Getting the Best Shot
Just as a good photo can make your horse look better, a poor photo can distort the look of your horse and make him look like he has crooked legs, a big head or a sway back.
The best time to take photos is mid morning or early afternoon (10 am or 2 pm), the light is best to show the muscles and contours of your horse. Before and after this time gives you long shadows and mid-day shades the lower half (sides, belly and legs) of your horse which will make them hard to see in the photo.
You will want at least two people for the photo session, three works even better if you want someone to hold/pose the horse. One person to take the photo, one to hold the horse and the third to attract the horses’ attention and get those ears pointed in the right direction.
Second, choose a good spot for the photo. You want an uncluttered background for you photo, trees or a nice grass or sky background work well, a riding ring with broken fence boards or a parking lot behind it does not work well. A dark horse looks better against a lighter background (ie sky), a light horse shows better against a dark background (ie trees). You also want a level area as uneven ground can make your horse look like he has poor conformation. The handler should stand far enough away that he does not show in the photo or so that it will be easy to cut him out of the photo.