This is an older session, but I just realized that I never shared it, and this little family is too beautiful not to share. They have such a beautiful property and their horses both had such amusing personalities - all of that together put together an absolutely magical session!
Best of 2020
2020 was, in a word, wild.
I don’t think anyone was prepared for what 2020 would bring. With all of the craziness, I really learned a lot about being thankful for the blessings I have right now. Every horse show that I was able to attend was precious, every session treasured more than ever before.
In 2020, despite the lock down for a few months, my business adventure included:
Sessions or shows in six states
120,000+ photos taken
8,000+ miles driven for sessions and shows
I am so excited for this coming year - we have some great things planned! New shows, bucket list sessions, more inclusive packages, and more. Here are some of my favorite images from 2020:
Kennedy || 2020 Representative
My representative sessions are some of my favorite each year.
They are the perfect opportunity to say “thank you” to my reps for all of their hard work promoting the EKP brand, as well as a chance to flex my creative muscles a little bit. Kennedy and I did her session with her horse and pup, and I wanted to share photos from the outdoor portion of her session.
Using Light to Take Great Photos of Your Horse at Home
Professional photos are great, but what about capturing your every day life?
The difference between a good photo and a great photo is in the details, so here are a few tips on how to use light to help you make your next impromptu photo session the best yet!
Disclaimer: all art is subjective, and photography is no exception.
I have been in the business long enough to know that everyone has their own style of how they take photos. Some people love soft, morning light, some like dramatic shadows and black and white edits, some do a mix of it all. There is no right or wrong way to do it, and I am not writing this to tell you the best way to take a photo. However, I hope you can use these tips in order to get the style you are looking for, whatever that style may be! All of the photos in this blog are mostly or completely unedited, except for a couple that you can see have obviously had some magic done to them.
To start: the difference between a phone photo and a DSLR photo.
Helping us out for the blog are my amazing booth manager, Britt, and her sweet boy, Axton. Aren’t they adorable?
Most of the photos taken in this blog post are taken with my camera, simply because I have the greatest control over settings and color, but here is a quick side-by-side of a couple of photos taken with my camera, and then two similar ones taken with my iPhone X, for comparison:
If you are using a cell phone or a point-and-shoot camera without a lot of control over settings, it is especially important to use your light well.
Next up: different natural light types.
Direct Light
Light is one of the most important parts of taking a great photo. Unless you are specifically going for dramatic lighting, using light in a way that it is distributed evenly takes a photo to the next level.
When you are taking conformation photos or something that needs simple, non-distracting light, facing your subject directly in front of the sun with your back to the sun will create bright, even light, such as in this photo below. This type of lighting is great to use with horses and other animals who aren’t as affected by sunlight in their faces, though of course, you should never encourage them to look directly into the sun.
For humans, direct sunlight can be used, but watch out for squinty eyes, which are so beautifully modeled by Britt below. Super bright, direct sunlight is not all that flattering to the skin, either. This is a large part of the reason that I usually use backlight for portraits with people.
Backlight
If you are looking for a photo that isn’t so bright, you can put the subject with the sun behind them and face the sun yourself, which creates a softer, gentler light on the subject. This is an excellent opportunity to use the sun when it is low in the show to create “sunbursts” - the best time of day to try this is up to an hour after sunrise, and up to an hour before and during sunset. Backlighting, when used correctly, creates beautiful, soft light that is especially flattering to humans. Here are a few examples of this technique:
Partial Light
If you are going for dramatic light, using partial light is a great way to do it. Admittedly, I am not one to use this technique super often, as it doesn’t fit my style super well, but it can be a great way to accent certain parts of your subject, and often makes an excellent black and white edit. Here are a few examples of using partial light. They are a great opportunity to really play with your editing style, so I did!
To give you a visual, I made a graphic showing where you and your subject should stand in relation to the sun for each type of lighting:
Overcast Light
When the sun decides to hide behind the clouds, creating overcast light, you can really shoot in whatever direction you like, as the light will be nice and even. Many people actually prefer to shoot on an overcast day, as the light is often softened by the clouds, but enough sun gets through for it to be sufficiently light enough to get a great photo. Here are a few photos shot while it was overcast:
Just remember: light is a tool!
