre Session Prep Guide
-Make sure your horse is groomed and ready to go at least 10 minutes prior to your scheduled session start time. Do your best to ensure your prep process is as calm and stress free for your horse as possible to ensure they are relaxed and not anxious for their session.
-If you bathe your horse, do so early enough that you are certain they will be completely dry for their session. If you have access to a stall I recommend bathing the day before to make sure you don't have any problems getting them dry. If they are damp at all, you will be able to see in pictures so this is very important.
-I recommend using a shine spray on their bodies such as Show Sheen. This will help them have that shiny look for their pictures. Also, a tiny dab of Baby Oil or Vaseline on their noses and in their ears can help get rid of any dusty looking areas especially for dark horses. Oh and don’t forget the fly spray to keep the bugs away!
-Their feet will be in some pictures, use a hoof polish if you have access to one that dries and the dirt will not stick such as SuperShine Clear Polish.
-Make sure your horse’s white socks and markings are free to stains. I recommend using baby powder or Shapely’s White Spray.
-If you have multiple horses that are being photographed please ensure they they are all ready to go, and easily accessible prior to the designated session start time.
-Last but not least, if you have had your horse in the cross ties for hours on end getting them ready for their photos, make sure to give them a break in their stall prior to my arrival to allow them to rest and pee if needed. I find that horses that stand in the cross ties for long periods of time before photos tend to be antsy during their portraits.
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Assistant or second hand
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to have a second hand or assistant available! It is a HUGE help to have a horse knowledgeable friend, family member or your trainer available to assist in posing your horse or directing your horse’s ears and attention. This allows me to continually photograph and capture the ideal images that I will not be able to capture if I am the one assisting.
Exercise & Patience
If your horse tends to run HOT ... lunge or ride them an hour prior to your session. Allow enough time for your horse to cool down and have any sweat marks removed before your session.
If they are typically ANTSY on the ground ... during the weeks that lead up to your session brush up on ground manners and being able to stand quietly in the doorways.
If they are bomb proof and RELAXED ... avoid exercising them and know what motivates them to show expression and personality.
This is a paragraph. Double-click or click edit and enter your own text.