Equestrian Photoshoot Ideas for Senior Photos
Horse Photography | Equine Portraits | Senior Photos | Capricorn Farm, Golden Colorado | Warmblood Horses | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Aralimbo’s last home, Capricorn Farm in Jefferson County, Colorado, is a peaceful oasis that is permanently painted into my mind. Seated right in front of North Table Mountain in Golden, CO, every sunset sunk behind the Rocky Mountains too quickly, splashing palates of pink, yellow, and blue into the open sky like a landscape portrait by your favorite impressionist painter. The kicker of Capricorn Farm, though, was the owner, Katie, and her daughter, Jenna, who rode and worked that idyllic farm property as naturally as North Table Mountain emerged from the soil of the front range.
Farm life isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but those who dive head first into the hay do so because they love animals more than they love themselves. Katie, like most barn owners we’ve met, evoked a stern, take-no-shit attitude when we first talked shop with her. Then, when we saw her walk through the stable, strutting in her element, shaking the dust from the field from her jacket, we noticed the heart behind the hard work. The way she reached out to touch her equine friends was as gentle as a gardener’s whisper; the way she looked into their eyes as sensitive as a mother’s gaze. It’s only in the rare few that these two seemingly opposite character traits – toughness and tenderness – materialize into the calloused hands of the seasoned farmer.
The last month we were in Colorado, Heather secretly did a photo session with Jenna and her horse, Justice, as a thank you gift for Katie’s loving care of Aralimbo. There’s a certain bond between a horse and the rider, Heather keeps telling me, and it first became evident in those photographs. Jenna was heading off to college and was heartbroken leaving Justice in Colorado, but such is the price you pay when you love something so much. Yet that day at Capricorn, Heather immortalized Jenna and Justice’s bond in photographs that will also reinforce Jenna’s relationship with Katie. It reminded me that distance between loved ones can always change with time, but remembering the moments that shaped our lives never will.
There’s something about the love of animals that makes having weddings at barns or farms more appropriate than banquet halls. Perhaps it’s the unconditional love that’s exchanged between eyes, the reward of hard work, or the many loves that the old wooden walls must’ve seen over time. All I know is that Heather and I are going to find a farm wedding venue that captures whatever it is.
Whether a trend or if farm weddings are here to stay, having the privilege to meet people like Katie and Jenna is why we are in the industry that we are in. Nothing means more to us than providing meaningful pathways for families, couples, or relatives to connect to one another. It just so happens that many of the people in our lives have an overwhelming amount of love for the other creatures we share this earth with. If it’s anything we can learn from them is that although their hands are calloused, it doesn’t prevent them from also being gentle.
Jenna & Justice
Horse Photography: Apollo Fields
Venue: Capricorn Farm
Senior Photos in Colorado Springs
Alec’s Senior Photos in CO Springs | Colorado Senior Photography | Apollo Fields
Even though I specialize in weddings, I’ll occasionally take on other types of shoots (seniors, families, maternity, etc) by referrals and whenever I do, I’m so glad to have stepped outside of my specialty and have a chance to play around a bit artistically! Senior sessions are a lot of fun for me because I can remember being a senior in high school and it feeling like such a transitory time in terms of your own identity.
I remember senior year feeling like I was living dual identities. On one hand, I was the big man on campus. I had seniority, which in my boarding school life meant a lot. On the other hand, I was about to go into an unknown and unforgiving adult world with a lot of questions that hadn’t yet been answered. I had applied to a bunch of schools that I wasn’t passionate about, and even though I was accepted into their programs, I had no passion for anything besides art and riding horses.
I decided to pursue riding full time and table college for a semester. All of my friends were off to their freshman years and I deferred all of my acceptances to take some really prestigious riding opportunities. I ended up being the best decision for me in the long run and I wouldn’t change it, but looking back, I didn’t have a firm grip on my identity in my senior year. I never got senior portraits done and honestly, I wish I had. That year for me — even though I didn’t feel anchored — propelled me in a lot of ways and I wish I had pictures to remind me of that time.
I had a great time working with Alec for his senior portraits. He reminded me of myself in my senior year in the sense that he obviously had a lot of drive and willpower. He had applied to all Ivies, including ED for Yale University which he had recently been accepted to. On top of his awesome grades and SAT scores, he is avid clarinetist for his school as well as playing for his school’s varsity lacrosse team. I was able to see how the support from his parents and community was helping drive him in the right directions and it was an honor to be able to photograph this important time in his life.
To set up a senior session, contact Heather today!