one to one
Leading equine photographer Emma Campbell captures fine-art portraits of horses and their riders with a simple setup. Niall Hampton tacks along
For someone who has had only limited dealings with horses –the fear induced by sitting on a trotting pony in childhood put me off for life –I wasn’t sure what to expect from today’s equine portraiture shoot with Emma Campbell. But I needn’t have worried.
Campbell is a consummate pro who has organised everything beautifully and unsurprisingly she’s as good with horses as she is with her camera.
Arriving at Caldbeck Common in Cumbria, Campbell introduces our models for the day –Flip and Connie, accompanied by Connie’s mum Debbie –and runs me through the plan for the next couple of hours. Flip is an Irish Connemara and a handsome one at that; his white coat is in immaculate condition and his body language relaxed. That should make our setups straightforward –the last thing Campbell needs is a four-legged model acting up for the camera.
Campbell shoots fine-art equine portraiture, capturing the special relationship that horses and their owners have. The end result of her shoots is a high-quality print that clients can put on their walls and Campbell’s catchment area takes in the south of Scotland, the north of England and the Midlands. She likes to keep things simple on shoots: a full-frame DSLR, two zoom lenses and natural light. She doesn’t use accessories like reflectors or flash, as they can scare the horses.