I encourage you to go outside and play with it! Horses are very forgiving subjects when it comes to light. They look amazing in any kind of light, so next time you head outside to take a photo or two, try using different light to create certain effects! Accentuate your horse’s shine with direct light, or play with the angles of his face with partial light. The possibilities are endless, and I would love to see what you do with it!
Next up: we will be discussing how to take stellar conformation shots of your horse for sales, ads, or just for fun! It seems simple, but there are many little details that matter!
See you soon!
- Liz
Cassidy + Mardee - A Little Mare with a Big Personality
During the 2019 portrait trip, my assistant and I had the privilege of meeting Mardee and her sweet mama, Cassidy.
Mardee is a tiny little Quarter Horse, who was pretty young at the time of the session. I’ve been around plenty of young horses, and I was extremely impressed with how quiet she was! We went way out into the property, and she didn’t bat an eye. Their bond was the sweetest connection I had experienced in a long time, and I hope you enjoy the results as much as I do!
Ugh, aren’t they just SO sweet?
-Liz
Nikki's Pretty Little Appy
On our portrait trip this past summer, we met Nikki and her pretty Appaloosa mare.
For being as young as she was, this little mare was amazing! We took her all over the property and posed her near water, on a hill, and in unfamiliar places. She was foot-perfect, and totally handled everything we asked her to do. And as you can see, we got some beautiful results!
Lucia's Fashion Session
I had a really fun opportunity this past summer!
Lucia is a fabulous horse trainer and social media influencer with a lovely fashion sense. She is all over Facebook, Instagram, and MeWe with her practical approach to horse training and her beautiful style.
I had chatted with her a bit over Facebook, but had never met her. I ran a contest for a session giveaway, and Lucia won! I was super excited to finally meet her and see what she had in store for her session. And man, she did not disappoint!
It was a nice long drive for me to her place in Washington State. We went to the session location and met her partner for the day - an adorable, incredibly sane palomino gelding. We did some traditional fashion shots, then the horse’s owner informed us that he would do some bridleless shots - um, yes please!
We had a complete blast - enjoy some of the best photos from the session!
Isn’t she gorgeous? Check out her training work at Lucia Clemetson Performance Horsemanship on Facebook and @luciaclemetsonhorsemanship on Instagram. You can also see her fashion work at Reata Rose on Facebook and @reata_rose on Instagram. She is a beautiful soul and we had a great time together. Hopefully, we will meet again in the future!
-Liz, Northwest Horse Photographer
Sip 'N' Shoot Parties!
Oh my gosh, we have the coolest idea.
Thanks to my amazing team, we have come up with a super fun idea.
We’re talking a party. With hot cocoa (or wine if you have more adult tastes), your closest barn friends, and yes, your own session.
This is an incredibly fun, modern twist on the regular “barn sessions” that my team has offered for years, and I am so excited to see it come to life!
Here’s how it works…
Everyone books a micro mini session at our group rate. These are super short sessions - fifteen minutes and three digitals - so you can get back to the party! We spend part of the party doing everyone’s sessions. It’s extra fun because your barn buddies are there to cheer you on and help you get ready!
Once you have finished your session, you can join the party in the meeting area, where there will be drinks, snacks, and great company. Once everyone has wrapped things up, the rest of the party will be spent eating, drinking, and enjoying each other’s company. Plus, everyone gets a fun little gift as part of the party. Truly, what could be better?
Since we’re just trying this our for now and working out the kinks, we are doing our first winter parties at an introductory price - but not for long, so don’t wait to get your friends together!
Book your own party for only $50 a participant - that includes drinks, snacks, a micro mini session, and memories!
Send me an email at info@elizabethknightphotography.com to book! We will only be booking three parties at this price!
Christmas Mini Sessions!
By popular request - Christmas mini sessions are here!
I’m all kinds of excited for the Christmas season - I’m even a little bit excited for snow! We live in such a gorgeous place in the winter, despite the chilly temperatures.
