So you've booked your photo shoot, you've been bouncing with excitement for ages, and it's finally tomorrow! But how do you prepare your horse and dog for the big day?
I've got some advice for you...
EQUINE PHOTO SHOOT PREP
I always advise giving your horse a bath a day or two before - clean horses make the final gallery look super polished, and no one wants poo stains in their photos!
Give any tack you might use a clean, this includes boots & numnahs if you're wanting some ridden photos. Any leatherwork, bridles, headcollars etc. Having clean tack in your photos really makes your images sparkle.
It's up to you if you want to plait or not. Most people tend not to because it gives a nice relaxed feel to the photos and is more true to your time spent together at home or training, but this is personal preference! Make sure your horse is plaited before I arrive if you do choose to plait though.
Once you've done all of this, all that's left to do on the day of the photo shoot is give your horse a quick groom, plait (if you choose to!), and get yourself ready! It's really handy to ask a friend to come and lend a pair of hands on the day.
Try and keep your horses routine as normal as possible on the day of your photo shoot - it's best to try and keep them as relaxed as possible lading up to the photo shoot.
DOG PHOTO SHOOT PREP
If you're having a photo shoot with your dog, you might want to give them a bath the day before too. If your dog has long hair that matts easily, it can be good to get them to their groomer in the week or days before your photo shoot, so they look their best.
This way you can give them a brush before you leave to have your photo shoot, and they will look lovely and neat.
However, if your dog looks great "ou natural" that's fine, too!
It's also a good idea to get any collars/harnesses you'd like to use clean, too.
There are no strict rules, it's entirely up to you. Just remember I don't use photo shop, so I can't edit out blips afterwards!
If you've got any more questions, just drop me a message on instagram or facebook, or you can view my FAQs here:
Lunar Photography, Equine & Dog Photographer in Derbyshire.