A Girl and Her Horse

What do you do when you have a beautiful assistant who just happens to own horses and fits into your wedding dress? Pick a day, hope it turns out to be nice and then run around with the camera, of course. I would really like you all to think that I just went out and shot a bride with her horse and everything just fell into place simply because I'm just that talented. That would be really stretching the truth. Years ago, as part of a school assignment, I took some pictures of Madison and her horse, Vantage. I quickly learned that it is hard to include a horse in a portrait. Like, way, way harder than I ever imagined. They are gigantic and awkward and rarely do what you want them to. But I did get a couple of good shots and I learned a lot. I decided to give it another go a few months ago. A fun side project I am working on is a personalized portfolio that consists of what I want and need to be able to show clients. I get to make all the decisions from what the shoot consists of to what the model wears to how the photos are edited. It's been really fun! This time I came armed with better (and wider) lenses, and much more experience. It turns out that having a lot of experience from shooting weddings still doesn't prepare you to take pictures of a horse. (who knew?) He was just as big, hungry, and grouchy as the last time I shot him. While he still doesn't speak my language, we had a fabulous time and I am thrilled with the results. Special thanks to Aryn Wilson for hair and makeup, our incredibly patient horse wrangler, Walter, and to Madison, for letting me dress her up and forcing her to smile pretty in the horrendous heat. *lucky photographer* Enjoy!