I have had several people interested in winter and Christmas sessions, so I am pleased to announce that during the week of November 24th-December 1st, I am offering Christmas mini sessions! These can take place no matter the weather. No snow? No problem! We can make winter magic in post processing. Check out an example below!
Want to create some magic of your own? These are perfect for family sessions, pet sessions, horse sessions, and all of the above combined! Private sessions are available at your location of choice, or join us for a special day of sessions, which will take place at the beautiful Spokane Sport Horse Farm on November 30th! Check out the session details below:
Private Sessions: these take place at the location of your choice within thirty miles of Rathdrum, Idaho.
>> Forty five minute session
>> Location of your choice
>> Ten social media digitals of your choice - options for add-ons
>> Set of special gift ornaments for your tree!
$275
Special Portrait Day - November 30th at Spokane Sport Horse Farm
>> Thirty minute session
>> Choice of background at Spokane Sport Horse Farm
>> Horses and leashed pets are welcome!
>> Five social media digitals of your choice - options for add-ons
>> Set of special gift ornaments for your tree!
>> Limited - only fifteen available as of now!
$125
Ready to sign up? Submit your information in the form below and I will get you booked!!
Clara || A Montana Senior Session
There’s no doubt, Montana is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Naturally, I was thrilled when Clara’s mom said that they have property with views of the big Montana skyline, and that Clara would like her session with her dog and horse. I had an absolutely incredible time with Clara, Zelda, and Jamaica was an amazing experience. I hope you enjoy the pictures from her session just as much as I do!
Fall Shortie Sessions!
Fall is the BEST time of year.
I know that’s just an opinion, but c’mon, the changing leaves? Football season (go Raiders!)? The cooler weather? Sweaters and boots and apple cider and Thanksgiving? It’s an amazing season!
Fall also means that it’s time for another set of “shortie” sessions! Available for pets and horses (and their owners, of course), these sessions are a perfect way to get the experience of a full session, without any extra fluff.
Shortie sessions are intended to give you a taste of what a real session is like. They are perfect for those who would like just a few pictures to capture the bond they have with their horse or pet. Check out the details on what is included and how to book a session of your own below!
Each session includes:
A thirty minute shortie session
Five social media size digitals
Location of your choice - we go where the colors are!
10% off of prints and products 11x14 and larger
"8” x 8” self-hanging framed print of your choice
Each shortie session is $195. Additional pets or horses are $80 each with no additional digitals, or you can book one session per animal. Groups of three or more sessions will incur a 15% discount.
Please note: these shortie sessions will only be available from September 21st-November 14th on weekdays. Dates are pretty limited, so please don’t wait to fill out the form if you would like to book a session!
Ready to book a session of your own? Grab your PSL and fall vibes and head over to the booking form page to get a date on the calendar!
Bella + Her Beautiful Rescues
Rescue is something that is close to my heart.
There is something about an animal that has been rescued from a terrible situation. It’s almost like they know that you care for them and that they will never have the hurt again in that way. It creates a bond between horse and human that is so special, and simply cannot be found in any other relationship.
This summer, I had the privilege of capturing the bonds that Bella has with several of her rescue horses in Everson, Washington. Each individual is in different stages of healing. Some are ready to live a normal horse life, others have special emotional, physical, or mental needs - for now, or for life. Bella cares for these animals wherever they are at. She respects their behavior, feelings, and concerns, and love them however she can. Please enjoy the pictures from our session - I think you will see the bond there too!
I hope you enjoyed seeing the love between Bella and her beauties. Much fun was had in our session!
-Liz, Spokane Horse Photographer
August Unicorn Sessions!
Unicorn sessions are here!
A few days ago, I put out a post asking if anyone would be interested in unicorn sessions this summer. I received a very positive response! Many people were interested both in using their own horses, and using my hired horsey models. Therefore, below are the package offerings for unicorn sessions. Remember, they are only available for the month of August!
Fantasia Session
This is the perfect way to go all out with the magic of a fantasy session! There is no time limit - we will take all the time we need to create the perfect fairy tale.
