I had the pleasure of meeting Penny at the Warrington Horse Show in 2016. She went on to be the lucky winner of the Prize Draw I run on my stand at Summer Show and won a free ‘At Liberty’ Photo Shoot for herself! (Always worth popping along to my stand to enter the Prize Draw at a Summer show!) Penny was very excited at the prospect of an ‘At Liberty’ Photo Shoot and arranged for me to travel down to photograph one of her horses along with the horses of two of her friends.
I spent a fantastic afternoon with Penny, Alison and Cari and their 5 horses. I am always really interested in alternative training methods and know very little about Western riding and training and so watching Penny working with her Appaloosa ‘Flick’ as part of the shoot was fascinating.
I worked with all 5 horses both out in the menage as well as in the entrance to their stable block to achieve the ‘black background’ images. All of my shoots are always completely tailored to what my client ultimately wants out of their session with my advice and guidance as to what I believe will work best. Typically with an ‘At Liberty’ Photo Shoot I suggest starting out with the shots against a black background. All I need to achieve this look is the entrance way to a stable/barn or indoor arena with the lights turned out behind and ideally no windows or other sources of light behind. Penny had the ideal spot with a side opening into her barn which is used as a wash bay for the most part. Once we had captured some stunning portraits of each of the horses we took them out in the menage for some more natural photos. I would often use a paddock or small field for this part of the shoot but it entirely depends on the set up of the yard, time of the year and the horse’s circumstances and in this instance, the menage worked well for us.
We got a mixture of more static shots as well as some action ones with the horses who were able for them. Due to a combination of injuries, pregnancies and old age we kept it calm and contained on this particular shoot with limited movement respecting both the horses and the owner’s wishes. This is something which I always chat with my clients about in depth before any shoot so we are always on the same page. My client and their horse’s wellbeing is always THE most important thing on any Photo Shoot and so communication is key.
It’s such a privilege to photograph some truly beautiful horses as part of my job and this shoot was a real treat! The horses were stunning and I feel we created a beautiful set of images for each of the horses portraying their individual characters as well as their beauty.
I hope you enjoy the images below from the shoot and if you would like to have a chat about a Photo Shoot of any sort for yourself and/or your horse I would love to hear from you!
Ciara x
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