Equestrian Photography: An Afternoon with Julie Poole
This summer I have been thinking a lot about the 14 years I have spent with my horse Burke. It seems like a long time, with a million memories to show for each and every year. But at the same time it has raced by, and as he ages I can’t help but feel anxious wondering how many more great memories will we create? It was in this reflective mood that I started browsing through old pictures. I realized that even though we’ve been together for so long there were surprisingly few photographs to cherish. So, I decided to hire an equine photographer to come to the farm and take some portraits of my boy. I have to say it was one of the best things I have ever done!
After some searching I found a photographer who does equestrian work on the local East Tennessee Hunter/Jumper circuit. Julie Poole is a Knoxville resident who specializes in horse and dog photography. She really captures the spirit of the animal, be it a head shot of your prized stallion or a photo finish of your racing whippet! She had a spring special going on that waived the farm call fee if there were three or more participants, so I just had to get boarders Nikki and Kim to join in.
The scheduled day arrived. After much horse bathing and clipping, we three girls finally headed down to the house to shower and get ready. The afternoon was hot and hazy, worsened by the drought this summer. Sure enough, as we prepped for the shoot a thunderstorm rolled in and rained like crazy. When Julie called to reschedule we were forlorn. It turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise, because the very next day we proceeded with the shoot under a brilliant, freshly washed blue sky.
The day was perfect. Julie started the afternoon with head shots under the leafy trees. Then we moved on to riding and jumping in the ring. Since Julie was able to enter the arena (unlike at a horse show), she was able to get some really unique artistic shots. She used various lenses to get wide angle effects, and she was even game enough to crouch next to the landing side of a 3’6” vertical to capture Kim and Gracie landing in grand prix style. That shot will make Gracie’s sale ad for sure!
The grand finale was held in the rolling Tralee fields at sunset. As we loped bareback into the sunset and lolled across our horses sun-kissed necks, Julie captured what we all agree are our favorite moments. I am so glad to have the photos of my boy. His golden chestnut coat and chocolate eye sparkling in the sun shows that horse that I love—one that has a frosting of grey hairs to mark the years we have spent together. Even better, Kim and Nikki got to avoid the mistake I made. They now have top quality photos of themselves and their horses, young and in their prime, which I am sure they will treasure as the years go by. To see all the images from that day, go to www.juliepoole.com, and click on “The Farm at Tralee” in the gallery link.
hey
ive got 4 of my own horses and enjoy taking happy snaps of them..i was wondering how you got started in professional equine photography because i would really love to do something like this later on in life.. many thanx
clare