Unlimited session time
Physical unicorn horn or one added in post processing
Use of your own horse or one of my gentle, hired models
Custom styling advice for both you and your horse
Full fantasy editing (background replacement, wings, and other added magic) for three images of your choice
Ten edited social media digitals of your choice
A special gift from your session
Everything above is included in the session fee of $350
Magia Session
This session is more like a “mini session” and is great for those who want to do something quick and simple.
Thirty minutes of session time
Unicorn horn added in post processing or use a physical horn
Use of your own horse, or hire one of my models for $45
Custom styling advice for both you and your horse
Full fantasy editing (background replacement, wings, and other added magic) for one image of your choice
Five edited social media digitals of your choice
A special gift from your session
Everything above is included in the session fee of $200
Interested in booking a unicorn session of your own? Send me an email at info@elizabethknightphotography.com or fill out the form below to get in touch! I look forward to putting together a once-in-a-lifetime session together!
Carlee & Dreamer // Post Falls Equestrian Center
I have yet to see such beautiful light.
When I arrived at the lovely facility of Post Falls Equestrian Center, the light was just beginning to fall behind the trees. That day in particular had been hot, with a strong sun, but as it started to cool, the sun filtered through the trees in all the right ways. I hope you enjoy some of my favorites from her session just as much as I do.
Man, this makes me want summer! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into a summer session. Here’s to many more in 2019!
-Liz, Photographer at Elizabeth Knight Photography
Winter Color Palette - Berry || Frosted Greens/Blue || Mauve || Cream
Winter inspires some of my favorite color schemes.
Whether you have a hot date, an photo session, or just feel like putting a little extra into your daily outfit, I thought I would share a color palette that I came across on Pinterest (where else?) and tweaked a bit to make my own. I’ll throw in a few ideas for accessories and jewelry and you’ll be on your way! Don’t forget to tap into your creative side and make it your own!
Here is the flower crown that inspired the color scheme:
Gorgeous flower crown from Etsy seller: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247034277/burgundy-flower-crown-fall-bridal-flower
Isn’t it just gorgeous? So vintage looking, and the boldness of the berry color adds just enough pop. I also happen to personally love mauve and frosted greens and blues, so this palette speaks to me so much.
If I was to put together an outfit based off of these colors, I would start out with a bold berry colored dress. If you would like something more subtle, I would go with either a mauve dress or a light, frosted or pale blue. Keep your outfit simple with little to no patterns. The most important things is: wear what you are comfortable and feel amazing in! Here are a few dresses and outfit ideas I found that would be a great starting point (P.S. if you click on any of the pictures, you’ll go back to where I found them!).
First, the main attraction:
Berry options I love:
Dress via Modcloth.
Dress via Charming Dressy.
Photo via Your Glamour.
Berry is a bold, gorgeous option, so I recommend keeping the rest of the outfit simple and even understated so not to be overwhelming.
Mauve options I love:
Via Love Culture
Via Lime Lush Boutique
Via Popular Bridal
In contrast to the berry outfits, mauve is subtle and elegant. Feel free to grab some big earrings or a loud necklace - as long as it matches the scheme!
Blue options I love:
Via Goat
Via Faviana
Via Express
Not looking for something fancy? Pale or “frosted” blue is simple, understated, and looks great with a nice pair of jeans or leggings!
Next, grab some accessories!
The color and type of your accessories will obviously depend on what you choose for your outfit. The biggest thing to remember, especially if you are heading to a photoshoot, is that the more patterns and bold colors you are wearing on your clothes, the simpler your jewelry should be, and visa versa. Choose gold or silver jewelry, not both. I tend to lean towards gold for berry and mauve outfits, and silver for blue. Here is some jewelry that matches the scheme and will hopefully get your creative juices flowing for your own look. I hope you are just as inspired as I am!
