This summer, I headed out to the little village of Star for a shoot with Rochelle, and her Connemara Benji. We got very warm and humid day, but these guys were awesome at keeping things calm, relaxed, and Benji took full advantage of any snacks he could get!
We started the session along a little pathway, where Summer spring foliage framed every shot with vibrant greens and colourful flowers. We included lots of different scenes here, and it was a good way to start the shoot while we got the feel of things.
Rochelle won one of my competitors this year with Equiteam, and we spoke quit a bit about not loving the idea of bring in front of the camera (very common and completely understandable) a couple of things we ensured were in place before the shoot was:
- Making sure Rochelle's outfits were comfortable and comfy
- Making sure our timings fitted into Benji's schedule so he was happy,
- Starting off with lots of wandering, and keeping them both busy to give Rochelle other things to focus on rather than me.
- Finally - just enjoying some time at the yard with Benji in the sunshine, no time pressure, just making some memories!
From there, we wandered back to the yard, where weathered stone walls and red slate roofs gave us the most stunning rustic backdrop. This place has so much character—perfect for showcasing Benji’s steady presence and Rochelle’s soft, natural style. While we were doing lots of quieter shots with less walking, we also added in Rochelle's fabulous jacket which completed her look perfectly.
After a quick outfit change, we headed down to the local woodland to wrap up the shoot. The depth of the greens in these trees was amazing to shoot with, and contrasted beautifully to Rochelle's white and flowy dress. Benji was awesome here, and his cheeky character really shone through some of the photos.
We had our in-person viewing, not too long after the shoot and designed an epic 6in1 frame, alongside Rohelle's included 16". I can't wait to them in print, and up on the wall. Thank you to this amazing pair for being so much fun to work with, it was a brilliant afternoon.
Love this set of images? I would absolutely love to hear from you to have a natter about all things photoshoot, and discuss hoe we could design a shoot to suit you. The key to not being daunted about a photoshoot, is making sure you know your photographer, and enjoy how I work, so getting to know you and your horse's first is the most important step.