Back in July, I headed to Rockrose Equestrian for a shoot with Amy and her lovely boy, Oscar.
Amy originally booked her shoot as part of the yard offer I launched with Rockrose last November, and it was so lovely to finally get her and Oscar in front of my camera. I’ll also be opening the Rockrose yard offer again this Christmas, so if you’re based at the yard and have been thinking about booking a shoot, keep an eye out for that one!
After what felt like a run of rather questionable Scottish summer weather, we were very lucky to have a dry day for Amy’s shoot. It was a little breezy, but thankfully that didn’t cause us too many problems and we were able to make the most of everything Rockrose has to offer.
Although Rockrose is a busy livery yard, there are so many lovely little spots tucked away around it that work beautifully for photographs. The old brick walls, traditional barns, cosy stable blocks and those lovely open views give us plenty of variety without having to go far at all.
We started the shoot in Oscar’s stable, before making our way around the yard and using some of those lovely old brick areas for his portraits. Then, towards the end of the afternoon, we headed out to make the most of the views around Rockrose.
Amy has owned Oscar for a good number of years now, and although he is doing a little less competitive work these days, it was so lovely to see the relationship they have together. There is something really special about photographing horses and their owners who have been through plenty of different chapters together, and you can often see that history in the little moments between them.
Oscar is a real gentle giant and took everything we asked of him completely in his stride. He was incredibly settled throughout the shoot, which meant we could take our time and capture a lovely mix of portraits of him on his own, as well as plenty of images with Amy.
And, of course, we couldn’t leave Moss out!
Amy’s Labrador joined us for a little bit of the shoot too, and naturally, we had to make sure we got a few photographs of the three of them together. That group image was an easy choice for Amy’s included frame, and I think it sums up the shoot perfectly.
From starting in Oscar’s stable, to including some of the lovely brick areas around the yard and finishing with a wander out to take in the views, it was so lovely to spend an afternoon with these two and get to know them both a little better.
I love that every shoot at Rockrose can look completely different, even though they all take place in the same yard. There are so many little corners and backdrops to discover, and when you add in the relationship between horse and owner, it makes every shoot completely their own.
Would you love to create a gallery of images like these? Whether your based at Rockrose or beyond, I'd love to hear about your 4-legged family members