A good friend of mine, Cara Taylor-Swift, the talent behind the camera of Fast Horse Photography, co-hosts a "Horses on the Beach" photography retreat along with Phyllis Burchett Photography (another talented equine and wildlife photographer) each year in northern Florida. I attended for the first time last year and had so much fun I decided to return again last weekend.
I know we don't have any beaches in Dallas, but we do have lots of horses in north Texas, particularly around the Aubrey and Pilot Point areas of Denton County. It's estimated there are one million horses in the region which is a national equine breeding and training area with over three hundred large farms and ranches. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph horses in this unique setting.
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I Couldn't Pass Up The Opportunity To Photograph A Girl And Her Horse On The Beach At Sunrise
What's my idea of fun in Florida in January? Setting the alarm for 5:30am so I can get to the beach by 6:30am, well in advance of sunrise so I don't miss a minute of photographing equestrians like Kayden and her mustang, Shiloh. Shiloh was trained by her mother Raechelle and he is stunning. He has a wonderful disposition to go along with his good looks and we were even treated to him doing a roll, on cue, in the surf at the end of the photo shoot (scroll down to see that image).
I Love All The Details Of A Photo Session, From The Nose To The Tail, I Want To Capture It All
A lot of time and preparation goes into preparing for a photo shoot with your horse, from hair and makeup, to tack, clothes and grooming, no detail is missed so that's why I want to capture all of it for you. Whether the images will be included in a bespoke album, or incorporated into a story print to hang on the wall, we'll photograph all the important details.
We'll Take Advantage Of All That Preparation And Take A Gorgeous Equestrian Portrait
Just as I always encourage people to be photographed with their dogs in a pet portrait session, I also suggest that equestrians take advantage of all the hard work they put in to prepare for their equine photo shoot and allow me to take some images of them without their horse. It can be easy to miss the details of the equestrian because horses are so darn beautiful, but when photographed alone we're able to see your own beauty shine through.
Being A Superstar Equine Model Is Hard Work
Once all the picture taking was done, Shiloh could finally take a dip in the Atlantic and cool off - he actually loves it and Raechelle has taught him to lay down on cue in a very gentle and natural way; it was magical.