My first shoot

The First Shoot

The first shoot I did took place in the stables owned by the couple I wished to take photographs of. Sat next to a B&B in the middle of the country, the location is perfect for what I had in mind. I wanted little distractions in terms of the background, and with the location being on a hill overlooking most of the village below, I was very content.

As this was my first shoot, the objective was to get a feel for the place, familiarise myself with the people that I'd be following for the next month or so, and to gather inspiration for the upcoming shoots. Additionally, this was a chance for me to understand the camera I was using a bit more before things started getting serious; I had only ever used a film camera once before and so I hadn't had a whole lot of experience.

The shoot took about an hour, in which I mostly followed and chatted to Lisa and Martin, the couple who owns the horses. I managed to fill a 36 exposure roll of film in this time, however I didn't shoot a second roll as I began to lose light, however within this roll I managed to get a few shots I liked.

For example, the image of the helmet over the wooden fence is quite atmospheric due to the low aperture. This still life perhaps doesn't show the pinnacle of  owning horses, the pain and pleasure it brings, but it does have a sense of tranquility that equine friends seem to bring to these people, which I noticed when watching them interact with the horses, calling them silly names as you would an old friend yet lovingly meeting the gaze of the horse.

Another shot I particularly enjoy is the one of Martin cleaning the hooves of the horse. I took a couple of these shots but there's one in which I got down to meet the height of the hoof, directly behind the horse and I found this to be most effective. The framing incorporates both the horse and Martin, showing a companionship between the two. Horses are known to have powerful kicks, and the fact that Martin is able to get so close to the horse, to pick it's feet up with no hassle, shows that there's a trust between them. The frame crops out the face of the horse, which therefore draws the attention to the human in the photo, who's full body we can see. However, his face is lowered in concentration and so his identity his partly hidden too, which add a slight sense of mystery and allows them to seem to be in their own little world together.
Yet, with his body language so open and facing the camera, a level of trust is formed with Martin. He seems to be open to the audience in broad daylight, not shying away from them. 

 I also took pictures of all the reins, hay and jackets hanging on the side of the stables. These, aside from the image of Martin picking the hooves, are my favourite from this shoot. This is because the still life aspect gives the image a feel of calmness, of contentment, and of course continuity due to the same background in each photograph. Each item shown has a different story, a different purpose. Perhaps in a future shoot I'll only do still life images and combine them with stories about the item. For example, a photo of Libby's reins with a quote from Lisa or Martin about Libby.
For me, there's something about the simplicity of these images that I feel at peace with. Easy on the eye, yet they hold a story and a purpose. I will definitely look further into these still life images.