Please help me choose pics of Electrum :)

[Truly]

Hi everyone
Electrum aka Casper had some photo's taken yesterday as I needed to get some updated ones to use on his Stud Card to send to people.

I can't make up my mind on his two standing ones, and his two trotting ones...please can you tell me which is best?

Many thanks in advance

[accphotography]

The first standing and the second trotting. In fact, I dont' think the first trotting photo is actually a trot. If it is, it's definitely not a photo I'd use.

[Jessi P]

Depends on your market. The first trotting pic might be more appreciated by eventer/dressage type folks, the second would be more appreciated by the hunter set. For a racehorse crowd I would go with the standard left facing confo shot preferred by the stallion register (stallionregister.com).

Of the first two standing confo shots I believe both photos are good but IMO the second is more flattering to his front legs. Its more flattering to his back legs also, because the RH is closer to the ideal straight up and down position.

Very pretty boy you have there!

[Diane]

Agree with JP. The first trotting he shows that nice extension in front with the hind coming parallel showing his ability to reach under and push from behind. Anyone wanting to use him as sporthorse sire will appreciate that pic. Nice.

[Truly]

Thanks guys for replying

JP..I was trying to get him on his nearside but he wouldn't stand facing that way because some horses were behind him in the fields, so I gave up and faced him the other way just to get him to stand still

Yes the second standing I like but he's still bum high so I'm thinking he looks downhill a little?

He didn't do alot of trot (mainly cantering and bucking lol) and of the ones we did get those were the only two with his legs sort of correct
He's started to come back down in the first one and the second one he looks more uphill but I don't particularly like either but wasn't sure if I was being too pedantic?

I would like to able to do some more but I'm running out of time to get his cards sent out.....it's also really hard to get him clean because of the mud here and it's too cold to bath him properly, so I've been limited to time and weather conditions.

But if you think they're honestly not good enough I will have another go.
I want them to do him justice, not the other way round.

Thanks again

[Jorge]

I agree, the first one!

[accphotography]

It really depends on your market. The first confo photo is definitely more of a Warmblood market type. I much, much, much prefer what the first one does to the overall look of his body. He looks far more balanced and strong. Do NOT pick a photo because it's in the "style", pick the photo that makes your horse look the best. IMO that is clearly the first one. He looks kinda "meh" in the second and I wouldn't look at him twice, but the first one catches my attention and makes me go "hmmm".

As far as the trotting photos, I don't like either. I'm surprised to see two people liking the first one. It looks like an awkward phase between trot and canter and IMO doesn't show reach from the hind AT ALL, just the opposite in fact. There is no way he is tracking up in that photo. In the second photo he looks like he's on his way to an overreach and his head is beautifully long and level. Yes it's on the wrong diagonal, but it's showing reach, suspension, balance and it's even showing a free shoulder (that shot shows more front extension than the other).

So yeah, if it were me I'd probably re-shoot. But if that wasn't an option I'd go with #1 and #2 by miles.

[HeadlessHorseman]

I like them all.....CAN YOU MAKE A FLIP CARD??????

I like the 2nd for some reason....

HE'S SO DARN BEAUTIFUL....It seems like only yesterday he was heading YOUR WAY!!!!

HH

[BlazingColours]

I like the second conformation picture and do not really fancy either trotting one. I can see why some would like the first and why some would like the second but really they are both not great.

The first trotting, as others have said, is more of a dressage/jumper type though I agree the hind end is not really coming under. And the second is more hunter but traveling downhill.

A great trot picture is tough to get, especially whent he subject is not trotting much to begin with.

[Crystal]

the first standing photo makes him look very well balanced. The 2nd standing photo makes him look turned out in back.

Barara Livingston told me once you should be able to see the inside of the hock, but not the whole hock.

[TrueColours]

Honestly?

I wouldnt use any of those pictures ... You are going to do yourself far more harm than good by sending those out and having people judge his conformation and movement based solely on those

If he was an older, more established stallion with a performance career, foals on the ground already, etc - he'd be judged less harshly but for a brand new young stallion, where people's sole opinion of him will be formed by these pictures, IMO its a big mistake to use any of them

The front and back shots dont offend - they are fine to include

The first standing shot is the only one where you have gotten the angle's right - shooting from mid barrel so the front end matches the back. The 2nd shot is actually the better POSITIONED shot, but you have shot it from the shoulder back, so the angle's are totally wrong and he no longer looks balanced

Here is what I mean ...

