MY TOP 5 BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS OF 2018!

I would like to put off my final Day 12 of voting (which will contain my final 9 images) for just a day, as I would like to go over:

𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝟱 𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴:

(𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻): 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺? 
Two photos from my first visit to a racetrack making publications. One of these two photos is in the running for the Standardbred Canada's "Media of Excellence Award".

𝟱. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿
This was purely for research and what an experience this was! Up until this time, I have never been in a helicopter before and I am terrified of heights. Shooting video inside something with that much turbulence was a new but fresh challenge, especially when there were serious compromises and I had to do it handheld.

𝟰. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
My Poles & Spurs Skijoring album from February was shared on the Western Horse Review Facebook page and not long after I met with the owner of Western Horse Review, Jennifer Webster.
I was so delighted when my album got shared by Western Horse Review because this happened very early in the year and of course at the time I was just starting out in my Equestrian career. Meeting Jennifer Webster was icing on the cake.

𝟯. 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲
Nine photos from my first time photographing Thoroughbred horse racing back in July, made the 2019 Sponsorship Marketing package for the 114th Annual Millarville Races. To top it off, I received a formal request by the committee to return for the 2019 115th Annual races, which I gladly accepted.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱
This one is pretty self explanatory. I am a big fan of not just Jonathan's philosophy when it comes to horses but who he is as a person. He has earned his reputation as one of the best horseman by respect, hard work and just being Jonathan Field

𝟭. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 
Words can't even explain just how much of a beneficial LEARNING experience this was for me moving forward. It was by far the biggest event on a grand scale of things that I have attended. From the start to the very end, it was extremely monumental!

Next week I will have "𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝟱 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗗" - this is one that you do NOT want to miss!

UPDATE ON MY UPCOMING WALL ART SERVICE

Completed a very successful meeting with Ned Radan and his wife Lumi yesterday (quite lengthy at just under 4 hours) to discuss details on my upcoming Wall Art service which is coming out in Q1 2019. This will be a HUGE addition to my current list of products and services, so I have been putting many hours into the planning process.

Just a couple notes that I would like to mention but while keeping it brief.

1) There will be no more custom framing option. Why? The market for this is very VERY tiny and I want to invest my time into the services that the horse world simply wants.

Choosing a frame and it's framing options for your images can be an incredibly overwhelming and daunting task for many individuals. I am still sticking to my original goal and that is to keep this service as simple as possible because the last thing that I want is to overwhelm my clients with just too much presented information. But at the same time, I always think big and I go right for the big picture and that is what I am going to present in Q1 2019.

So my goal for my clients, is to avoid that feeling of being overwhelmed altogether and to make this procedure the smoothest and most effortless experience in getting their pictures converted over to wall art. So with that being said, we will be offering an exclusive, custom, LOCALLY MADE frame, for both the Western and the English crowds. These frames are one of a kind and exact ones cannot be found anywhere else.

2) I will be offering 3 exclusive "unconventional" size options for just pure horse portraits, again framed with the custom, locally made frame. These sizes are very rarely seen, unique and it's main purpose is to offer framing options in tighter spaces such as hallways, tight corridors, small rooms and other unique spaces where conventional framing options isn't suitable.

This product and service will be well worth your wait when it comes time to launching it. :)

SNEAK PEAK TO MY UPCOMING WALL ART SIZES

Just a sneak peak, the sizes have been determined for my IPS (wall art service). I will be offering IPS in these 5 sizes in both frame (custom and conventional) and canvas.

12"x18"
20"x30"
24"x36"
30"x45"
40"x60"

I wanted to keep it simple but at the same time offer enough variety to cater to any client's needs. 12"x18", 20"x30" and 24"x36" are great sizes for just about any room including bedrooms, while 30"x45" and 40"x60" are sizes that you often see in museums, art halls, galleries, dining halls, large living room setups with potential high ceilings, etc. They are huge, especially that 40"x60"! All of these sizes would for sure look fantastic in pretty much any horse barn.

Next I will be going over framing styles (not frames), framing styles.

*Photo courtesy of Pixabay free stock images*.

VERY ACCURATE QUOTE I CAME ACROSS

This is one of the best quotes that I have seen in a long long time so I thought I would pass it on. Agree 100%, so true. Quality comes at a price, it's as simple as that. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO LISA BAUER!

I have just drawn for the winner!!!

Congratulations to Lisa Bauer for winning my surprise gift contest that began on November 17. You have won a private photography or videography lesson (2 hours) with me. I will contact you to arrange a time and day.

SHOW ME YOUR SANTA HAT /CHRISTMAS PICTURES!

Show me your Santa hat /Christmas pictures. :)
Want one for that frame or to send to family? Christmas pictures available now, have them ready for this Christmas as I am booking now for Equine Portraiture sessions on certain days throughout the month of December.

I know that 2018 has been a very tough year for many Albertan's and especially with the severe hay shortages, weak economy, I understand that getting pictures done right now just isn't in the budget for many. But I would like to make the most out of the situation and still make many people happy come Christmas time with their horses.

To book your session, please visit: 
https://www.stevenquon.com/

5 WAYS TO TAKE BETTER PICTURES!

We all know that just about every horse lover out there today very much enjoys taking pictures of them with their horse(s). However, just because many do enjoy this activity, doesn't necessarily mean that they are always happy with their results. So here are my 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝟓 tips on how YOU can start taking better pictures of you and your horse(s) TODAY!
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𝟓. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞!
By thinking positive, not only is it extremely beneficial mentally but also physically. When you think positive, it simultaneously drives up your self-confidence, your ambition, your energy and your ability to keep an open mind. Having a positive attitude lays the foundation to success.

𝟒. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.
Just because you want to take a picture today doesn't mean you have to. There is always a tomorrow. Instead, why not spend those few minutes reading an article or watching a video on a quick tip on how to improve your photo taking skills? Over time, these little bits and pieces of information add up and you will be a more thorough, wiser and more knowledgeable photographer.

𝟑. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐭.
As we already know, a key component when it comes to working with horses is "Setting yourself up for success." This 100% applies to my #3 tip here. For instance, if it's pouring rain outside causing it to be super dark inside the barn that you are in with your horse(s) and it's creating harsh shadows - don't try to force a good picture if the setting isn't allowing it. Set yourself up for success by putting yourself in the best situation possible and that starts with competent lighting.

𝟐. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐭.
Take your time, be creative. Taking great pictures isn't a race. It's not about who can hit the shutter button the quickest. Nor is it about who can take the most pictures. It's about understanding light and how to beautifully demonstrate it's majestic characteristics through a camera lens. Envisioning what kind of image you are wanting to portray and knowing how to go about achieving it, even if you have to think outside the box or step outside your comfort zone.

𝟏. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞!
I can't emphasize this enough. Practice makes perfect and because photography is heavily a hands-on craft, the more you get out in the real world and experiment with your camera, the better you will get. Photography has much less of a learning curve compared to say Videography but yet it is outrageously difficult to master. So get out there, make mistakes (and a ton of them), see what works and what doesn't.