Book a shoot

● Booking spring foal shoots

Newmarket, Suffolk

A woman and a horse in silhouette in the open doorway of a barn, low sun behind them.

Horse and rider photography by Jess Arden, at your yard, in your light.
Get in touch

I believe the best horse photographs happen when nobody is holding a carrot behind the camera: a horse at ease in its own field, with the person who knows it best.

A woman in a denim jacket smiling as she strokes a bay horse's face in a green paddock.

From the first phone call to the final print, every shoot is slow, quiet and built around the horse.

Where you'll find me

Yards, studs and showgrounds

NewmarketStuds and training yards

SuffolkPrivate yards and livery

CambridgeshireRiding clubs

NorfolkPony Club camps

EssexUnaffiliated shows

Your fieldAnywhere within 60 miles

Recent work

Stories worth keeping

A chestnut horse with a white blaze, head and neck against a dark grey background.
Rafferty, aged 22Portrait
A rider on a dark horse in thick fog on open ground.
First hack of winterHorse and rider
A bay mare standing with her young foal in a green field.
Willow and her first foalStud
A grey horse with a long white mane against a black background.
Moth, in the stable lightPortrait

View all stories

Shoots

A shoot for every kind of horse

A woman in a long black dress standing close beside a black horse at the edge of woodland.

Portraits

You and your horse at home, two hours, as many outfits as you like. From £295.

A bay foal standing beside its dark bay mother as she grazes.

Foals

Three visits in the first summer: a week, a month and three months old. £420.

A rider on a grey horse trotting across a sand arena in front of a large old building.

Shows

Your class, your round, your rosette. Edited and sent the same evening. From £120.

A horse standing alone at the end of a long, dim stable corridor.

Yards

For studs, liveries and riding schools that need pictures as good as their horses. By quote.

How a shoot works

From first call to framed print

Close-up of a bay horse's eye and forelock.
— The callWe talk about your horse, not your camera roll.
A woman resting her hand on the face of a pale horse.
— The visitAn hour of just being there before the camera comes out.
A bay horse with a white blaze standing in a dark barn, light from a window behind.
— The lightEarly or late, never midday. Barns on grey days.
A black and white horse nuzzling the hands of a woman in jeans by a fence.
— The printsThirty edited pictures in two weeks, prints in four.
A woman in a white T-shirt reaching up to brush a tall chestnut horse outside its stable.

Words that matter

I had twenty years of blurry phone pictures of Barney and not one of the two of us together. Jess spent a morning in the field with us and I came away with the only photograph of him I will ever need. He died that winter. It hangs over the fireplace.
Claire HollisPortrait shoot, Bury St Edmunds

For you

Before your shoot

  1. Groom the day before, not the morning of. A freshly bathed horse is a fidgety one.
  2. Have a helper who knows the horse. Ears forward is a two-person job.
  3. Wear plain, darker colours that suit your horse. Avoid logos and hi-vis.
  4. Leave a feed out of the way. Hungry horses only look at the bucket.
A bay horse with a long black mane walking towards the camera. A chestnut horse looking out over the door of a white stable.

FAQ

Good to know

A few answers before you book. Anything else, just ask.

My horse is old and not very photogenic. Is it worth it?
Those are the shoots that matter most. Old horses are often the calmest and the most themselves.
What if it rains?
We move the date for free, or shoot in the barn. Some of my favourite pictures were taken in a downpour.
Can I ride in the photographs?
Yes, on the ground and in the saddle. Ridden shots need a safe, enclosed space.
Do you photograph ponies and donkeys?
Gladly. Anything with four hooves and a person who loves it.
How far do you travel?
Sixty miles from Newmarket at no charge. Further for foal shoots by arrangement.

Ready to book a shoot?

Tell me about your horse and where it lives. I reply to every message within two days, usually from a field.

Start my shoot
A young chestnut horse with a white blaze in a green field. A young chestnut foal with a white blaze in a sunny field. A horse grazing between trees in low golden sunlight. A small pale foal standing on a green hillside. A black and white portrait of a grey horse in a bridle. A dark horse and a person standing close together at sunset.