Madi & King

Some of the greatest privileges of being an equine portrait photographer are the clients who come back. Madi was one of my very first clients when I started my business, so when she got in touch five years later and asked me to return to photograph this new chapter, I was genuinely thrilled.

Dusty, her beautiful family mare, is still very much part of the story, but this time there was a new addition to the family too: King, a gorgeous young Welsh D with a personality as big as his presence. We also included Madi’s partner, Dom, making this portrait session a lovely snapshot of where their life — and their little horsey family — is now.

King has already had quite the journey, having broken his leg after being kicked by another horse in the field when he was just two. Now four, he has grown into an incredibly handsome, strong and wonderfully characterful horse, with what I’m sure will be a very exciting showing career ahead of him.

One of the things I hear most often before a portrait session is a worry about the location. “We haven’t got anywhere particularly special,” or “There’s not really much here to photograph.” But after 7.5 years of doing this, I can honestly say I’ve photographed every type of horse, in every type of weather, in every type of location — and that experience has taught me that the location is never the most important part.

For Madi’s session, we used the field, a beautiful tree, the yard and even the lane outside. At one point, Dom was enlisted to drag a log into position so Madi could sit beneath the tree! And that was enough. Because these photographs are about you and your horse, not about finding the perfect Instagram-worthy backdrop.

My job is to look at what you have and know how to use it. Your job is simply to bring yourself, your horse and enjoy a few hours together. King certainly did — soaking up the attention on a beautiful summer evening and showing us exactly how much character he has.

There is something incredibly special about photographing someone more than once. I get to see how life has changed, how horses have grown, how families have evolved and which relationships have become even more important along the way. And I get to spend a few unhurried hours at your home or yard, getting to know your horses properly rather than simply turning up, taking some photographs and leaving.

That is what makes a returning portrait session so meaningful to me — it becomes another chapter in your story. So if you’ve been thinking about booking another session for a while, perhaps because your horse has changed, your family has grown, or you simply realise it’s been far too long since you created something beautiful together, consider this your little nudge.

You don’t need a new horse, a special occasion or a perfect location. You just need a horse you love and a chapter of your life you want to remember.