Etchinghill Kent Winter Equine and Portrait Session with Maxine

My friend Kim recently bought herself a new camera and and in an effort to get better photos out of it and get to grips with some of the controls, she suggested we go and visit a mutual friend and take some photos of her horses. We arrived on a cold December day and got stuck right in at the paddock while Max went about putting coats on a few of her horses, feeding them, grooming them and generally showering them with some love.

Kim and I were happily chatting away and snapping Max and the horses for a few hours before we all decided it was pretty cold outside and ran back indoors for a cup of tea. Even though I was concentrating on teaching Kim how to use her camera, I still had mine and couldn't resist taking some photos of Max and her horses.

The great thing about photographing animals is they can be a little unpredictable at times. You never quite know what you're going to get when you involve them. This is great, as you get to see and appreciate their personalities much more than with people, who can be quite stoic when posing, unless you encourage them a little.  

These photos of Max and her horses were all completely unscripted and unposed, as she wasn't really the focus of the day at all. I was there to teach a friend a bit more about using her new camera. We just happened to be somewhere that provided us some subject matter! I love how natural these photos are, and they really embody the character of the horses, and how Max goes about her day looking after them and feeding them.  

Pet photography doesn't have to be about dogs and cats, you can involve larger animals too if you like. Horses are great for this as they tend to be a bit more well behaved (though not always!) and I couldn't resist sending a few of these to Max as a thank you for letting Kim and I come and play for a few hours. Max even suggested I come back in the spring or summer and have a proper equine photo shoot with her horses, an Idea I am really excited about!  

Id you would love some laid back and natural photos with your pets, or horses, or really any animal of yours, have a look at my pet pawtrait mini sessions and get in touch for more information.