Lighting is key! Try to avoid direct sunlight as this creates harsh shadows – shade under the trees is perfect on bright days. Of course, you can always break rules in photography and shooting with the sun behind your horse can create some really interesting and beautiful images too
Have a friend to hand, to help get your horse’s ears up. There is a great app that doesn’t cost much which has a whole host of horse (and donkey!) noises which do this perfectly. Just search All Ears Selfie on your app store (Apple & Android)
Watch your backgrounds – you don’t want a random pole sticking up out of your horse’s head, or something that looks a bit like it’s dangling where it shouldn’t be! It’s very easily done, so just take a moment to assess what’s behind before you press that button
If you’re using a DSLR, then utilise the aperture priority setting if you’re not ready to try manual, and set that aperture as wide open as your camera allows. This will give you a better depth of field, and create those dreamy blurred backgrounds. With that said, many phones also have manual settings you can play around with now, so try the same on your phone!
Don’t be afraid to try some different angles. Get up on a mounting block, lay on the floor, see what you can create.
Most importantly, have fun!
Share some of your images below, or tag me @laurafiddaman on Instagram!