A ‘Remember Me’ Photo Shoot is not always the easiest of shoots to set out on but they are definitely amongst the most rewarding. A ‘Remember Me’ Photo Shoot is typically booked when a Horse or Pony has a terminal illness or injury and is a beautiful way of treasuring their memory. Having said this I cannot recommend more highly that as your horse begins to age a little or as you retire them that you book a Photo Shoot with them at that point. I cannot count the number of people who have come to chat to me at county shows when I’ve had a trade stand who express their regret at not having booked a Photo Shoot while their horse was still alive. I’ll be honest it breaks my heart every time that it happens. These beautiful and treasured animals deserve to be captured in a way that timelessly and elegantly captures their personality and preserves their spirit for you to enjoy forever. Please don’t leave it too late!
A ‘Remember Me’ Photo Shoot can be tailored to exactly how you would like to best remember your horse or pony and can be at any location of your choosing. A typical ‘Remember Me’ Photo Shoot will include some ‘At Liberty’ shots of your horse, typically a headshot against a black background or if they are still able to have a mooch about in a paddock or menage we can capture some action shots as well. It really depends on each particular case. The shoot will usually also include shots of you and your horse and maybe even the whole family!
With the shoot featured here in this blog, Jess messaged me one Autumn morning to see if I could do a ‘Remember Me’ Photo Shoot that evening with her and her first childhood pony Willy as he was being put to sleep the following morning. Obviously, I rearranged my afternoon without hesitation and headed to Arley in Cheshire to meet Jess and Willy. Willy had been struggling for some time with a variety of health problems and had got to a stage where he couldn’t eat properly and was having trouble moving. He had a little plod around throughout the shoot but was quite clearly in some discomfort. It had been decided that the kindest thing for Willy at this stage was to be put to sleep, never an easy decision to come to but as we all know, sometimes the only kind option left.
Jess had a vision of an evening sunset shoot and the weather was thankfully very kind to us that evening. It was an emotional session but as Jess and Willy slowly plodded back down the field as the sun was setting it felt like the perfect end to what had been a lifelong and beautiful partnership.
I hope you enjoy the images of Jess and Willy below and if you would like to have a chat about a Photo Shoot of any sort for yourself and your horse I would love to hear from you.
Ciara x
R.I.P Willy // 21st October 2016
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