It’s always difficult to visualize how the magic of these equine portrait sessions is finalized, so here are the inside details of the process as well as before and after images!
Equine Portraiture, Black Background Sessions last 20-30 minutes and only require access to a shaded doorway large enough for your horse to stand comfortably in. A cement or solid floor is always preferred as it reflects light back unto the horse and keeps the horse’s hooves clean and visible. No lengthy set up or artificial lighting required!
During the session, we pose the horse in an artistic and complimentary way to feature the horse’s personality, breed, and riding discipline. We use treats and secret tricks to entice your horse to flex, stretch, and pose, resulting in stunning images.
Once back at my office, each back background image requires 25-60 minutes of intense detail work to edit to perfection. The background is blackened or completely replaced, and the floor is either cleaned up or replaced all together. Any mane, tail, forelock, or whiskers that were lost during the background replacement are hand painted back in. The horse’s coat is fine tuned, blemishes retouched or removed, and the color is enhanced. Lead ropes are removed and tack is buffed and polished. Eyes are retouched to remove unwanted reflections and to pull color and characteristics to the viewers attention. Then the lighting and shadows are enhanced or corrected to create the final studio look.
Some final images require bits and pieces from other images, sometimes replacing legs, tails, or closed eyes. Images that include more then one horse are compositions that require 1.5-2 hours of editing, seeking out and editing multiple images that create a conversation between 2+ animals that were never next to each other to begin with.
The sessions only last 20-30 minutes, but the editing for a full session of 7-10 images can require a full day of of work! I HIGHLY suggest following the tips and tricks in the provided prep guides to guarantee your horse looks it’s best in the completed collection. It’s a bit more prep work, but between your prep and my editing process, your images will blossom into stunning fine art you will be proud to display in your home and will treasure forever!
Take a peak behind the scenes in an editing video and enjoy before and after photo comparisons. When you are ready to book your session, contact me here!
