Photos By Nat

Danielle is SWEET Sixteen!

2011-03-05T10:27:00.001-05:00

A few weeks back, I had the honor of photographing a very special birthday girl who shows horses on the East Tennessee circuit. Danielle Ricker had NO idea that her parents, Mark & Vickie, had sent her off to what she thought was just a movie date with friends. Little did she know that her evening would include a limo ride, pedicures and manicures at the Johnson City mall, followed by a surprise party with a few of her closest friends and family.

Announcing the 'Team' for the 2010 URHOEA World Celebration

2010-09-14T22:30:00.003-04:00

Photos By Nat is proud to announce our team for the 2010 URHOEA World Celebration!

We are excited about serving as the official photography provider for the first time under the new name of Photos By Nat and we are bringing you EXPERIENCE in capturing your memories from the 2010 World Show!

Joining the sales team for the event is PJ Wamble from Lewisburg, Tennessee.

Pj has 26 years plus experience as a customer service representative and marketing background in the equine photography industry. She is the former editor of the VOICE magazine and currently serves many customers throughout the US with her wonderful portrait and stallion photography. She has worked with many well known professionals including Shane Shiflet, Matt Morehead and Avalon Photography. She is a respected professional and person in the Tennessee Walking Horse field and we are proud to have her working the sales table at the Celebration. She is a true treasure and a delight! Be sure to stop by and say hello to Pj!

While I (Natasha) will be in center ring capturing shots from inside, Courtney Church will be capturing your favorite out of the ring photos!

Courtney comes from White Bear Lake, Minnesota and is a fellow equine photographer. She has over 10 years of experience in photographing gaited horses and has an unreal ability to capture candids and action outside the ring. She currently serves as an official photographer to many multi day Saddlebred and Arabian Horse Shows. She has also worked with many other professional photographers at some of the largest shows in the country.

In addition to these two fine ladies, Photos By Nat will be uploading proofs wirelessly to 6 laptops for quick viewing and ordering. Proofs should be posted online the morning following each night’s performance.

And, we are offering an EXCLUSIVE Celebration package deal!

Pick FIVE to SIX of your favorite shots and get (1) 8 x 10, (2) 5 x 7s, (1) 11 x 14, (1) 16 x 20, and (8) Wallets – a $400 Value – for ONLY $295! This deal is only good if you order at the horse show! And new for this show – we WILL be accepting credit cards onsite!

Our booth will be located near registration and will be open 90 minutes before evening sessions start Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Other Celebration goodies from the Photos By Nat team includes the donation of an 8 x 10 print to all reserve winners in the juvenile classes. A little something special for the youth of our industry!

We will be giving away some prizes for Celebration competitors so stay tuned! If your show buddies are not already ‘liking’ Photos by Nat’ on facebook – be sure to tell them to do so by clicking the ‘like’ button!

We know the big South Carolina Walking Horse show and the Decatur, Alabama Celebration start this week so we want to wish all you guys a successful show as well! Best of luck!

And of course, we wish you the best at the URHOEA World Show and please stop by and see us! See YOU at the show!

Sherry Rouse and Her Boys

2010-07-14T02:00:00.005-04:00

In June, I had the pleasure of photographing a very special lady and two loves of her life.

Sherry Rouse of Rutledge, Tennessee loves her pony Biniary and her dog Nitro.

Biniary, of course, is a Tennessee Walking Horse. Nitro is a Doberman who really is just a big baby with fur. The session was done at Indian Ridge Stables where Biniary is trained by her other half, Wayne Conley.

Biniary, Sherry, and Nitro under the shade tree.

Nitro was a little scared about sitting in the chair so this had to be a quick shot. Good boy Nitro!

She really loves her pony! And he loves her too!

Eb and the Gang at Copperhead Hollow

2010-05-09T13:55:00.008-04:00

In April, I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting with Dr. Marion Pennington and her husband Jim at their beautiful farm in London, Kentucky.

Pusher's Diamond Girl was the mama of He's A Dangerous Pusher (who sadly passed away this year) She was due any day and was such a great sport about having her photos made.

Dr. Pennington and Pusher's Diamond Girl

A quiet moment with mom.

Meet Doc's Ebony Eazer aka Eb. Just a two year old - Eb is full of passion, spirit, and talent. Eb was doing his quarter horse impression here but don't let that fool you! He has a great running walk as well!

Weeee heeee!