Via Glamour and Glow
Via Mira’s Jewelers
Via ReatSeagel on Etsy
Via Marksz
Via sundance
Via James Michelle Jewelry
Via burnish on Etsy
Via Artulia on Etsy
Via Jewelry Info Blog
Via Lunaticart on Esty
Via Makani Hawaii
Via TalesInGold on Etsy
Via PABJewellery on Etsy
Via Who What Wear
Via PrettyLittleThing
Via Moi Lou Jewelry on Etsy
And finally, what to do with you hair?
The actual style I would recommend depends so much on the outfit - dress, sweater, or tank top; long or short hair; color of your hair and your horse or pet’s hair…but, I did do some looking around for hair accessories that compliment the colors well and will hopefully give you some inspiration!
Via KarinaWedding on Etsy
Via thehoneycomb on Etsy
Via Her Waise Choice
Via La Belle Bridal Accesseries
Via Wedding Routes
Via Powder Blue Bijoux on Etsy
Via Happy Wedd
I hope you enjoyed this little style guide! If you try out your own variation, I would love to see it! Want to see my opinion on other color palettes? Leave a comment and let me know what you’d like to see!
Until next time!
-Liz, Photographer at Elizabeth Knight Photography
2018 Portrait Trip, Part Three // Pasco, WA
The beauty of the Arabian horse is unmatched.
As we rolled up to the barn at Sunhaven Sport Horses, several dished face peeked out at us from stall door and over fences. Tracy Oliver and her trainer Tony have an excellent group of pure and part-Arabian horses. I enjoyed every moment watching these horses move with such grace, and getting to know both Tracy and Tony and hear a bit about the amazing industry they are in as breeders. Here are some of the completed images from our session!
I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into these award-winning Arabians’ sessions. they were truly an exceptional group on equally beautiful property!
- Liz, Photographer at Elizabeth Knight Photography
2018 Portrait Trip, Part Two // Tangent, OR
Part two of the trip took us to Tangent, Oregon.
I always think of either the beautiful beach or a lush forest when I think of Oregon. When we made our next stop in Tangent to photograph a lovely buckskin colt, the colorful fields and orchards reminded me a bit of home. Momma (Juanita) even jumped in for a shot with her other lovely mare. We will be back in 2019 to photograph her next lovely foal and we can’t wait!
P.S. as of the time this blog post was written, this colt is still for sale. He is extremely nice! Juanita is excellent to work with and has already put tons of time on him. Send me an email at info@elizabethknightphotography.com if you’d like her information!
2018 Portrait Trip, Part One // Oregon City, Oregon
The portrait trip was the highlight of my summer.
Getting to meet everyone and travel all over the Northwest was so incredible! I never dreamed I would be able to travel for work, and this trip last June took Luke and I all over Oregon and Washington.
Featured on the blog today is a barn day I did at a beautiful private barn in Oregon City, Oregon. Here are a few favorites from the number of sessions we did that day!
Stay tuned to check out the rest of the images from the sessions from the trip! I will be heading back out to Oregon and Washington in May, and I can’t wait to do it again!
- Liz, Elizabeth Knight Photography
Christmas Sessions Are Here!
Christmas will be here soon.
Hi everyone! This is one of my favorite times of year! Thanksgiving is next week, which is a precious time with family and friends spent reminiscing about a wonderful year and enjoying yummy food. Christmas is starting to sneak into my house, admittedly completely by my doing. As I type this blog, gentle instrumental Christmas music is playing, and my desk is decked out in lights and penguins, which happen to be my favorite Christmas animal. I am extra excited tonight because I was able to schedule some last minute Christmas sessions today!
Christel of Spokane Sport Horse Farm and Erica and Angela of Angela Tanner Training and Horsemanship have both generously offered their beautiful facilities for our use. Both facilities are quiet and are the perfect place to hold sessions. Not looking for Christmas specific pictures? No problem! We have plenty of room, and can do simple outdoor or black/white background images very easily. The dates and details of each location are below.
Sessions Details
We have two session types available to fit your personal needs - half sessions and full sessions.
