Tips for the Perfect Photograph

Featuring Duende the Andalusian 
By Mindy Berg

Taking pictures of model horses is fun! It’s really all a matter of perspective, and how you set up yourself and your horse. There are a few rules I try to follow when taking pictures.

First, find your horse’s good angles. Even a beautiful horse will look terrible if you take a picture from a bad angle. Also, find your perspective for taking the photograph. I usually find myself flat on my belly!

Make sure the light is right. I usually wait until evening and the light is filtered. You can also use a partially cloudy day. Too much sun washes out your horse.

Try and avoid uneven ground and distracting backgrounds.

I love traveling with my horse to take a good picture. I have seen some really amazing photographs of model horses on tops of mountains, beaches, lakes, etc. Recently I went to the barn with all my model horse paraphernalia.

Perspective makes all the difference... I am lucky to have an arena to use, but I have seen some incredible dioramas that mimic the effect.

If you decide to tack up your horse, make sure you have the right tack for the breed your horse is.

And the right size.

And the right rider!

Much better.

Look carefully to make sure all your tack is correct. Whoops! Do you see what I did wrong?

Just right!

Adding some extras to your picture can make it feel more realistic.

Even without tack and a rider, they still enhance your picture.

The bottom line to taking a great shot of your horse is to be creative! With digital photography, you can take as many pictures as you want, and choose the very best ones to share. So take that horse outside and have fun! Here are my favorites: