Back to Basics
Taking Memorable Photos of Your Horse
By MaryAnn Myers
It’s all about perspective, an in-
ventive eye, and affection. You arrive
at the barn; you meticulously groom
your horse. You spray him to make
him look even shinier. You put his
fancy halter on him, the one with
his name engraved on it. You take
him outside and you’re oh so proud.
You’re ready to start clicking away.
Then the trouble begins.
He won’t stand still. He doesn’t
like the feel of the leather halter;
after all he doesn’t wear it that often.
He wants to graze. A fly is bothering
him. He hears a noise. He wants to
go back inside the barn. You start
snapping photos anyway, thinking
something’s better than nothing.
You position his feet repeatedly and
he keeps moving them. He shakes
his mane every-which-way and
you have to comb it again. He turns
his head to look at something and
you miss the opportunity to take a
gorgeous photo because you are still
straightening his mane. He pushes
you away. That would have been a
good shot.
You can always call in a profes-
sional and if professional photos are
what you want or need, that’s what
you should do. If not, here are some
tips for taking great photographs.
Don’t expect your horse to pose. A
beautiful photo is usually a candid
shot. If your horse is short in stat-
ure, bend down and take the photo
from the perspective of down below,
angled up. Don’t take photos look-
ing head-on into your horse’s face.
Unless you’re documenting face
markings or something of the like,
8 • Walking On
this photo, as the saying goes, “will
not be pretty!” Your horse’s face will
look huge and the term jug head will
come to mind. Have a prop on hand,
one that won’t spook your horse
but simply interest him or her. Take
photo after photo after photo. Even
in a perfect world, on an average,
only one out of twenty photographs
might be one that you will want to
frame.
Take the horse to the pasture and
remove her halter. If she turns to run
away, start snapping that camera. If
she runs and runs, take some more.
If she comes barreling up to the
fence, nostrils wide and snorting,
veins pumped, have that camera
humming. When she runs out of
energy and starts grazing, get down
on the ground (safely) nearby, and
document her every move. Zoom in,
zoom out. When you’ve had your fill
of those shots, stand far back and get
her attention. Give her a command
and see what she will do. The horse
will most often pleasantly surprise
you. One of the best photo