Ok. Time for the serious stuff. Would you believe Eb is not trained to park? Sometimes, all it takes is a little patience with the babies! We took him into the yard (aka the forbidden zone for horses!) What a pose to end the shoot!

Special CD Offer - Limited Time ONLY!

2010-04-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

We have a special offer for those of you who have procrastinated about ordering images in the past! Our archives are getting really crowded and we need to move some of the older images. Now is the perfect time to get those images you have always wanted and at an unbeatable price!

Get up to 10 high resolution files images on a CD with an unlimited usage release to make your own prints for ONLY $150! These images can be from any show from 2006 to 2009. Have more than 10? Then we have another unreal deal!

Get 20 images on a CD for $200!!

2009 and 2008 show images remain online at www.photosbynat.com If you would like for us to pull the archives for you to choose your images for your CD package, then please email me at tasha@photosbynat.com with the show name, location, class name, horse & rider description.

These images may not be available much longer and this is a LIMITED offer! Expires April 25th. Don't wait!

Kim Arnold and Her Handsome Boys (and Gen Gen Too!)

2010-03-26T19:07:00.006-04:00

Back last Spring, I donated a free farm session up to three horses to a lucky bidder at the East Tennessee Barn Party. The winner of that gift was Kim Arnold. Our schedules finally got together back at the first of the month to do the session at Paul Livingston's barn in Church Hill Tennessee. The weather could not have been more perfect!

The first horse we photographed was Tiny...known in the show ring as Pushing Up the Dollar. Tiny is very photogenic and was such a good boy with all the extra attention around!

Gen-U-Wine JFK or 'Gen Gen' is what Kim says is her 'forever mare'. This team graces the show ring in shows around the East Tennessee area. She has such a wonderful love for this horse. And I do believe Gen Gen feels the same.

Last but certainly not least, we have A Fortune Dollar. A nice two year old that is new in the barn and is a beauty to look at. I'm sure we will hear his name more often this year!

Smoky Mountain Horse Sale - Through Someone Else's Eyes

2010-02-28T23:31:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite events to attend is the Smoky Mountain Horse Sale. Not only is it close to home but it’s the event that gets everyone excited about the upcoming show season! This is normally my time to test my equipment and get the rust off my skills. This year, I took a different road. In light of my new outlook and business plans, I took this sale as an opportunity to test some prospect candid photographers.

The first one you already know. It’s Noelia Dixon. She works the table for me at shows. With the new set up, it’s going to make things so much easier for her and the customers to handle the viewing process. This will also grant her a little more time. She is a camera fanatic. Always catching photos while we are on the road. I have to watch myself sometimes because I never know what photographic coverage she will have posted to her MySpace page of me! Example – me chowing down on a bunch of waffles in West Virginia! She’s still learning horses but she has a catchy eye for children and arty moments. The two following images are hers.

Rebecca Britt’s family is no stranger to the show ring. Her brother, Nathan Britt, rides in many East Tennessee Shows and so does sis Amanda. Rebecca never took quite the pull to horses that her siblings did but she has one thing that can’t be taught – the artistic eye and hunger. She’s an artist! I came to know here through her mother, Angela. She told me Rebecca may like to do some candids for me. I found her on Facebook and got to looking at some of her art images. WOW! This girl has a lot of talent. This was her first time with a huge camera and lenses in her hands and I basically threw her out of the nest to see how far she could fly. She did wonderful!

Last but certainly not least is Darren Gilliam. Unlike Noelia and Rebecca, Darren is a serious horse person and knows a lot about how the Walking Horses move. He owns padded performance horses and shows about every weekend. He is constantly tormenting me with action shots he manages to get with his cell phone at neighboring barns. He has done some candids for me in the past but I wanted to throw the big rig in his hands so he could get a better appreciation for what the in ring camera person does. He has major potential. He’s just a little shy!

Win A Special Gift for Valentines Day!

2010-02-09T16:06:00.003-05:00

Valentines Day is just around the corner! It’s a great time to show your love and appreciation for that special someone. If that special someone happens to have a horse or pet, then this would be the ultimate gift!

Phots by Nat is drawing for a private photo session for a lucky pet or equine. We are calling it ‘Hearts for Hooves and Paws.’

To be eligable for the contest, you have to meet three simply requirements.

1) In order to be eligible, you must live in one of five states Photos By Nat travels to on a regular basis. Those are Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia.

