Emma booked me back in April for her October equine portrait photoshoot because she knew how much she just LOVED Autumn and wanted to guarantee a prime date for beautiful colours in time for her favourite holiday – Halloween!
On her shoot, Emma included her stunning eventer Teddy, poodle Apollo and friend Evie (who incidentally is my former assistant when I was an Events Manager who took over my role when I left 3 years ago).
A week before the shoot Evie sent me photos of her and Emma training Apollo to sit on Teddy’s back – this was one of the shots Emma really wanted to achieve on her shoot but made sure it could be done safely. Teddy is a total gentle giant, who lives up to his cuddly name by always wanting affection and planting kisses on Emma or Apollo (even if he might not be that interested!).
Our location for the shoot was the beautiful Beaufort Polo Club where Emma lives and works. With a tree-lined drive, traditional Cotswold stone barns and expansive fields, there is a reason why this is a favourite location of mine! The leaves were just starting to turn a glorious orange so we timed the shoot perfectly to achieve the Autumnal look that Emma was wanting.
We started on the driveway with Emma looking stunning in a dark tartan coat, paired with black jeans, a dark top and smart flats. All outfits were carefully coordinated by her friend Evie, who had laid everything out in advance – what a super friend! Having someone to help you feel your best, especially if the idea of a photoshoot can seem overwhelming, is absolutely essential. We all need those kinds of cheerleaders in every aspect of our life!
Teddy stands out at Beaufort not just because of his stunning dapples but at 18.2hh he towers over all of the diminutive polo ponies based at the Club. In fact, during our shoot the grooms were turning out ponies and quite a few of them gave Teddy a very suspicious look at this tall creature looking down at them.
As you head towards the yard, ivy tumbles over the stone wall overlooking one of the Cotswold stone storage barns. I positioned Emma and Teddy in front of the big wooden barn doors and moved back until the ivy was framing them both to create this feeling of just being an observer rather than a classically posed portrait.
A bit of clever photoshop magic and we also got this stunning horse-only portrait of Teddy looking like a beautiful statue.
Happy Halloween!
Emma wanted a bit of Halloween magic on her shoot and brought some prop pumpkins and a halloween bandana and spider outfit for Apollo!
The trees flanking the polo fields were looking gloriously Autumnal, so we utilised them as stunning backdrop for some more portraits with Teddy and Emma.
Photoshoots are better together – how many times do you find yourself wishing you had more lovely photos of you and your friends together? Blurry iPhone pictures on a night out just don’t cut it, and if you are anything like me, when you are having fun with your friends you forget to take any photos. This is where I can help! Remember, you can invite ANYONE on your photoshoots – so why not bring along your best girlfriends and celebrate your friendship on a photoshoot.
When I sent Emma her sneak peeks she sent me the loveliest message:
“This has just made my day and put a smile back on my face I can’t thank you enough for everything on Monday I was so nervous about doing it but you made me feel at home and I am absolutely in love with theses four photos that you have sent. Can’t wait to see the rest.”
