One thing I've learned about photography: you have to go with the flow.
Especially when horses are involved.
I was finishing up an equine photoshoot recently, and we had made our way into the big outdoor arena for the last few photos.
At this point we had:
Two untied horses.
A one-year-old.
A mom.
Me.
Camera equipment.
Hay.
Basically, nothing could possibly go wrong.
We were CLEARLY doing a photoshoot.
My client had requested some breastfeeding photos, and honestly, the setup was turning out so sweet. Mom was sitting in the dirt holding her little one, the horses were peacefully roaming around her eating hay, and I was taking pictures.
It was one of those beautiful, natural moments photographers love.
And then...
Here comes a man.
A fellow boarder walks up to the arena and starts heading toward the gate.
Sir.
We have two loose horses, a woman sitting in the dirt breastfeeding a baby, and a photographer pointing a rather large camera at the whole situation.
Perhaps now is not the time.
😂
I think somewhere between reaching for the gate and taking in the entire scene, he realized exactly what was happening.
Because suddenly he changed course.
He walked over to the OTHER gate.
And waited.
So now I'm taking breastfeeding photos while also very aware that there is a man standing at the other end of the arena waiting for us to finish.
Not awkward at all.
I probably should have walked over and said, “Hey, we're almost done!”
But then I would have had to stop the photoshoot, walk across a giant arena and have a whole conversation about the fact that we were currently taking breastfeeding pictures.
So instead, my brain chose:
Just keep taking pictures.
We were almost finished anyway.
A few more photos and finally we decided...
Yep.
We're done.
Pack it up.
I left the arena thinking,
What in the world just happened?
But that's photography.
Sometimes you get perfect lighting.
Sometimes you get beautiful candid moments.
Sometimes you get horses who cooperate.
And sometimes you get an unexpected audience standing at Gate B.
You just go with the flow.
Horses, Cameras & Chaos.
The blog is really starting to name itself.