Last year I had the absolute honor of helping a friend capture photos for a recognized horse show. Multiple photographers working under an official show photographer is very common and it helps get multiple shots of each rider.
Molly and I discussed doing photo session with one of my horses, then Stanley had his surgery and month long stay at Cornell. We postponed to this year in order to give him some time to regain his muscle and fitness.
I am camera shy and not always thrilled with my appearance, but I always say that I wish I had done the shoot sooner. I wish I loved myself when I thought I was fat. I wish I could have loved myself more when I weighed much less than I do now. I love myself now but I still do fight with photographs of myself…but I was excited to do the shoot anyway.
I initially envisioned a golden hour shoot so we scheduled a time around those hours. As the day arrived, New York was enveloped in a thick smoke blown down from the Canadian wildfires. You could taste and smell the smoke in the air.
My heart breaks for Canada and hope that they can tame these fires soon, and my thoughts are with those fighting the fires or having lost their homes and lives.
We decided to stick with our plan despite the lack of a golden hour glow. The whole day radiated a moody apocalyptic vibe. The soft light certainly wasn’t bad for the photography, at least!
In preparation for the shoot I purchased a black dress with ruffles. I paired it with Navajo pearl necklace and matching earrings. I bought a leather multicolored bead bracelet. I used a cow print western belt around my waist. I paired this outfit with my Noble Outfitters cowgirl boots and a western style fedora. For the part of the session where I was mounted I bought a very large flamboyant black tulle skirt.
I did very little to prep Stanley. I wanted him to look natural so I brushed him a bit but kept his mane long. I used his brand-new black bridle with black glitter on the crownpiece, browband, and noseband. He’s already stunning.
We took Stanley out into the field and began our session. He wasn’t very happy with the bugs and I think the tall grass was overstimulating him. Every now and then we’d have a moment where he stood still and seemed to understand the assignment. He’d engage with me, eat some grass or treats from my hand, and sometimes looked off in the distance with his ears perked. He was a magical boy.
When I got on him we did some posed shots, but also walked, trotted, and cantered a few circles in each direction. Cantering bareback in a dress is a new challenge and I’m glad I opted to use the bareback pad!
After only a week Molly was all finished with the photos…and I am SMITTEN. While I got a ton that I love I am sharing some of my absolute favorites with you. Please enjoy and show some love for this wonderful artist and photographer at Molly Czub Photography.
Don’t wait to do a photo shoot with your horse. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the way you look. You will someday wish you had done it. I wish I had done one with Blade, and just like that, he was gone….taking my chance of creating that memory with him. I am so lucky to have one professional photo of him and I at a hunter pace. You can’t plan for the unexpected, so don’t hesitate to capture the moment when you have the chance.
The Green Horseman 
Leave a comment