EQUINE PORTRAITURE: MINEA HILL

We went to a different location for Minea Hill and Elantra's photo shoot as I wanted to go into an area with a bit more direct light to work off a darker horse but we were still surrounded by trees. It was also later in the day so the lighting had changed quite a bit.

There was a mix, I took a couple in HDR, I also used a speed lite for a few photos as with a darker horse, I wanted to overexpose that background to make this mare Elantra pop from those trees.

Very nice touch with the red scarf Minea. :)

Click HERE to view all the photos.

EQUINE PORTRAITURE: MYA HILL

I love kids and for the ones who love having their picture taken, there is probably not a single better thing than seeing their joy in going through the experience. Mya Hill and her pony Mowgli were such great sports. The snow was a challenge so we did most on bareback.

We first started off at the little creek by one of the bridges as the lighting was just incredible but we ended up moving to another location as it just wasn't a great spot to work from. A little too tight and too much snow.

I worked in tight corridors with Mya and Mowgli since this shoot was in the afternoon, it was super bright and sunny out so I took full advantage of all the trees around me to manipulate my lighting as to how I wanted it.

I had a good friend out with me to give me a hand, thank you Lisa Pitts for your help, you were awesome. :)

Click HERE to view all the photos.

UPDATE ON MY KENTUCKY TRIP

Just an update on my Kentucky trip at the end of this month. People have been wondering which Breeding Farm I will be at.

Unfortunately the bearer of bad news I will no longer be shooting the video commercial at the Thoroughbred Breeding Farm down in Lexington (which was going to be filmed at "Taylor Made Farms"), as this has been cancelled due to the colt that was originally scheduled to be filmed in the video is no longer available. So I will not be hauling any of my video gear down there except my action cam - that right there cuts my gear right in half which is nice.

So instead of two carry on's and a luggage, I will now only need to bring one carry on and a luggage. Less is always better, even as a travelling photographer. As much as any travelling photographer would love to bring all of their gear with them, it's just not practical for many photographers so you have to make sacrifices.

The great news is that my journey to the back side of the Breeders' Cup is still on. I just hope it doesn't rain like it did at the Kentucky Derby. As much as I would love to have it, I will not have access to the infield (this is where I took 85% of my photos from the 113th Annual Millarville Race on Canada Day), so I will be putting my focus on candid and nailing the moments you rarely see captured in the horse racing world. And of course I will get my share of action shots from wherever I can and obviously I will be looking for that highly coveted money shot but as expected it's going to be incredibly tough.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT WITH JONATHAN FIELD

Enjoy the new announcement with Jonathan Field and I. Here is a prime example of two opposites on camera - Jonathan being a magnificent speaker on camera and myself...well obviously I shine much more BEHIND the camera than on it. :)

I've worked with several professional speakers in my life and they all make it look so easy. Speaking on camera is a valuable (but very challenging) skill to gain. I can proudly say that Jonathan Field is another stellar speaker on camera added to the list that I've worked with.

I couldn't have asked for a better and more genuine individual in the equine industry to work with. Thanks again Jonathan and I look forward to what we have planned - this is going to be magical.

THE WEDDING CONNECTION

2018 has been a very busy year for weddings. But again it's weddings, what year isn't busy for couples getting married? So far this year I have been asked by 14 couples if I would photograph their wedding. I politely declined on every one of them. Why? It's not my field of work. That and it's not where my heart is at.

Having a REAL passion for the subjects that you shoot means everything. When you have that desire, it's amazing the lengths that you will go to, to get your end result. But when you don't have that love for what you shoot, it becomes a real struggle. Passion is king.

I am not one to just accept every job that comes my way. If I feel that I can't deliver nothing less than stellar work, then I will not do the job because I am up front with my clients and at the end of the day, I want to see them have the best product in their hands. After all, it's all about your client being blown away with the finished product.

As much as I would love to help everyone out and provide them my services, I know that as a photographer and videographer that it's a MUST to have your NICHE and your TARGET MARKET.

This would also be the reason why I declined on photographing the 2018 Miss Rodeo Canada Pageant Alumni a few months back, because studio portraits is not my specialty. It was years ago but I've stepped outside of the studio and straight into mother nature's light.

In terms of my videos, in the near future when you see me shoot straight documentaries, I will still be using many components of my studio equipment but in indoor settings like barns.

Now that brings me to my conclusion. Even though I will not photograph a wedding, my Equine Portraiture service still caters perfectly to married couples, and soon to be married couples in the horse world with life time photos with your horse(s). 

PHOTOGRAPHING JUMPING: FIRST YEAR COMPLETE

My first year photographing jumping is done...well technically 11 months but let's just call it a year since the big events of the year are done.

So where do I go from here? Expect to see me at one of the FEI Shows in 2019. Which one that will be is still to be determined but my dream would be the Nations Cup in Dublin Ireland. I am looking to take my adventures on the road, this was always my goal from the get go.

If anyone would like to chime in with their input on any of the international FEI shows, please do!

This is one of my very first photos that I took last October photographing jumping for the first time at Spruce Meadows in the warm up ring. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about this discipline but thanks to some coaching from a couple amazing individuals in the English world, I was able to make some pretty big strides in a very short period of time.

I knew that with my vision in the photographic world, combined with the help and expertise from experienced jumping coaches that there was great potential to be had. I definitely would not be where I am today if it wasn't for them.

Perfect photo? Not by a long shot, but this photo set the path for me in terms of my learning.

BEFORE AND NOW

Well that was quite the change looking back at what I was doing exactly one year ago today to now. Completely different environments and industries, but my skills and experience all carried over.

I wanted to get out of the studio and corporate setting and move into the equestrian world working with the most amazing creatures on earth in natural settings.