Girl Hearts Camera Photography

Growing up in the Chilcotin in the heart of British Columbia ranching country, I have had a lifelong love of horses. So much in fact, that I attended Olds College in Alberta straight out of high school and took the Equine Production and Breeding Management program. It was my dream to breed fancy horses that would someday get ridden in the Olympics. This is still a dream of mine, but it has taken a backseat to my photography passion.

I have always been a horse photographer. That was all I took pictures of. People? No way. All of my best memories include horses – in fact I distinctly remember riding everywhere in my bathing suit when it was hot out…. Haha! Today, my horses are still my favourite subjects to photograph. In 2004, my sister graduated from high school and armed with my brand new Nikon D100 and all of it’s 6.1MP, I photographed her and her friends in their dresses and decided that perhaps there was something to this people photography after all! In May of 2005, I photographed my first wedding, and never looked back.

In 2007, I had the opportunity to photograph my college friend Andrea and her husband Jason with their horses the day after their wedding. This was the start of combining my great love for horses and beautiful dresses. One of the photos from this session, “Sweet Sunset,” won first place in the Couples Category of the 2007 DWF and Finao Photo of the Year Contest, an Internationally recognized contest.

From there, there was no looking back and I photographed as many horses and dresses as I could. In 2010, I really started to push the graduating girls with their fancy prom dresses and their horses.

My horse and dress sessions tend to last about 45 minutes each, and really focus on the connection between a girl and her horse. This is documented through a series of different poses. I usually position myself rather than positioning the horse (unless there is a certain background that I really want in the picture), and place myself at a three-quarter position to the horse, meaning they are sort of on a diagonal to me, not fully head on, and not fully sideways.

I usually start with the girl standing beside her horse’s head, with the reins (I always insist on bridles on horses, it just looks fancier than a plain old halter!) in one hand and the other hand on the horse’s neck. From here you can have your subject move around from side to side and take a variety of shots, close ups and pictures that also show your entire scene. I work the girl through a series of different poses such as cuddling up close with her horse’s head, hands on the back or withers, letting the horse graze on the grass with her standing nearby, and then usually have them walk around me in a circle and then directly towards and away from me.

I absolutely love to have girls sit in the long tall grass and cuddle their horse’s heads, providing it is safe to do so. This to me is the ultimate connection, as many horses will close their eyes and breathe deeply, and sigh in contentment, and to me there is not a more beautiful connection than that.

From here, I usually ask my subjects if they are wanting to ride their horse in their dress – most girls say yes! As long as it is safe to do so (usually with a second helper), we boost the girl onto her horse and then once the horse is used to the feel of the dress, we turn them loose. Again, I photograph a series of images, from different angles, close up and further back. Most of these shots are standing still, or walking around, but if your rider is comfortable enough and really trusts her horse, she can trot or even canter (lope) through a field with her horse. For these I tend to back up a bit and get the full effects of the scenery they are in… having a beautiful backdrop of mountains really helps here

Posing the Horse – One of the key tips for photographing a horse is to ensure that it’s ears are pricked, or pointed forward. If you are not a horse person, you may not realize this, but it is critical for a good horse picture! Rarely will a girl ever buy a picture of herself and her horse if the horse does not look alert and happy! This can be achieved in many ways, see Helping Hands below!

It is also important to make sure that the horse’s front legs are as square as possible and the back legs are slightly offset (if not square as well), but it is important to not have one back leg extended too far.

Helping Hands – Whether it’s someone to shake a grain bucket, do jumping jacks, throw sticks in the air, squeeze a squeaky toy, or parade another horse back and forth, an additional person or two, to help get the horse’s attention is critical! An extra helper is also recommended if you plan to photograph your rider on her horse. It’s not the easiest climbing up bareback with a big fluffy dress on!

Comfort, Safety and Fun – Never make your rider do something she is uncomfortable with. Some horses are just naturally “hotter” than others and will not tolerate being ridden with a dress on. So far I have only had one horse buck his rider off, and that was after she had galloped through a field of deep snow in her wedding dress, so at least she had a soft landing, but… if the horse is showing any sort of nervousness or appears upset in anyway, it is best to be safe rather than sorry and have your rider get off.

As always, try to keep your sessions simple and fun!

Bio: Robyn is a seasoned wedding photographer having documented weddings in five different countries worldwide.  Raised on a ranch, Robyn has had a lifelong love of horses.  Combining her love of horses and beautiful dresses, she created her Beauty and Beloved sessions to capture the emotional connection between girls and their beloved equine partners.  Please be sure to visit her websites and become a fan on Facebook!