7 Mistakes Horse Owners Make

When it Comes to Hiring an Equine Photographer

As both a horse owner and professional photographer, I see a lot of mistakes made which could have easily been avoided. It pays to do everything properly the first time, as mistakes can be quite costly.

1. Choosing Solely on Price

Obviously pricing is somewhat of a consideration, but if that's all the decision is based on, I can almost guarantee you won't be happy with the final result. The saying "you get what you pay for" usually holds true.

Full page color ads run $1K or more per page in the standard equine magazines, i.e., Horse Illustrated. Don't waste the ad fee by using poor quality images, taken by non-pro photographers. More on that below...

2. Photographer's Style Doesn't Match

If you show hunter/jumpers on the "A" circuit, a 4H event photographer just isn't going to meet your needs. If you're looking for fine art type imagery, don't hire a photojournalist.

I'm not saying that these photographers would necessarily take poor images, but your chances of being extremely happy with the final product greatly increases when the photographer's style meshes with your own.

Do research potential photographers beforehand.

3. Photographer's Equipment Isn't Suited for Horses

One can't go out, buy any camera/lens combo, and expect the gear to show off the horses at their best. So don't hire a pro unless you've seen their portfolio or images from friends, which prove they have the right gear.

A few clues to look for - the bigger the lens, the better, usually. Long lenses are expensive, but needed to capture horses without distortion. Do they have a powerful flash for indoor photography? Does the camera look heavy-duty and ready to stand up to a day's worth of hard shooting?

4. Rushing the Photographer

If you want the job to be completed correctly the first time, it's essential to not rush your photographer. Most pros have at least 100 clients or more.

I won't even begin to tell you about some of my own clients that call the day an ad is due and tell me they *need* eight images ready in two hours. Or farm owners that need a shoot within the next three days because of a certain deadline. Sometimes it's just not possible to accomadate all requests!

Always contact the photographer about an order, ad, shoot, or event as far in advance as possible. I've been booked for shows literally a year or more in advance! If you don't want to be disappointed, plan ahead.

5. Hiring a Family Member, Friend, or Amateur

This may seem like a good way to cut expenses, but it will end up causing more frustration and time spent in the long run. New clients would tell me horror stories of the arguments caused by a simple photo session, just trying to get photos for their website, holiday card, etc.

Another old adage, "Time is money" is also very true here. Not only will the shoot take much longer than anticipated, it usually doesn't go smoothly, and hate to say it, but rarely do the resulting images make it even worth the time spent.

6. Not Checking References

Does the photographer have an accolades or testimonial section on their site? Read these and see if the past clients seem happy. If you can't find such a thing, ask around. Chances are your friends or family will know of the person and be more than willing to share their experiences.

When my good friend Erica was searching for a wedding photographer, they decided to visit a local photog for an engagement shoot. In the short time they were waiting in the studio, at least three people came in with complaints. They hightailed it out of there as quickly as possible.

Make sure past clients were happy! Ask for referrals if necessary. After all, equine photography isn't a small investment.

7. Using a Pro That Doesn't Have a Clue About Horses

There are many pros out there that are NOT equine photographers in the slightest. While they may have a good portfolio, ask to see their equine work. Many fashion, commercial, and editorial photographers shoot with short lenses. Even if it's the best short lens in the world, it will distort the horse and ruin the images, unless you're going for that cartoon-y look. :)

They'll also have no clue how to get ears up, exactly where the legs go for conformation shots, what disciplines and breeds are looking for specifically, how to time trot shots for hunters and saddleseat horses (or what the difference is). If you don't hire an equine pro, the final product will show it.