Equine Black Background Sessions

Have you ever wondered how photographers create those stunning black background portraits of horses? You’ve probably seen them; clean, dramatic, timeless images where the horse looks like it’s emerging from the shadows.

Whether you’re a photographer looking to master the technique or a client curious about what happens behind the scenes, you’re in the right place!

The foundation of a great black background photo is the location. A barn with a center aisle works best. Position the horse in the doorway and far enough back to stay completely out of the direct sun—especially on bright days. Keeping the horse in soft, indirect light eliminates harsh shadows and gives you those beautiful, even tones.

Before you start shooting, take a moment to prep the space. Close any doors behind the horse if possible, and remove any clutter in the aisle. The darker and cleaner the background is from the start, the easier your editing will be later. A clean floor helps, too—it keeps distractions minimal and makes refining the final image much simpler.

Before you start shooting, have a plan for posing. This helps you guide the horse and handler smoothly and keeps the session efficient. I like to capture a variety of angles, including headshots, half-body portraits, and full-body images to give clients a diverse gallery to choose from.

When it comes to shooting, your angle matters just as much as your lighting. For most black background portraits, unless you’re going for a head-down pose, you’ll want to stand rather than crouch. Shooting from a natural height keeps the horse’s proportions accurate and flattering.

That said, if you’re photographing a shorter pony or a mini, you may need to lower your perspective so you’re capturing them at eye level. This helps maintain the same elegant look without making them appear distorted.

For lenses, sticking to the 85–100mm range is ideal. This focal length minimizes distortion, especially around the horse’s head and ears, and gives the image that clean, polished feel.

In the next blog post I’ll go into how to edit these so we can go from RAW to finished product.