The following are key elements that are present in pretty much every good horse for sale picture.
- Horse is shown with a full side view. The image is not cropped so that any part of the horse is missing and potential buyers can get a good idea of your horse's look.
- Horse's ears are forward and the horse looks alert. There's just something about a horse standing in a relaxed state that is unappealing in a picture.
- Horse is standing relatively square and looks very correct in his stance. A straight, sound horse can look crooked in a picture taken with his legs not positioned correctly.
- Picture is cropped so that we only see the horse. No non-essential background is present and the horse is the focus of the picture.
- Picture is taken in full sun -- a horse will really shine in sunlight while pictures in the shade can make a horse look dull and unappealing.
There are also certain angles and tricks that can be employed when taking your picture. I've found that my sharpest pictures occur when I stand slightly towards the rear of the horse and take the picture while having someone stand on my same side but slightly to the front of the horse to get the horse's attention. This results in a picture with a side view of the horse with the horse's head facing slightly toward the same side and his ears forward.
I've also found that it's best to take pictures of riding horses with the saddle on, but not necessarily with someone in the saddle. This makes the horse jump out on the main listing page as a riding horse but still allows for the horse to be the focus of the picture. The other option for riding horses is to use an action shot. These pictures can truly be great when done well and will definitely stand out to prospective buyers.
The following pics are examples of some fairly decent pictures currently on the site.
This picture is really pretty good. This horse's feet are pretty square, his ears are up, and he's looking in the direction of the camera. I would like to see this a bit more towards the side so it's not so much of a rear view, and I would also have liked to see it taken from the side where the sun is shining on the horse. This beautiful palomino color would have really popped out at buyers when taken in full sunlight.
This isn't a bad picture, but I would have liked to see this horse looking a bit toward the camera and his front feet aren't quite square which makes him look a bit narrow. This horse's tail is also covering part of his rear muscle which hides any muscle definition from the camera.
This picture is I think an example of how a picture can be good even when it's not following the basic guidelines. This is a really beautiful action shot and shows the spirit of this colt. It would have been better if it could have been taken on the side where the sun was shining, but other than that I really like this shot.
This is a really good picture. In my opinion this is the perfect angle to take a horse picture at. The picture is taken to the side and slightly to the rear. The horse's head is facing slightly towards the camera, his feet are pretty square, his ears are forward and his tail is perfectly positioned. The only thing that I'd have liked to see is a but more sunlight to make him shine.
The most important thing to ask yourself when you're choosing the picture to add to your listing is whether or not the picture you're putting up would make you want to buy the horse. If your answer is no, then your best bet is to go take another picture. It may take some time and effort to get a good picture for your horse listing, but it'll definitely be worth it in the long run.
