Stallion Promotion

Getting Ready to Take Great Photos

It is not necessary to have an expensive camera to take good photos.  Even the disposable cameras can be used.

Summer is the ideal time to take photos because your stallion is in peak condition and has a sleek shiny coat.  Unless you are looking for the cuddly teddy bear look, fuzzy winter coats definitely aren’t what you want.

First set aside 2-3 hours to do this.  It is too easy with the busy life we all live to be in a rush and zip out take a couple of quick snaps of the horse.  Very often this results in photos of your stallion that don’t show how awesome he looks and will not attract mare owners.  Remember, you know how great he is, you wouldn’t be standing him otherwise, but the mare owner only has this one photo to make a judgment from.

The best time to take photos is mid morning or early afternoon (10 am or 2 pm), the light is best to show the muscles and contours of your stallion off.  Before and after this time gives you long shadows and mid-day shades the lower half (sides, belly and legs) of your stallion which will make them hard to see in the photo.

You will want at least 2 people for the photo session, three works even better if you want someone to hold/pose the horse.  One person to take the photo, one to hold the horse and the third to attract the horses’ attention and get those ears pointed in the right direction.

Second, choose a good spot for the photo.  You want an uncluttered background for you photo, trees or a nice grass or sky background work well, a riding ring with broken fence boards or a parking lot behind it does not work well.  A dark horse looks better against a lighter background (ie sky), a light horse shows better against a dark background (ie trees).  You also want a level area as uneven ground can make your stallion look like he has poor conformation.

Next, make sure your horse is clean.  This photo session is even more important than going to a show so take the time to clean, wash, trim and dress your horse for the photo.  .  For some reason dirt seems to show up more in the picture than it did on your horse and there is no such thing as a green appaloosa so a good brushing or wash is important! 

To dress your horse, use a halter or bridle appropriate to your breed or the breed that you would like to attract if you are trying to cross to mares of a different breed.  Dress you horse the way you would if you were entering the biggest, most important halter or showmanship class because this is the image that will attract people to contact you about breeding.    If you are aiming for the English  look, a bridle and braided mane and tail give a very attractive, tidy look.  Western with a properly fit leather show halter is very nice.  Nylon halters, especially in neon colours, just don’t cut it!  If you aren’t sure what to use, look at your breed magazines and see what the horses are wearing and how the pictures that catch your attention look.

Get cleaning those stallions and plan to set aside a couple of hours and next article, we will tell you how to take good photos. 

ps. Don’t forget to pick up several rolls of film preferably 400 ASA.