Eye catching Sales Pictures

What makes good sales picture? If you follow my Facebook page you will have seen I’ve been involved in a couple of Sales Shoots recently. The response to these were really positive. Lots of likes and some really lovely comments. So I thought I’d share with you some of the things we did to create such stunning pictures

Top Tips for Sales Pictures:

Ears Forward. I cannot emphasise this enough. The prettiest horse in the world will never look their best with the ears back. There are a couple of tools you can use for this. So firstly a cat toy, you know the sticks with bells and feathers. There are a couple of Apps I always have to hand. All Ears Selfie and Horse Piano. So far a really good success rate with both of them. If all else fails a mirror will work wonders and does a bucket of food! This is where an assistant is invaluable
Trim. Trimming, unless you have a native, is essential. First impression count so you want tidy ears, pulled mane, trimmed feathers etc. Obviously this depends on the breed of horse you are selling. Whiskers are controversial and personally I think they are there for a reason. However, a clean line around the muzzle is more pleasing to the eye.
Cloth. I find a microfibre cloth really useful for those final finishing touches. Fab for whisking of any dust and also bringing a nice shine to the coat.
Back Drop. Give some consideration to your backdrop. Think about first impressions and the image you want to project. Colours can be really nice but avoid lots of texture like brown leaves and twigs as these can be distracting. If you are regularly selling you may want to consider painting a wall or side of the stables. Pick a nice colour that’ll suit most, like a light blue or keep it simple and paint it white.
Assistant. As already mentioned doing these with just you and the photographer will be hard. Especially if your horse isn’t a natural model. Rope a friend in to help you, should only be for an hour at most.
Hoof Oil. Finishing touches and small details but at least ensure the feet and feathers are clean. Clear hoof oil will add a nice sheen, especially useful for full body shots and black feet (where appropriate) will always look classy.
Clean. I say this so often but I will keep saying it. A photoshoot requires a clean horse. End off.
Smart. So tack clean and bits polished, if you are riding think about your boots, wear gloves and obviously a hat. A sparkly brow band can be really eye catching, especially if the colours complement the colour of the horse.
Pose. Strike a pose. Remember the rules about being able to see all four limbs. The horse should be looking over and down where possible. This will give a nice curve to the neck.
Different. Think a bit different. I don’t mean stand on you horses back but just consider one image that will grab attention. Does your horse have an amazing trot or could we do a black background picture?

So those are my top ten tips for creating Eye catching Sales Pictures

Check out the website for pricing for Equine Shoots