Good Photos Sell Your Horse

In the first of a 3 part series we give you some advice on how to take quality photos of your horse to help you highlight their best features and attract more potential buyers.
 
Part 1 of 3
No photo, no sale. Its proven that ads with photos are viewed more than twice as much as ads with none. A quality photo is one of the most important factors in attracting buyers. Without one you will get less views, less clicks & therefore less offers for your horse.

Your photo is a buyer's first impression of the horse. When the buyer is browsing the search results pages, the photo has to sell all your horse's good traits in an instant. That image is the first way to hook a potential buyer, so make sure it's good! Photographing horses is not easy & it will require a bit of patience from you and the horse! Its part art, part skill, part knowledge & part luck! With the right equipment, practice, and planning you can create good photos consistently, that show your horse the best way possible. All this will help you avoid making mistakes that turn potential buyers away. There are several things you can do to get good photos. Some may seem simple but can often be overlooked and makes a big difference to your photo. If you neglect these tips you'll make less of an impact and risk missing out on that one right buyer. Here are our 8 tips to help you take better quality photos of your horse to help you get the best price.
 
1. Time Of Day

• The best time of the day to take pictures is normally between early morning and late afternoon. These times tend to provide softer lighting because the sun is at a lower angle then, which will help you produce better pictures.

• Midday is not the best time as the sun tends to cast long shadows on your horse which looks bad. Eg. his ear would cast a long shadow over his eye. If you have to shoot at midday then you should use a flash to get rid of shadows.

• Slightly overcast days are great for photos and they tend to be even better than over-bright days. If its a very dull day though, where you can't see your own shadow, then it's not a good day for taking photos.

• When you are outdoors its best to keep the sun at your back. This is because the light will fall on the side of the horse. It is best if you shoot outside as the stables don't have good lighting for taking photos.

2. Neat & Tidy

• Ensure your horse is clean, clipped and well groomed. This makes a big difference to how he will come across in the photos.

• Make sure that you take the time to brush out the mane, tail and forelock so that there are no tangles.

• Use clean tack but avoid colours that are too bright or distracting. Make sure it all fits well and there are no loose or bulky bits where there shouldn’t be.

3. Frame View

• Fill the frame with the entire horse. You don't want your horse to be a small percentage of the picture. Your horse should be taking up at least 50% of the photo.

• Leave a little bit of space in front of the horse and on either side of him so there are no bits cut off. Even if there's too much space on one side you can always fine tune your photos later on your computer (or send them to us if you're ensure about how to edit them).

• Its normally better just to simply walk closer to fill the frame instead of using the zoom as zooming will dilute the picture quality. However, don't go too close because if you are taking a head-on shot and you get too close, then the horse's nose and face will appear disproportionally larger than the rest of the body.

  Feel free to make a comment below or Contact Us here. Check back soon for part 2...
 
Next sections - Part 2 and Part 3