I had a wonderful time photographing Sydney and her Thoroughbred gelding Bowie this past weekend. It actually isn't the first time this pair has been in front of my camera. Sydney and I rode together on our college's IHSA team, and I did photos for her and her fellow seniors before they graduated. This was back before I became a professional, and before I had any idea what I was doing! Sometimes it's hard to look back on old photos and see all of the things I did wrong or would do differently now, but I have to remind myself that it's all part of growth. I'm so glad for the opportunity to photograph these two again and give them the stunning photos they deserve! Stay to the end to see the difference!
gorgeous, glowy golden hour
Many of my portrait sessions last year ended up being on overcast days (which can still be great lighting) but I was so excited to finally have a real golden hour session again! The lighting was beautiful and shone through the trees just perfectly. I even caught a rainbow sun flare in a couple of photos, which is so much fun and one of my favorites things to capture.
under the willow tree
Everything aligned perfectly for this shot! I saw the willow tree and knew I wanted to get pictures under it, but wasn't sure if there would be room. The branches hung very low and there were a bunch of dead branches piled underneath. There was just one spot however, that had the perfect horse-and-person sized break in the leaves (Bowie may have had a hand in helping clear the spot by eating some of them). With the leaves now framing the shot, the sun came through directly over their heads to make for one of my favorite photos of the evening!
Just for fun, here is a comparison of one of my photos of Sydney from her first session in 2019, to now! Enjoy this literal GLOW up!
