Have you ever wondered when the best time of year is for a photo shoot with your horse? The fact is that a lot depends on where you live. Here in the southeast Tennessee area, there are some pros and cons to each season for horse photo shoots. Here is a list to consider:
Pros and Cons for a Spring Horse Photoshoot:
Pros for Spring:
One of the big selling points of a spring horse photoshoot is that it has not reached peak humidity and heat yet. Which, let’s be honest, in the south is a huge thing. Who wants to sweat through their entire session?
Most horses are starting to shed out or have been clipped for the spring show season. Do you how your horse looks when they are all slick and shiny? If so, this might be your season.
You can capture a lot of pretty backgrounds in the spring. Flowers, Greenery, and Trees come out of their winter dullness and offer some gorgeous spring greens, pinks, and yellows.
Cons for Spring:
Rain, rain, and more rain. It seems like every single year we get more and more rain in the Chattanooga area. Therefore you might need to reschedule a time or two with your session.
And, with the rain comes mud. So very much mud.
With the mud comes extra horse cleaning. Especially if you have a gray horse or a horse with a lot of white on them.
Pros and Cons for a Summer Horse Photoshoot in Chattanooga:
Pros for Summer:
If you like hot weather, you’re in luck.
No need to worry about if you horse is patchy or only partly shed out. Coats are slick, shiny, and no stray hairs flying around.
The ground is finally dried from all the spring showers which means less mud in the pastures and on your horse.
Cute summer clothes and hats
Longer days means not as much rush to squeeze things in before dark.
Cons for Summer:
HOT, hot and hot. If you aren’t a fan of heat this is NOT the season for you.
Humid, so very humid. If you aren’t a fan of humidity this is NOT the season for you either. Also, if you have curly hair, you might want to choose a different season.
Mosquitoes, flies, and gnats. Especially if it’s been a mild winter, you will have to contend with a lot of mosquitoes and other flying insects. So, if you pick the summer, make sure to load up on bug spray.
Pros and Cons for a Fall Horse Photoshoot:
Pros for Fall:
Cooler temperatures, especially in late October – early November
A week or two of fall color before it all goes brown. If you like reds, orange, and deep yellows then this is the season for you. Fall color makes for beautiful backgrounds.
Pretty leaves to play with.
Sunsets at an earlier time so if you are an early bird you can still be snoozing by 9 pm.
Cons for Fall:
Some horses get their winter coats a little earlier than others.
Shorter days mean it’s darker earlier. And once daylight savings time goes into effect, we are very limited in the afternoon and evening hours for photographing.
Pros and Cons for a Winter Horse Photoshoot:
Pros for Winter:
The dull browns and grays of winter can make certain clothing choices really stand out against the gloom of the background
Cute winter clothes! Who doesn’t like an excuse to buy adorable jackets, hats, boots, and scarves?
Snow, on the rare times we get it, can make pretty pictures.
Cons for Winter:
It can be dreary, wet, and muddy, particularly in February.
Snow – it falls into both a pro and a con. Living in southeast Tennessee, we get very little snow each year, and depending on the type of snow, it may melt by noon, be nothing but ice, or turn to brown snow when it mixes with the mud.
What Next?
As you can see, every season has pros and cons and a lot really depends on you and your horse.
And, regardless of the season, we will be able to get beautiful images of you and your horse.
To learn more about Ride the Sky Equine Photography Portrait Sessions for you and your horse, click here or send a message here.
Betsy Bird of Ride the Sky Equine Photography spends her days doing insane things to make horses look at her. Clearly, she’s desperate for attention. When she’s not celebrating the stories of the amazing horses in her clients’ lives, she invests time and energy into perfecting her equine photography skills and growing her business, hanging with her favorite rescue dog, Nitro, and planning her next big adventure. She also tries to spend some time educating and entertaining her fans and potential clients by blogging and posting on social media about whatever catches her fancy at the moment.
Betsy is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) with the organization Professional Photographers of America (PPA). The CPP designation is held by fewer than 2,000 photographers nationwide and is a hallmark of consistency, technical skill, artistry, and professionalism. Ride the Sky specializes in on-location photography for equines. Ride the Sky also has the option of bringing the studio to the stable. Based in Chattanooga, TN, Ride the Sky Equine Photography works on location in Tennessee, North Georgia, and beyond.