Q & A
Recently I hosted a live Q & A session on Instagram but I wanted to give all of you the chance to know me better too! Here are the questions that were asked and answered on Instagram!
How’s your kitty doing?
This might seem like a bit of a weird question but I have been posting a lot on Instagram about my cat recently because he became ill and had to be taken to the vet. I so appreciate those who checked in to see if he was okay! He is finally back home now and doing much better, he seems pretty much back to his normal self which makes me so happy!
What is your favourite horse brand?
This is a tricky question. I’ve never been much of a brand person at all and honestly, I’m usually partial to buying whatever is cheapest. I do really like TKEQ, even though I only own one item from them! If I ever branch out from just wearing old t-shirts and sweaters for riding, they would for sure be my go-to!
What is your favourite edit?
I took this question two ways reading it, first what is my favourite edit ever and second being what is my favourite type of edit to do. I am definitely partial to black background portraits. They don’t take as long as white backgrounds and they make every horse look stunning, I think it is truly one of the most beautiful ways to present a horse. Now as far as a favourite edit of mine that I’ve done, I think it would have to be this one pictured below. It’s my own horse, so I’m certainly partial to it.
How do you achieve black backgrounds in your portraits?
A LOT OF WORK! In all seriousness, they take so much time. I do my best to achieve as dark a background as I can in-camera by getting the proper setup but there is always editing that needs to be done. Usually, I start my images off in Lightroom, adjust all the exposure and colours that I need to, with a focus on making the horse look their best and giving the most accurate representation of their coat. Then I take the image into Photoshop and add in the black background in any spots that aren’t true black, fix any blemishes in the coat and edit out reins/people/distracting background items. All in all, a single image can easily take over an hour just to edit. I will try and do a complete blog post just on this topic soon that can be complete with images and videos to compliment!
How did you get into photography?
The short story is I bought my horse and I loved taking pictures of him, and that eventually progressed to taking picture of friends and barn mates. The real story is a bit longer. My best friend, at the time and now, had a large youtube channel and did a lot of videos, focused on her dog and their agility. From there, I became interested in youtube as well, originally on the dog side of things but then into the equestrian side, after I bought Diesel. I needed a camera to make youtube videos, so I started with a little point and shoot. Eventually, I developed a passion for taking photos and bought my first DSLR shortly after buying Diesel. From there I really developed the skill and started to form a business and in a few years I was serving my first paying clients. Then the rest is history as they say.
How long have you been riding?
It makes me feel old to think about this now. The first time I got on a horse was when I was 2 years old, since a family friend owned horses. I started going to horse camp at 5 and then taking lessons the summer I turned 7. So 13 years since I started taking lessons!
What breed is your horse?
He’s 100% AQHA but he looks like 90% TB and 5%WB with 5% Arab in there, for the personality!
What gear do you shoot with?
Currently I have a Nikon D750, Sigma ART 85mm 1.4, Nikkor 300mm 4.5 and Nikkor 50-300mm 2.8.
How long have you been a photographer?
It has been 6 years since I officially started serving people as a photographer, a number which blows my mind. When I started I was still very much a kid and didn’t really know what I was doing, I owe a lot to the people who believed in me back then! Here are two comparison images to show that we all start somewhere and to keep perfecting your craft!
