An Equine Photoshoot with Tasha & Auster

An Equine Photoshoot with Tasha & Auster

Tasha and Auster found me via Miri Hackett whilst on training livery at Hackett Equine, Hertfordshire.

How it all came about

I received a message from Tasha asking how to go about booking a shoot, as she was soon due to leave Hackett Equine following Auster's 'graduation' to return home to Durham. 'What a lovely way to comemmorate their time there' I thought.

Auster is just 3 years old - and already a giant at 163hh! So this investment into his future ridden career in my opinion is one of the most wonderful and responsible things Tasha could ever do for such a beautiful, bright young horse. She was absolutely right to want to capture some keepsake photographs to remember their time in Hertfordshire, especially given that it will now be the all important foundation of everything they go on to achieve together!

Organising the shoot

So we had a pretty tight time scale to get moving with. We began with a call to get everything planned and sorted. I spoke to Tasha at length about her, Auster, her plans for his future, where she found him just to begin to build that all important picture in my head of all the characters I'd be meeting on our special day together! She told me her non-horsey, but very willing boyfriend, Xander would be in attendance too to help (excellent!), and we planned exactly how we'd use our time - we also had to fit our shoot in around her final lesson with Miri before returning home.

Tasha's welcome pack and preparation

I sent out the welcome pack - I actually sent it straight to the yard. Given the nature of the situation, I didn't want to chance it being left up in Durham by accident with everything else going on. It's tough work driving long distances back and fourth, staying away from home, the prospect of moving a young horse half way up the country in just a week or twos time... So one less thing to think about I figured if I sent the pack straight to Auster! Tasha was able to collect the welcome box and begin her preparation!

The shoot day

The shoot day rolled round, and we had a lovely afternoon. 3 lovely outfits, 1 very well behaved oversized baby horse and 1 very helpful assistant (Xander!) all contributed to the success! It's so important to have a pair of helping hands. One thing I always say to clients is that I can always provide help, however the idea of stepping in front of a camera can be daunting for many people and the thought of having a 'stranger' helping behind the scenes can sometimes be one more thing to have to deal with. So if the option is there to have somebody around who you know, like and trust - even better if your horse knows, likes and trusts them too - then that is super helpful!

Once we finished shooting (and laughing because Auster spent approximately 25% of the photoshoot showing us his best yawny face, and another 10% of the shoot showing us just how tall he really was by reaching up to eat tree branches!) we said our goodbyes and also crossed our fingers and toes that all of the routine checks ahead of Tasha's big move would all go as expected. (They did obviously, allowing them to get on the road home - but this time with Auster in tow!)

The viewing

A few weeks went by and Tasha and Xander made the trip back down to meet me for their viewing. I was soooo excited to show them the images we had created. Miri and her team were kind enough to lend me the tack room for a couple of hours one quiet Saturday afternoon, so I had the tack room all set up beautifully with benches, plates with cloth napkins, and a little table. We had snacks and drinks at the ready and we sat and watched Tasha's gallery gently roll through to some pretty music.

There is just something so rewarding and magical about watching a clients eyes light up during a viewing. It really is such a special few hours and one I don't think I'll ever get bored of experiencing! We went through the gallery a number of times narrowing down which ones would stay, which would be saved for another day and which ones were to end up on the wall at home! I love advising clients regarding images and framing, it is incredibly rewarding to see your work in print. It really brings it all to life!

Thank you Tasha for trusting me with this experience for you - it was an absolute pleasure to work for you both, and I can't wait to come back to visit you both in Auster's fancy summer coat one day!

The gallery

Below is a selection of images from the shoot of Tasha and her wonderful boys Auster.

I'd like to give a special thanks to Xander for following us about and taking my direction very well indeed - fabulous work! To Miri and her team for helping us out, allowing us to borrow the tack room and always being so welcoming and accommodating.

Helpful Links

Hackett Equine Training Establishment