I just had to share this experience with all of you I did my first Equine Shoot on the 11th of February 2012.
My friend Jackie asked me a while back if I would take some photo’s her and the horse she is riding and like always I never let an opportunity go to waist and I said yes. I started looking at other Equine photographers sites to get a feel of what Equine Photography is all about. I studied the photo’s and was ready for my first shoot about 2 weeks ago but the wind and weather did not play along and I went home without any photo’s. This was very sad for me.
Jackie and I decided that the weekend of the 10th will be ideal and I did not have any other shoots planned. However when we woke up on the 11th it was cloudy, cold and raining, what a bummer. As always our Mighty Father had something better in mind and gave as an lovely evening to do the shoot. We left Jackie’s home after 17h00 and only returned around 19h30 and most of that time I was taking photo’s and got plenty of exercise.
I started out with head shots of the horses in their paddock. Jackie and her friend Anja then took the horses to the arena where they could run around and I could take some photo’s of them without their riding gear on. The light was perfect and Jackie’s horse just loved the camera. It was so cute every time he came running past he looked at the camera as if he was watching me and just making sure that I take lot’s of photo’s of him and I did. Both Anja and Jackie said this was a first. He’s never this alive. HAHA it must of been my good energy rubbing off on him.
After running around in the arena it was time to saddle them up and go for a ride on the beach. The horse looked so uncomfortable with that piece of metal in their mouth. I must just tell you that I am not very clued up on what everything is called but I promise you I will get to know all the terms in time.
My first experience on a horse when I was small ( okay not that I am that much bigger now ) gave me fear of getting on a horse and it runs off with me. I am short the horse is big and high and I don’t feel comfortable on anything were my two little feet are not firmly placed on the ground and were I can get off whenever I feel like it. Since Jackie asked me to take her photo’s she also told me that she was putting me on her horse and I will love it. Now knowing what is lying ahead for me I decided that I better push this fear aside and focus on the shoot.
While Anja was saddling up her horse I took some photo’s of Jackie and her horse then they headed to the beach. Because I was not on a horse I had to take the car and meet them down at the beach. It was a lovely evening and saw a cloud and just knew I had to make use of it.
The shoot on the beach went great and I got awesome photo’s. The third rider and his horse played in the water but Jackie and Anja was not sure how their horses would react to the water and led them in the pool of water very slowly. The third horse started kicking up water like he was telling the other two snap out of it and play in the water. In the end all three the horses was kicking up water till everyone was nice and wet Jackie and Anja was screaming of laughter. At he end of the beach shoot my legs were numb from running up and down on the beach. But I would do it again and again.
On my back to the farm I was a bit worried about getting on the horse, but when I saw Jackie unsaddle I was relieved…. But the next evening I was not that lucky… I got on the horse and could not get of f fast enough…. Maybe in the next blog I will share a photo with you.
My first Equine shoot was one I would not forget soon and hope to do thousands more in the future.
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