Why start now?


First of all, WELCOME TO JANUARY 2023! We made it you guys!


I know, it seems a bit early to be planning for a portrait session in 5-8 months but hear me out. I want you to picture this in your mind...


You contact me about an equine portrait session through email or Facebook or wherever. We chat/text/email some ideas back and forth until we have a general vision. We customize a payment plan that you've opted to spread out over seven months. Easy Peasy! Over the next couple of months we casually look at outfit options and accessories. There's no rush here, you've plenty of time to order. We find you some boots or cool sandals that you really love, maybe a beautiful halter full of chrome or rhinestones you've purchased or borrowed from a friend. We also begin to look through all of the locations that you love that fits your vision. In these several, several months you've maybe decided to grow your hair out a bit more or even begin exercising some. You've got plenty of time because you booked in advance, right? Maybe you even hired out for someone to groom your pony or to do your hair and makeup. You've also had plenty of time to hire any sitters if necessary. The day of the session arrives and we're all cool, calm and collected because we've had sooo much time to prepare and the portraits turn out so, so beautifully.


On the flip side, imagine you booked your session and it's in two weeks or less. You'll need to order clothing immediately (unless you're using clothing you already have), clean your boots up, clean saddles up and all the tack you'll be using. There's no time for any custom ordered halters or such for your shoot, it's too short a time period. Maybe you end up borrowing a lot of things from a friend or two, no biggie. We settle on locations that are available or easily accessed. We didn't have much time to plan out your session though so there was no vision to follow. Now, it's the day of the shoot and you're overwhelmed because you're trying to steam out wrinkles in clothes, polish some silver you missed while trying to do your own hair and makeup. You're harried and rushed all morning and end up arriving later than planned to the barn. Your horse senses your stress and doesn't cooperate in being caught or standing still for grooming. Maybe you wanted braids, but you're running out of time, so you skip that. In your rush, you didn't get your horses hoof polish on and missed spots of mud and had to leave stains on legs or tails. In all of the commotion, you forgot that you needed to exercise your horse in advance to get any excess energy out. Now, you're frazzled, your horse is slightly messier than you're happy with, you suddenly feel frumpy in your borrowed clothes and wished you could have ordered that beautiful dress you saw a few days ago online and to top it all off, your sweetie of a horse is being an absolute turd. In the end, you still love your photos because they are of you and your heart horse, but you wish you could have changed a few things, or had time to order something extra special.

Preparation is key

Taylor

Ava

Brittany

Larissa

Book Early


By booking early you have all the advantage. You have your choice of dates, first of all, who doesn't love that. You'll also have the option of taking advantage of my new payment plan option. Choosing to spread out your investments or in one installment give you more power over your session.

Booking early also means time to plan the session to your vision. Whether that's ordering anything custom and having enough time for it to come in or getting dibs on prime locations or maybe even starting that exercise routine you've been planning. Whatever the situation may be, it's still always advantageous to start early.

Planning Outfits


Whether you booked a Black Background Session for just your heart horse or a Stallion session or a portrait session with your best buddy, planning outfits in advance is super important, I think.

I don't know about you, but I tend to like an outfit initially, only to hate it a little bit later. Some days I just feel frumpy, and I just can't handle wearing a tighter shirt or those pants that rub my legs funny. I'm hoping I'm not alone in this.

My solution? Having backups! If I have enough time to find an extra outfit or two even, then I know If I'm having an off day, I can always change it up a bit if needed.

For the horses, I've had so many owners regret not having a nicer halter, headstall, saddlepad, location....you name it. By planning ahead, you can coordinate the saddle pad to your outfit or location. Or you will have plenty of time to borrow a friend's show halter or really clean up the ones you already have. If this sounds overwhelming, no worries, I'm here to help.

Boomer

Keystone

Locations


This is always a really fun aspect of the session. I love to see how different areas effect the overall feel of a portrait.

Some clients already have an area in mind, such as a grandparent's old barn or a lovely spot in the woods or meadow. Some clients like to be a bit more photojournalistic or artsy even and bring their session to a spot in the city with graffiti or a winery. Planning out locations in advance removes a very large portion of stress as it's an integral part of the planning process.

Bones

Fall Meadow


For this stallion session, the owner loved the pop of the fall colors in the background and the contrasty lighting.

Cuddles

Summer Woods


This cowboy was so excited to show off his best pony buddy, while his mom loved being able to dress him up while also creating a forever memory for them to cherish.

Keystone

Riding Barn


This is a Black Background session that was done in their own barn/arena. These are labor intensive but well worth the planning.

Have a Vision


I know, this is probably the hardest part in planning. Or maybe for you it's something you've been dreaming about and already have a vision in your mind. Either way, having an idea of how you see yourself with your horse is key. When you envision showing off your gorgeous portraits, do you see them set in the woods, in front of a barn, by or in water, with a black background, on the fairgrounds or maybe out on the trail somewhere? Are you dressed trendy or more traditional? Is your horse fully tacked up, just in a halter or halterless? What does the season look like? Is there anything around you or in the background? Are you with one particular horse or maybe you have two that stole your heart. Are you posing alone, or did you bring your fiance, husband or best friend with you? Is your horse fully groomed to the nines or does he look more natural? These are a few things to consider and it's easiest to do when you close your eyes and try to picture how it all might look, what it might feel like.

While having a vision is key, be sure you're not stuck on one single vision or outcome though. Horses are living, breathing animals and sometimes our best plans can fall apart. So, while having a vision, also be sure to go with the flow. You never know where it might take you.