2) You must be a fan on facebook of Photos By Nat

3) Session must be used in the year 2010.

Session Includes:

*Portraits of one horse OR up to two pets. People with the horse/pet can be included.

*Travel to location.

*Pre-shoot consultation.

*One 11 x 14 finished and beautifully matted on art board.

*A private showing of your images for proofing OR an online proofing gallery.

How do you enter? If you are a fan of Photos By Nat, Simply write ‘Enter Hearts for Hooves and Paws!’ on our wall. If you are not a fan, click the following link to become a fan on Facebook!

Become a Fan on Facebook!

Winner

All names entered will be put in the entry box and a winner will be drawn and announced Saturday, February 13th!

Best of luck!

Horsin Around in January!

2010-02-01T16:36:00.010-05:00

Old man winter brought the second big snowfall of the winter season to our farm last week. I love it when the snow stops and the sun comes out on those cold, brisk winter mornings. I especially love it when I get to take time and photograph my own two boys enjoying their time out of the barn. Later this week, I will feature the pets and scenery!

It’s All About Ethics

2010-01-30T02:03:00.000-05:00

I have been told that my candid photography is some of my best work. These different angle shots – outside the ring, in the moment captures can sometimes tell the story without words. That is what my business is based on – “images that speak.” But sometimes, you need to have a little silence to appreciate things. So for 2010, I’m putting a muzzle on the talking images outside the ring…well, sort of.

For the past few years, I freelanced over the rail at horse shows where there was an official photographer in center ring. I did not have the permission from the official photographer nor did I feel the need to get permission. I had this belief that if they got the better shot, they would not need to worry about me. After all, I only done different candid type shots and I was not shooting the same side rail shots with a flash like they were. What is the harm? For many years, I held the belief that my style was different than the in ring photographers’ style and in many cases, I think it still is. And, when I am in center ring, other photographers on the outside never really bothered me.

It wasn’t until a good friend of mine and a fellow walking horse photographer had a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting with me on the subject of freelancing over the rail that I realized this type of thing is not only unethical to the official photographer, it’s downright rude.

The Saddlebred industry is over run with over-the-rail photographers. At many of their shows, you will see anywhere between two to as many as 10 photographers with pro level cameras. Digital sure has changed things because now everyone thinks because they have a nice camera, they can be a photographer too. Which I’m sorry to say isn’t the case. You can use the same paint brushes Leonardo did but it doesn’t mean you can paint the Mona Lisa. This business is getting harder and harder to make a living at. The tough economic times don’t help and the USDA showing up at the walking shows really doesn’t help. Very rarely do official photographers get paid to be at an event. Most of us are lucky if we get a hotel room, let alone the fuel , meals, and other expenses taken care of.

Digital doesn’t mean we don’t have expenses. The cost of digital is higher than the cost of film. The only wonderful thing about digital is we now have the instant gratification in knowing we got the shot. I learned my craft on film. And I can tell you that the cameras are not made to last like the old film cameras were. You have to upgrade constantly to keep operating. In old film days, we didn’t have to post proofs online or email electronic images to publications. Now the cost of doing business, website hosting, software programs, this all takes a lot to maintain and keep up. Let alone the money you have to put back for living expenses, buy groceries, pay bills, and keep the lights on.

So, is it really fair for someone who has no expenses to be at a show other than gas money to show up and take photos and sell them after the show? No. I don’t think it’s fair anymore.

This is a time for fellow show photographers to pull together. My actions and arrogant attitude have hurt some of my fellow photographers in the past and I no longer wish to do this.

We can still give our exhibitors and shows what they want by working together and respecting each other. Up until recently, I was the only full time pro in-ring photographer in the walking horse world that freelanced at shows where there was an official photographer. Not anymore. I love my fellow photographers and I love my customers. So what do you do if you are unhappy with who is in center ring at a show? Tell show management. It’s the right thing to do!

In 2010, if you want a candid from Photos By Nat, it will be at a show where I am in center ring. I’m stepping up my game and will do my best to supply an outside ring photographer at shows where I am in center ring. I am also hoping to work side by side with some of the finest pros in the industry to give exhibitors what they want. But, when Natasha Douglas Photography died, so did the unethical shooting over the rail.

I’m sure this issue will be discussed again and I have more comments but for now, I will leave it at that.

And by the way – Photos By Nat is searching for candid photographers ;) Drop me an email at tasha@photosbynat.com !