Alex & Uvi, Ailis & Evie

A New Pony, a New Adventure and Another Chapter to Familiar Faces, Favourite Horses and a Whole New Chapter

One of the loveliest things about being an equine photographer is having the opportunity to photograph the same people and horses over the years. I was really excited to go and see Alex & Ailis again.

I'd photographed them together a couple of years earlier, with their beautiful horses, Uvi and Evie, at their private yard in the Peak District. It was a wonderful session, although there was rather a lot going on behind the scenes that Alex knew absolutely nothing about.

You see, Ailis and I had been secretly planning photographing Alex's engagement, so alongside creating beautiful portraits, we were also trying to keep a rather exciting secret under wraps!

Thankfully, this time there were no secret plans, no surprises to organise and Alex could be involved in everything from the beginning.

It was also rather lovely to think about just how much life had changed since we'd last seen each other. Back then, none of us were engaged. Fast-forward a couple of years and two of us are married, with another wedding on the horizon next year.

It's funny how much can change in just a few years, and it made returning to photograph them all the more special.

Golden Summer Evenings and the Beauty of the Peak District

Although we were returning to exactly the same location, with the same horses, I knew we could create something completely different.

This time, we had a beautiful summer evening to work with, and the Peak District certainly didn't disappoint!

I absolutely adore photographing in this part of the country. The rolling fields, traditional dry stone walls and gorgeous countryside have so much character, and Alex and Ailis' yard is surrounded by all of it.

With hay bales dotted around the fields and the beautiful summer light to play with, we had the perfect setting for another evening of equine portrait photography.

One of the things I love most about returning to familiar locations is being able to see them in a completely different way. A change of season, a different time of day and a little creativity can completely transform the photographs.

And that's exactly what happened here.

Although Uvi and Evie were already familiar faces, the images we created felt wonderfully fresh and different from our previous session.

This time, we also had a few more people to include.

Both Alex and Ailis' partners joined us again, along with Alex's brother Ollie, Ailis' mum and her family dog. We spent the evening creating a lovely mixture of photographs, from individual portraits with the horses to couples, smaller family groups and some gorgeous photographs of everyone together.

I always think there's something particularly special about including the people who share your life with your horses. They're often the ones cheering you on, helping behind the scenes and sharing all those everyday moments that make owning horses such a huge part of your world.

And having everyone together on a beautiful summer evening made this session feel even more personal.

Same Horses, Same Place, Completely Different Memories

Looking back at the photographs from Alex and Ailis' session, what strikes me most is just how different they are from the images we created a couple of years earlier.

The horses are the same. The location is the same. Even some of the faces are the same.

But life has moved on.

There have been engagements, weddings, new memories and all sorts of adventures in between. And while so much has changed, the love these two have for their horses is still very much the same.

I think that's one of the most wonderful things about photographing returning clients.

There's sometimes a misconception that once you've had a beautiful portrait session with your horse, you've already captured everything you need. But I couldn't disagree more!

Every season brings something different, and every stage of life has its own story to tell. Even when we're working with the same horses in the same familiar surroundings, there's always an opportunity to create something new.

For me, being invited back into someone's life to capture another chapter is an enormous privilege. I love catching up, hearing what's happened since we last met and creating photographs that sit beautifully alongside the memories we've already made.

And Alex and Ailis' summer evening in the Peak District was the perfect reminder of why I love doing what I do.

Beautiful horses, wonderful people, gorgeous countryside and another collection of memories to treasure.

If you've been thinking about capturing another chapter with your horses, whether somewhere familiar or somewhere completely new, I'd love to hear from you and create something beautiful together.