Sabrina, Hannah, Diamond and Dougal
I recently got the pleasure of photographing sisters Sabrina and Hannah with their ponies Diamond and Dougal. This shoot was long overdue, having been gifted to Sabrina and Hannah last December. Trying to arrange a date we were all free, was a little difficult but we did it, and the good weather came out in full force for the shoot. Especially with the terrible weather the day before, which had made all of us a little worried (as no one likes to have a photoshoot in the rain, and rescheduling would have been difficult).
The day started with me travelling to Old Windsor, where Diamond and Dougal are kept. It’s fair to say, it was this photographers dream yard, with plenty of different shoot locations to choose from. From fields to stables to hay barns and lanes, there was a such a wide variety! As with any shoot, I started by having a look around the yard, and taking a few test shots to make sure that what I envisioned would then work when we put a pony (or two) in shot.
We then got to the fun part, the photoshoot. Here we started in the fields, with Windsor Castle in the background (not that we could quite make it out on camera. We then worked our way up to the yard, where we used the stable and hay barn to create images with a bit of texture in the background, and my favourite black background images. After this, we worked our way around the yard finding other textures and lines to play with, to create interest within the photos. We even got the opportunity to bring Sabrina and Hannah’s mother into some of the photos, as well as Sabrina’s other half and the two dogs!
Believe it or not, despite only using about 4 of the many potential photo spots on the yard, the shoot lasted just over 2 hours and nearly 1000 photos were taken. Who can blame me, though, when the ponies looked so good? It’s fair to say all the washing and scrubbing of Dougal the morning of the shoot worked. I’m told he’s a bit of a mud monster and had a little too much fun overnight before coming in to prepare for the shoot that morning!
Without further ado, let’s introduce the ponies!
We’ll start with Diamond. Diamond is an 18-year-old, chestnut, Welsh Section D gelding, and it’s safe to say he loved being in front of the camera as long as he got to rest (and sometimes start to fall asleep)! With a bit of temptation from a treat bag being shaken, or pig noises being played on the phone, he was the perfect poser and loved showing off in front of the camera! Diamond has been in the family since he was a young horse, and together with Hannah and Sabrina has done a bit of everything. More recently, he’s been in rehabilitation after some back issues, so he’s only just coming back into work, but I’m told the rehab is going well, and he’ll soon be back doing what he loves under saddle!
Next is Dougal. He’s the grey Highland pony and is 8 years old. He loved to be on the move, and if he could grab a bite to eat, you can guarantee he’d try! That said, like Diamond, he was more than happy to pose for the camera if he thought he was getting some food! Hannah has owned him for just over a year, and plans to do a bit of everything with him, from dressage to cross-country to showing.
It’s fair to say both boys were stars, and it was an absolute pleasure photographing them all. The photos, equally, have been a lot of fun to go through and edit, and I can’t wait to finish the gallery!
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