5 common mistakes choosing a horse photographer

Hear the story of Lisa. Lisa has a horse. A danish warmblood that she dearly loves. She decides to have professional pictures taken. So Lisa opens google, types in "horse photographer in my area", klicks on the first page coming up, and books an appointment. Does it sound very clever to you? Yeah, you're right. Chances are that Lisa will not be happy with the results and regret her decision of having booked this photographer.

You don't want to end up like Lisa? I have collected the 5 most common mistakes in the search for an equine photographer:

Skipping the mind searching

When taking an evaluation of what kind of pictures you would like, you need to know what kind of pictures are actually possible. My best tip here: Go on pinterest and start by searching for "horse photography" pin everything that catches your eye. Soon enough you will have a better understanding of what you actually like.

Cutting short on the research

The search for a photographer actually starts with the search for many photographers. Having a whole list of photographers that you can compare, will give you the certainty of having chosen the right one. You might not even want to limit yourself to just your close area, since many photographers are offering tours to other areas and maybe the one that checks all your marks would also come to you.

Choosing the cheapest offer

Now that you have researched different photographers, you will also have seen many different prices. While it is tempting to take the cheapest offer, you might want to take a second look. Every photographer has their own pricing structure tailormade to their target groups needs. Some are having a higher focus on social media and include even short videos, but you need to pay extra for prints. Others keep everything flexible, so you only pay for the shooting and then have to buy every picture additional. There is a broad variety of options and the cheapest might not be the best one for your needs.

Learn more about my offer here.

Choosing a photographer without horse experience

Horse photography is actually a very complex area. Your photographer needs the right equipment, understanding of horses biomechanics and behaviour. If this knowledge is not given the outcome will very likely not be better than your phone pictures. Even more important: With being able to read the body language of your horse, your photographer will keep you and your horse happy and healthy during the shooting.

Not talking to the photographer

Working with a photographer that really gets you and your visions and ideas will be a phantastic experience for you! But how should you find out, if you are a match made in heaven? While today everyone just wants to text, I highly recommend to actually use this phone to talk to each other! Ask all your questions, share your ideas and talk about your wishes. When you have the feeling like the person on the other end of the line really understands you, you have a high chance that this is your photographer!

You need some inspiration for the right questions? Check out my guide for finding the right horse photographer!

I am sure you are doing a better job than Lisa with finding the right photographer for you and your horse! If that happens to be me - here is a goodie for you: I will add two fine art pictures to your shooting package!