'Horses are such a big part of people’s lives' - what it's like to be an equine photographer in Staffordshire

“If I’m being honest, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t, which is common for people who are horsey.

“My mum always had an interest in horses. She didn’t have her own horse but she had an interest in them and being around them.

“I grew up with the same interest and I’ve always loved being around them. Any excuse to be near a horse, I was there. I was the kid in the playground that was trotting around in circles,” she recalls.

Fiona began learning to ride when she was nine and has had her own horse, Oliver, for 13 years. 

"We used to go out competing and eventing. We’ve done a lot together from playing polo to beach holidays,” she explains.

The 25-year-old, who lives near Cannock, has also had a life-long love of art. 

“I’ve always been creative. If I wasn’t doing photography, I was drawing or painting. 

“Since I was very young, horses have been the muse for that,” explains Fiona. 

Photography became one of her favourite hobbies and she would often take her DSLR camera with her to equestrian events.

Fiona had never seriously considered taking it any further until her parents won a professional photoshoot in a competition in 2019.

Watching the photographer work was an eye-opening experience and she realised she wanted to pursue photography as a career.

“It was an amazing experience and after that I knew I wanted to do that now. It brought that spark back for me,” she explains. 

Fiona threw herself into learning everything she could to hone her skills and it wasn’t long before she had been booked for her first shoot.

“I was at the livery yard with my horse when I was approached by someone who wanted me to photograph their daughter in her prom dress with her pony. 

“It all started from there. That was the first shoot I did. Because it was a big livery yard, I ended up photographing 10-15 horses. It was a fantastic experience,” she explains.

At the start of 2020, Fiona began publishing her photographs on a Facebook page and since then demand for her skills has continued to grow. 

In 2021, she graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a First Class Honours degree in fine art. Fiona has also won a number of awards for her photography including being awarded Gold in Equine Photographer of the Year in 2021. Her work has also featured in Horse & Hound and The Native Pony magazines and she has worked with a number of leading equestrian brands.

Last year, Fiona became a registered member of The Guild of Photographers, which runs an online monthly photographic competition, judged by internationally respected judges.

They selected 10 images in their respective categories to go forward to the annual Image of the Year Final. Four of Fiona’s photographs were shortlisted in the Equine Image of the Year category and she was “absolutely over the moon” to be named runner-up earlier this month. 

Fiona was also awarded International Top 10 Photographer within the Pets category.

Travelling across the Midlands as well as further afield, Fiona offers a number of different portrait packages for horses and their owners as well as black background sessions and commercial photography.

Through her own equestrian experience, Fiona has developed a strong understanding of equine behaviour and uses this to produce images that highlight the bond between horses and their owners. She also takes great pride in her attention to detail and capturing each animal’s unique character traits.

“The biggest compliment I can be given as an equine photographer is that I have captured their personality,” she says.  Fiona is also happy to include dogs in the portraits if this is important to her clients. “Most people who have a horse, also have a dog, so a common request is ‘can I have some portraits of my dog’. I always do that if people ask,” she explains. 

Creating photographs that owners will be able to treasure for years to come is what makes Fiona’s job so rewarding.

“Horses are such a big part of people’s lives. I know from having my own horse, how deeply we connect with them and what a great friend he is to me. I know what it means to create these memories and have that preserved and I enjoy doing that for other people.”

For more information, see www.fionamoorephotography.co.uk