Grooming, tack, and barn prep for black background portraits and horse and rider sessions in eastern North Carolina.
Your horse always knows.
A bath on a Tuesday. Hoof polish for no reason. Someone sweeping the barn aisle like company is coming.
Company is coming. It's me, with a camera.
Getting your horse ready for an equine photo session isn't complicated. It just starts a few days before I pull into the barn. Here's how to prepare for either equine session I offer in eastern North Carolina: black background portraits in your barn aisle, and horse and rider sessions out in the open air.
What's the difference between a black background portrait and a horse and rider session?
A black background portrait is all about your horse. It's photographed in a shaded barn aisle or doorway, and the actual shooting usually takes less than 30 minutes. A horse and rider session is about the two of you together, outdoors, and it runs longer, with breaks whenever your horse needs one.
That short window for black background portraits is on purpose. Horses give their best expression in bursts. Ears up, eyes soft, neck arched toward something interesting. Thirty focused minutes respects that far more than two hours of asking a horse to hold still.
Horse and rider sessions work more like my dog sessions. We follow your horse's lead, take a breather when someone needs it (horse or human), and keep going when everyone is ready.
How should you groom your horse before a photo session?
Groom like it's show day. Bathe your horse ahead of time and give the coat plenty of time to dry completely, because a damp coat reads as damp in a photograph.
Then the details. Tidy the ear fuzz and bridle path. Brush the tail out until it swings. Pick the hooves and give them a coat of polish. Right before we start, wipe the eyes and nose clean, and tuck a soft rag in your pocket for treat slobber. There will be slobber.
Why all the fuss? Because these images are meant to hang on your wall. A portrait printed large shows every smudge of arena dust you'd never notice standing next to your horse at the cross ties.
Braids and bands are welcome if your discipline calls for them, and they keep a mane tidy when the coastal breeze picks up. If your horse has a long, flowing mane, or is enjoying their retirement years, leave it down. Natural is beautiful too.
What tack should your horse wear for photos?
Clean, oiled leather. A well fitted leather halter or bridle, conditioned the night before, along with anything else your horse will wear in the photos. For horse and rider sessions, that means saddle pads washed and bits shined too.
If your everyday halter has seen better days, don't run out and buy a new one for me. That's exactly what my naked halter is for. It's a thin rope halter that keeps your horse safely in hand the whole session, held by a person the entire time and never tied, and it comes off in the finished artwork. All you see is your horse. Same idea as the leashes on my dog portraits.
Bring a clean lead rope too.
Should you exercise your horse before the session?
It depends on your horse. If yours runs hot, lunge or ride about an hour beforehand. Leave time for them to cool down, brush out any sweat marks, and give them a quiet minute in their stall before we begin.
If your horse is the easygoing type, skip it. We want a little spark in those eyes, not a nap.
If your horse gets fidgety on the ground, practice standing quietly beside you for a few minutes a day in the weeks before your session. Think about it. Most of the time a horse on a lead is going somewhere. To the pasture, to the wash rack, to dinner. Standing still and paying attention is brand new homework.
As for meals, keep your horse's normal feeding routine. No need to shift anything around for photos.
How do you set up your barn for a black background portrait?
Choose a shaded barn aisle or a doorway wide enough for your horse to stand in comfortably. Sweep it, and move the wheelbarrows, hoses, and buckets out of the way. Then aim for quiet. A busy turnout or a pasture mate calling down the aisle pulls attention away from the camera fast.
If you board, give your barn manager a heads up so everyone knows what's happening that morning.
What should you bring to your equine photo session?
Pack a small barn bag the night before.
Fly spray, and plenty of it. Humid mornings on the coast bring the biting flies and gnats out early, and a stomping, tail swishing horse is not a relaxed one. Spray before we start and keep the bottle close for touch ups.
Your horse's favorite treats, with apples or carrots cut into small pieces.
A couple of soft rags or towels.
A brush and hoof polish for last minute touch ups.
A clean lead rope.
Your helper (more on that next).
Do you need a helper for an equine photo session?
I strongly recommend one. A horse savvy friend, family member, or your trainer makes a huge difference. They hold your horse while you fix a forelock, rustle a treat bag to bring the ears forward, grab the fly spray, and hold the lead while you get in position for horse and rider images. That keeps my hands on the camera and your horse in good hands the whole time.
For horse and rider sessions, what you wear matters almost as much as the horse prep, so it gets its own post. That one is up next.
What happens if the weather doesn't cooperate?
We will find a new date together. Sunrise is my favorite time for sessions anyway. The air is cooler, the wind is calmer, and there are fewer distractions, which matters a lot when you're asking a horse to focus. If a front rolls through or your horse isn't feeling well, we simply pick another morning.
Does your horse have to be perfect for photos?
No. Not even close.
Horses are living beings with opinions, moods, and a deep suspicion of that one flapping tarp. A session with me moves at your horse's pace. We take breaks. We try again. The best expression often shows up right after a horse decides the whole thing is fine after all.
So prep the barn, prep the tack, and let the rest go. Then tell me what makes your horse curious and what makes them nervous. That's the part I can't prepare for you.
Your horse does not need to be perfect to deserve beautiful artwork. That's the whole point. Take a look at Equine Portraits and picture what a session could look like for the two of you.
Equine photo session FAQ
Can I be in the photos with my horse?
Yes. That's what horse and rider sessions are for. They capture you and your horse together, with more time and more variety than a black background portrait.
Do you photograph senior horses?
Yes. Legacy Sessions are for horses 20 and older, and for horses of any age facing a terminal diagnosis. They can usually be scheduled within a few days, if not within the week.
Do you travel for equine sessions?
Yes. The studio is in Newport on the Crystal Coast, I photograph horses throughout eastern North Carolina, and I'm always up for a road trip.
Jennifer Wakefield Canine & Equine Photography is a fine art dog and horse portrait studio in Newport, near Emerald Isle, on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, and available to travel.
Prep the coat, the tack, and the barn aisle. Then let your horse be a horse. That's when the portrait happens.