Half Session - $50
20 minutes of session time
Three edited, high quality digitals of your choice
8x10 regular or 5x7 standout print
10% off of additional digitals and our full line of products
Full Session - $99
45 minutes of session time
Seven edited, high quality digitals of your choice
11x14 regular or 8x10 standout print
15% off of additional digitals and our full line of products
Remember, we have beautiful, hand-gift wrapped options for all products, making these sessions a classy, personal Christmas gift!
Spokane Sport Horse Farm - November 24th
This beautiful location is quiet and both horse and dog friendly. We will be set up for solid background as well as outdoor and Christmas photos.
We will have time for sessions from 10:00-3:30. Time slots will be listed below as they are booked.
Angela Tanner Training and Horsemanship - December 1st
Located in Newport, Washington, this lovely facility is set up for all types of sessions. Both horses and dogs are welcome!
We will have time for sessions from 10:00-3:30. Time slots will be listed below as they are booked.
These are last minute, but I wanted to offer them to anyone who would like pictures this holiday season! Pictures will be delivered before Christmas. Check out our event at https://www.facebook.com/events/195063731383387/ and sign up using the form below - these will be snatched up quickly!
See you soon!
-Liz
Registration Form
Please fill out the form below to book!
Add Pop to Your Images with Sky Overlays
Make your image stand out with a sky overlay.
Sometimes, you catch a beautiful image, but in order to expose the subject correctly, the surrounding area gets over exposed, which causes the sky to get blow out. One of the best ways to boost the "wow" factor of the images is to add a sky overlay. Below is the image I will be working with.
Step One: Open your image in Photoshop and find a sky overlay you would like to use. Make sure the light matches the image well. For this image, the light is very soft and slightly warm. If I did a sunset or a bright blue sky alone, it would look unnatural. Instead, I chose a blue sky with a little bit of sunlight in the corner. Make sure the source of the light on the overlay, if there is one, matches the direction of the light on the image.
Step Two: Once you have chosen your sky overlay, open it in Photoshop, and drag and drop it onto your original image. Select "Edit", and go down to "Free Transform" to resize the overlay to cover the blown out sky, as shown below.
Step Three: Hide the sky overlay layer by clicking the eyeball symbol on the layers panel. Select the original image in the layers panel, and go to the "Quick Selection" tool. Hold your mouse down and drag slowly over the blown out sky until the entire sky is selected. Don't worry if the selection includes a little bit of extra content, you can take care of that later. Below, you can see my quick selection, and then again with the sky layer showing.
Step Four: Make the sky overlay layer visible again. You will see the dotted line of the selection on the sky layer, as seen below. Once that all looks good, select the sky overlay layer in the layers panel, then click the "Add layer mask" button at the bottom of the layers panel (the box with a dot inside). There will be a new layer mask created, and your sky will be decorationg your image beautifully. Below are my results.
Step Five: Now to make it more realistic. These next steps are a little bit flexible to each image; play with it to see what looks best. First thing is to add some blur to the sky. Notice the rest of the background below the sky is blurry due to depth of field. Our sky needs to match that. Make sure the sky overlay layer is selected. Then go to "Filter", hover over "Blur", and click "Gaussian Blur". Make sure the "Preview" box is checked so you can see how much the sky is being blurred. Adjust the radius until the blur matches the rest of the background. Below, you can see what happens if I blur the sky too much (30.4 radius). There is a strange glow around the horse. With blur, a little goes a lot way. I settled on 7.4 - it's enough to smooth out the horizon line, but not enough to cause that strange glow.
Step Six: If needed, take a moderately soft, black brush (about 50% hardness) to brush off the sky from details that accidentally became covered. Make sure you have the layer mask on the sky selected when you are doing this, as it is above (indicated by the white box around the thumbnail). I'm going to use mine to clean up the ears a touch and remove a bit from the mountains on the right, where the selection took over the edge of them.
Step Seven: Lastly, adjust the opacity of the sky overlay layer by using the opacity bar in the layers panel. Lower the opacity until the colors match well with the rest of the scenery and it looks natural. I settled on 82%, as you can see below.
Step Eight: Merge the layers before continuing with your editing as normal. That way, it will be treated like the edited sky is part of the original image. The last image below is my finished product.
