MY EQUINE VIDEOGRAPHY SERVICE HAS A NEW TOOL!

Well I FINALLY have an official answer for all of you to a question that I have been asked a lot over the past 6 months. Do I have a drone and if not, is this in my plans in the near future?

I have been wanting to add this tool to my Equine Videography for about 9 or 10 months now, I was just unsure on which route I was going to take. Do I get myself a drone, get licensed as a UAV pilot or do I hire someone else who is already there, been there and done that, to provide me this service and someone who is already a hundred times the skilled pilot than I ever will be?

It was a very tough decision as just a few weeks ago I was this close to enrolling in a 3 day, 20 + 20 hour UAV pilot course to get certified but instead I have opted to join forces with a good friend of mine who is a skilled drone pilot and has actually built drones before, to provide me with this service for when I need it.

The drone that will be used is a DJI Inspire 2 Professional which is currently the best drone out today.

I have flown drones before and am familiar with them but admittedly I have also crashed them a few times to it's near fatal death, so I think it's safe to say that UAV pilot skills is not my specialty. :)

To get really good at drone videography, it requires many many hours of practice, hours that I unfortunately do not have the time for. But perhaps the biggest reason why I chose to partner up with an aerial videographer is because logically in terms of productivity, it makes the most sense. Many videographers today team up with drone videographers because when on location shooting, the videographer films the on the ground footage while the drone pilot films the aerial stuff. This saves a significant amount of time for both the company and the client. After all you can only be in one place at a time.

This will not be a stand alone service but rather an additional tool (by request) to be used in my Equine Videography service.

There are so many creative ways to capture the beauty of horses with drones and I can't wait to see where this takes us.

THE 'MASTERS - SPRUCE MEADOWS

I ended up going to the 'Masters' on just the Sunday due to having to finish up the past two shows earlier in the week, however the Sunday I wasn't feeling all that well, so I knew that I wasn't going all out.

Instead I just focused on adding a few more pieces to my portfolio of types of shots that I currently lack and I just worked off two jumps - I wanted the crowd and I wanted the clock tower.

In other areas, close but no cigar, but for me close is not good enough.

Click HERE to view all the photos.

UPCOMING JONATHAN FIELD ANNOUNCEMENT

Tune in on Sunday September 30th at 9AM MST / 11AM EST on Facebook Live as I will be making a big announcement with this man, that many of you know, Mr. Jonathan Field! So excited!

KWPN KEURING

I mentioned earlier that my Equine Videography service is going through expansion, as I will be adding a third component to the service, a component that I once included in my original business plan last October but I ended up leaving it out. Well it's being put back in because people have asked for it...and that is RAW video.

I haven't finalized all the details yet but this third component will for the most part be at shows and events and as expected, across all disciplines. It offers a much different side to my business as it is a fresh and new option.

I covered the video aspect at the KWPN Keuring Inspection this past Friday out in Parkland County AB while Natasha D. Goodship took care of the photographic side of things.

Click HERE to view all videos.

MARE SHOW & INSPECTION: OLDS COLLEGE

I launched my Equestrian profession 11 months month ago from today. Along the way, I have learned MANY VALUABLE LESSONS, lessons so meaningful that I do not ever take them for granted. The fortunate thing is that I learn from my right's and wrongs and I adapt extremely quick so that I can continue to further progress.

When I used to do wedding photography for a couple years, I was lucky enough to work with and learn from many successful wedding photographers. One of the very first lessons that I was taught was to never get in the way when at a venue that you are working at. A great photographer will always quietly go about their duties and never obstruct in any of the main festivities. In other words, you need to mind your own business and just do your damn job.

Moving forward as an Equestrian Video & Stills Photographer, I have carried over that exact same mindset. But like many pro photographers will go through in their careers, there is always going to be situations where you run into challenging setups to shoot in. It could be a venue where you immediately see conflicts but you are not sure if you should mind your own business or take some control with your input. Because there is an extremely fine line between minding your own business and not getting in the way versus the risk of annoying and potentially upsetting your client. Just speaking from experience, this can be an extremely difficult call for any pro photographer to make when the situation presents itself.

I am picky about the backdrops of my photos but that is because of the high standards that I have for myself when it comes to my work. And over the past 11 months, my standards have increased even more just from my experiences and what I've learned throughout this time.

Many pro photographers know that there are certain things that you just don't ever do because not only will it greatly affect the quality of your photos but it will show your inability to implement proper technique as a pro photographer. And unfortunately this can be a killer for some photographer's careers.

So that leads to my big question. 11 months in to my profession, what has been the biggest lesson that I have learned to date? I need to start stepping up to the plate and addressing any concerns in setups when I see them arise. As much as I still plan on staying out of the way and minding my own business, because I have a specific standard for my work and in my technique, it is my full responsibility to express concerns and find a solution for it at that exact moment.

So flashing back to last Wednesday, my first time out photographing a Mare Show and Inspection. Even though this was in an environment that I was at early in the year, the circumstances were obviously much different this time around.

I always study as I am about to take on a new event or discipline. Like it was when I first photographed other disciplines and events - jumping, skijoring, barrel racing, gymkhana, horsemanship, Arabian All Breed Horse Shows, thoroughbred horse racing, harness racing, etc, it's to be expected to have some rough patches along the way in your first outing especially since it's not the reading that heavily advances you as a photographer, it's the real life hands-on experiences that do.

An essential part of life and being a business professional is taking full accountability for your actions and I will admit I was downright TERRIBLE the very first time that I photographed jumping last October. I had 13 good photos that I was able to share. But immediately after that first experience, I created myself a plan on what I needed to work on, how I was going to execute it and it wasn't long after that I found my groove photographing jumping.

As a good friend would always tell me, learn from your mistakes the first go around and always do your best to never repeat them. After all, that is how we all learn and get better right?

Click HERE to view all the photos.

THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF EQUINE DENTAL PRACTITIONERS

Had another great sit down session with Grant MacKinnon this afternoon. It's very exciting what he has in store and I am honored to be a key part in helping him and the Canadian Association of Equine Dental Practitioners get there.

As much satisfaction that I get from educating myself in life, I get even more enjoyment when I share my knowledge and expertise with others in assisting them achieve their goals and put their plans into action.

Grant is truly one of the best in the horse world. :)     .

A DAY OUT IN CLARESHOLM, ALBERTA

Spent the day yesterday in Claresholm, AB with Paula Johnson and Julie Parsonage on a trail ride working around cattle.

This was my very first experience taking pictures from the saddle and this would be a PERFECT ideal situation for when a compact camera would really shine, one that doesn't weight 4lbs. :)

Thanks again Paula for the wonderful hospitality. Taking pictures in direct sunlight is not my preference but I at least got a photo of these two ladies with their horses for them to keep. The horses names (from left to right) are Skipper, Peppy and Shrek.

When we arrived at this rock, I wish I had my flash, stands, reflectors and perhaps a helper with me because there are so many things you can do in this exact location to modify that harsh sunlight but hey this was just for fun.

View fullsize