5 Challenges that Keep Me From Posting More Riding Pictures

I am in awe of the scores of other equestrian bloggers I follow who continually have fantabulous pictures of themselves and their handsome steeds in action. I’ve been feeling like a bit of a slacker by comparison. I stopped to ponder what’s holding me back from doing the same. Time for a little self-disclosure.

1. It’s hard to take my own picture while riding. (Shocking, right?) I have to recruit a “helper” to catch the motion. This means coordinating schedules. Not impossible, but not simple.

2. It gets dark so early and I usually ride Knight at night. Not conducive to photography.

3. Pure vanity. If you look closely at this image. I am totally grimacing. Not attractive. This was taken the day Knight decided to tap into his racehorse roots. He was thinking, “Go!” while I was thinking, “Whoa!!”  #embarrassingfacialexpression (I’m trying to be less vain by sharing this with you all).

4. When I see a picture of myself riding, my inner critic kicks in. “My outside rein is too loopy. My leg looks unsteady. Why am I so far forward?” I think I’m my own worst equitation enemy. Vanity strikes again. I don’t want THE WORLD (a.k.a. Saddle Seeks Horse subscribers) to see my riding–warts and all. I forget you’re not all incarnations of George Morris.

5. I don’t think we’re doing anything super remarkable/photo-worthy at this stage of our “career.” I’m getting my sea legs back. Knight’s learning balance. We’re both just kind of starting out again.

But now as I review this post and I see the cute blaze and the perky ears, I’m thinking I need to push through my hangups and just click and post. Each image is a snapshot in time of how we were doing at a particular moment. We are more than the sum of these amateur photographs.

What tips do you have for getting decent riding photographs? Are there any pictures you are reluctant to share with the blogosphere?

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