What happens when you hand over the reins: To an Equine Photographer
- Brooke Arseneau
- Jun 18
- 3 min read
A session story from a Vancouver equine photographer
Brooke's Photography | Equine portrait photographer serving Vancouver and the Lower Mainland
One of the things I love most about being a horse portrait photographer in Vancouver is that no two sessions ever feel the same. But every now and then, a session reminds you what this work is really about, your client walking away as the hero of their own story, and you knowing you played exactly the part you were supposed to.
It was an evening session out here in the Lower Mainland, a young girl and the horse she loves, a mare named Emma. Emma is stunning, a unique breed with a real presence, and in that evening light her coat looked brilliant. But what got me was how perfectly the two of them fit together. The plaid shirt, the black riding pants, a girl with her horse, I felt proud watching them. Like I was the lucky one getting to be there.
What made it even more meaningful was what happened after.
She booked the smallest package
When this client first reached out, she was ready to book a session, but my most modest option. She knew what she wanted. She had a number in mind. And that was that.
In my experience as an equine photographer in Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland, the number someone starts with isn't always the number they end with. Not because I push, I genuinely don't, but because something shifts when you see the images. When they're real, and right in front of you, and they're better than you imagined.
That's what the reveal session is for.
Why I don't just send a gallery link
After every horse portrait session I do, I hold an online reveal, walking through the images one on one with my client in real time. And I do it this way because what clients actually need, even when they don't know they need it, is someone in their corner.
They need someone to talk it through with. Someone who can answer questions as they come up, who can say this one would be stunning as a large print or these two belong together in an album. Someone to encourage them when they're second-guessing themselves, because being photographed is vulnerable, and even after the session is over, a little of that vulnerability lingers.
When I'm sitting with a client during their reveal, I'm not selling. I'm guiding. There's a real difference. I do the heavy lifting so they don't have to figure it out alone.
Then she handed over the reins.
During the reveal, something clicked. She saw the photos, really saw them, and something in her relaxed. She stopped managing the situation and just let herself be in it.
She liked them all. She couldn't narrow it because they were all worth keeping. And when I mentioned the album, she loved the idea immediately, not as an add-on, but as the thing that made the most sense. A way to hold all of it. Something she and her daughter could come back to for years.
She trusted me to guide her there. And that moment when a client stops trying to control the outcome and just lets me do my job, is one of my favourite things about this work. It means they feel safe. It means they know they're in good hands. And it means they're going to walk away with something so much better than they originally planned for.
What I want you to take from this
If you've been thinking about booking an equine portrait session and holding back, keeping it small, keeping it safe, telling yourself you only need the basics, I get it. Starting small feels manageable.
But here's what I know after sitting with client after client during their reveals: the photos are always better than expected. The love in them is always more than you're prepared for. And once you see them, choosing feels impossible, because they all matter.
You don't have to figure any of it out in advance. That's what I'm here for.
When the time comes, just hand over the reins. I'll take it from there.
You don't have to have it all figured out before you reach out. That's my job. If you have a horse you love and you're ready to trust the process, I'd love to hear from you. Get in touch and let's start planning your session
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