I LOVE this picture of my Faux Finish mare:



From a Sport Horse / hunter perspective, I feel its perfect. Her position is 100% correct to show off her conformation, she is standing "with a leg at each corner" as the saying goes, her attention is forward, alert and interested and this picture makes people WANT to like her and to enquire more about her

Here is another picture of FF taken 2 months earlier, where she is again standing perfectly, but the angle is wrong ...



I have to guess if I like her shoulder in this one (could it be straight??? Or is it okay???). Is she over in that one knee or is it the angle??? I'm not sure if I like her hind end, or is it the angle once again??? You DONT want people questionning if they do or dont like your stallion 100% because the pictures arent perfect - you need to provide PERFECT pictures and have them rule him in or out based on a PERFECT picture and not because they get tired of trying to figure out if he is crappy or its just your crappy camera angles and skills ...

That first trot shot is a mix between a trot and canter - scrap it totally

The 2nd trot shot is not appealing. Based on that picture, would I want to send my money to you and breed my mare to him? Not on your life - it is simply "okay" and thats it ...

*IF* you got exemplary standing and trotting shots, you can then use that canter shot if you saw a need to do so. It doesnt offend, but on the flip side, it really doesnt add anything to the equation either ...

The BEST stallion ads, IMO, the stallion jumps out of that picture and says "BREED YOUR MARE TO ME!!!!!". You then want to mortgage your soul and your house to get a foal exactly like him out of your mare. None of your pictures say that to me ...

You will also need to round up lots of help if necessary. Get a friend to hold a mare out of camera range so he is puffed up and interested and you can see the definition of his muscles and his interest is 100% focused forward on her and not looking aimlessly around. Give him the "look of eagles" in the pictures. It is SO important to have him look majestic and stallion like and not like a nice quiet gelding

Hope that helps ... good luck!

[Truly]

Thanks everyone

I really appreciate all your comments.

I'm going to try again tomorrow and pray the weather is ok.

I wasn't happy about the standing and trotting ones....getting really stressed about the time limit etc. and waan't sure if I was being too fussy?.....but you've confirmed my thoughts........thanks again x

[color]

Let me say something too.

Pictures of Faux Finish:

Dont get me wrong, I LOVE Faux Finish, but that first picture is not like a horse must be stood up correctly. The two legs to the photographer must be opened to the viewer and her hind left leg is where the hind right leg should be to have the hind left leg outside and the right inside. Hope that makes any sense.

Pictures of Electrum, more complicated as needs to be advertised as a prospective sire.

1. and 2. correct stood up with open legs to the viewer but on 1. the front legs go too much under the body and in both of the pictures he is croup high and therefore looks sway back, not good to show like that.

3. picture, weird looking trot

4. picture trot with too much neck down and downhill trot with a too high croup again

5. Picture, gallop nice but the high croup makes again the middle look like a sway back

6. picture you see that his left hind leg is footing on the outside of his left hoof first and that his front right hoof is toeing in slightly as it walks to the left over and not straight

7. nothing to see from there

Sorry to write all this, but I think it is essential to see the little faults that an eye looking for FAULTS and not positiveness can find, as MOST breeders look first for the faults not the positive. And I see it from the angle of a breeder that has to fulfill the needs of a WB association's approval.

[madelyn]

I agree with True Colours.

Your horse needs to be standing straight and looking forward, not toward the photographer, to give a better idea of his true neck and topline. In all of the stills you have of him, he looks a bit butt high. I am only a pure race breeder but I skip stallions who are represented by a racing or moving photo - there is a prevalent belief that if the horse is not represented by a still conformation photo, beware.

Also, in my opinion, your lighting was not good. While it might be hard to find the sun at your place at this time of year, if you can't have it at your back, you can put out some work lights.

[TrueColours]

Dont get me wrong, I LOVE Faux Finish, but that first picture is not like a horse must be stood up correctly. The two legs to the photographer must be opened to the viewer and her hind left leg is where the hind right leg should be to have the hind left leg outside and the right inside. Hope that makes any sense.

Bitch, bitch, bitch ...

But I agree with you 100% ... I wish those 2 hind legs had been reversed and THEN the picture would have been ideal!

There is this picture that does have the hind legs placed correctly, the picture angle is 100% correct, but I wish the offside hind leg was back just a few more inches and the tail hadnt blown in front of the offside hind leg to make it 100% perfect in my eyes ... ... everything else about it I love - its that right hind and tail that isnt perfect unfortunately ...



Getting "THE" perfect Money Shot, 100% ideal picture is harder than finding hen's teeth at times and it is SO important for a stallion especially to have pictures to make people drool over what they look like. If you dont have those pictures, you either dont post any, or post a stunning head shot and keep working on perfect standing and movement ones so that when someone contacts you, THEN you can send them out