Info about the horse photo shoot

So that the planned shoot is a complete success for everyone, you will find some preliminary information here that should help you achieve your goal: Nice photos of you and your horse!

PHOTO SHOOTING

A photo session ( individual shoot) usually takes about 1 hour, depending on the search for a motif (suitable location / background, etc.) and depending on how the horse works. In order not to strain the horse too much and to test its ability to concentrate too much, it should not take too long either! Nevertheless, you should have enough time (e.g. for the preparatory work!) And, above all, patience. Good photos are seldom created in 5 minutes and you don't know beforehand how the four-legged model will play along!

For a stable shoot , the duration per horse / person is approx. 25 - 30 minutes. Here you should make a kind of time management of who is on and when so that it does not come to idle. I ONLY come here to take pictures, so you have to take care of your outfit yourself!

No matter whether in clean riding gear or in normal clothes that you feel comfortable in, or in a nice summer dress or the high school graduation dress that can be used again!

WHEN?

A photo session can take place all year round. Every season has its charm and charm!

As much sunshine as possible is always desirable for photos, clouds do not harm, on the contrary, it is rather helpful, as it avoids harsh shadows.

In any case, you should bring flexibility with the appointment, as a successful shoot cannot be carried out in heavy rain and the appointment should then be postponed.

HOW?

Good photos are created not only through professional equipment and experience of the photographer, but also through the right preparatory work in advance of a photo shoot, which the client should be clear about:

1. The basic requirement is a sparkling clean horse model, including clean eyes, nostrils and ears (you can see everything else in the pictures!).

(Especially mold is best put in the washing machine again beforehand, 30 degrees, gentle cycle, do not spin ...). :-)

A little shine spray can give the coat a special shine and let the long hair fall more beautifully (preferably freshly washed beforehand!).

However, if you want to ride your horse without a saddle, you should avoid glossy spray, because that makes the whole thing extremely slippery!

Braided horses are very photogenic, but braids should be done professionally. Horses with really nice long hair also look really great with freshly washed mane! Please do not oil the mouth area or similar, this creates a very unnatural, unsightly shine on photos. Cleaned with conventional wet wipes is sufficient.

2. Not only should the horse be thoroughly cleaned for a photo shoot, but also halters, bridles and other equipment that the horse wears! You can see dirt in the photos and it would be a shame if you were annoyed for a long time afterwards for not having invested an additional 5 minutes.

3. The rider or horse handler should match the color of his (clean!) Clothing to the horse or bring several tops (bright colors, white or very light as well as heavily patterned is less suitable) so that you can choose the right one. Especially when you have a squeaky clean horse after the preparatory work, but you are dirty, sweaty, full of hair, dust, drool, stains etc ... ;-)

4. For the "animation" - that is, an attentive look - an assistant is required to direct the horse's attention in the desired direction of gaze! At a stall shooting there are usually enough participants on site so that you can help each other here.

5.) It is very helpful to bring treats with you, as well as a cloth with which you can wipe away any horse drool from the mouth or nostrils!

The horse / equipment / people should be fully prepared with regard to these points by the agreed date!

WHERE?

The client should ideally look around beforehand for one or more beautiful places or backgrounds for the photos. Together we should do a short site inspection and briefing beforehand.

It is important to ensure that there are not too many fences, piles of silos, housing estates or the like in the background.

Suitable places are guaranteed to be found and sometimes even in places that you hadn't thought of before!

If the shoot is to take place in a field, consent for use must be obtained from the property owner or leaseholder! (Reason: this is private property and must not simply be entered.)

WHAT?

Portraits without a halter are certainly the most beautiful, but not always feasible depending on the environment and the horse. The everyday stable halter does not look advantageous in any picture ... A nice, clean bridle is then more attractive here.

My equipment includes several show halters, which I can provide for the shoot.

A paddock that is not too big or too small is best for moving photos in the pasture. For such photos, one or two helpers are needed to encourage the horse to move a little. In addition, you can of course take advantage of the favorable time, for example when another horse is led to the pasture. However, this is no guarantee for a real urge to move and that in the direction desired by the photographer!

If possible, riding photos should always be taken outside and not in the hall. In an emergency, it is possible to take pictures indoors (possibly with a flash), but photos outdoors always look more beautiful. If photos of the hall are really necessary, I should be informed beforehand.

There are numerous opportunities for riding photos in the field. Great photos can be taken, for example, on stubble fields, in front of blooming rape fields or trees. Approval for the use of pastures and fields for taking photos must be obtained in advance from the property owner or leaseholder!

IMPORTANT!

The safety of the horse and the people involved is ALWAYS the first priority, no matter how great a photo! Should the horse appear very stressed, fearful or even panic or the owner is inappropriately rough or unfair with his animal, I will cancel the shoot! No injured horse or helper can justify some digital data. I would like to emphasize here that a shoot is at your own risk and as a photographer I am not liable for any damage.

REQUIREMENTS

The resulting images are expressly only to be used for private purposes, commercial use is not permitted - other prices apply here. You agree that the photos may be used by the photographer for editorial or advertising purposes. A declaration of consent must be signed for this. The copyright always lies with the photographer.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

After the shoot, the longest work of a shoot begins, namely viewing, sorting and editing pictures. This includes, for example, minor retouching work such as removing flies from the head from a portrait, etc.

You get:

- a download link of the best images to choose from as .jpg (never the RAW data) for private use (additional images can be purchased!).

- the rights of use for private purposes (Facebook, prints of images, sales advertisements, etc.).
This does NOT include further licensing by the customer to third parties. When using the work with the photographer, the customer must mention the name of the photographer in a suitable form.