I recently had the opportunity to do a fantasy style photoshoot with Erin from Erin Beckett Photography. Erin had a costume that she needed a model for and we were selected.
Leading up to the photoshoot the horses needed to get cleaned up. We had decided to use Maia and Ilustre for this shoot. Maia was easy enough to get cleaned but Ilustre had some pretty bad yellow stains. Pro tip: white vinegar works great for getting out those nasty manure and urine stains. Just wet the area down, soak with white vinegar and let sit for about five minutes, and then shampoo with a whitening shampoo. If the stain is really set in you may have to repeat a few times. Your horse will smell like a salad for a while but at least those stains will be gone!
The day of the shoot started with a thorough grooming of each of the horses and then it was thine for me to get ready. Erin brought in a make up artist- Nicole Esti of True Beauty by Nicole. Nicole was a pleasure to work with and did a fantastic job with creating the fantasy look we were going for. I’ve never had my make up air brushed on before so that was fun! My friend, Lily, let me borrow her elf ears to complete the look!
Then it was time to get the horses and start shooting! We started with Ilustre and went down by the pond. Nicole (my wife, not the make up artist) had a sword that we brought along (don’t worry it was dull) and Erin had brought along with her a fake spear to use as props. We got some great shots down by the pond. Ilustre loves to rear so of course we had to include that. Ilustre is a horse that has a very strong and powerful presence so he was perfect for these warrior type shots.
Next we got Maia our and took her into one of the pastures. We were starting to lose the light by this point but it was perfect for the look of these photos. The wind had picked up as well which created a cool affect. Maia is such a natural beauty and Erin did great at bringing that out.
I had a blast working with Erin and doing this photoshoot. The photos feel like they are straight out of the Lord of the Rings!
If you are interested in doing your own fantasy photoshoot Erin is now offering them to others! Find her on Facebook, Instagram, or her website- ErinBeckett.com
If you are a photographer looking for horses to model for your own photoshoot feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to work with you on your projects!
