Photography Tours

Aunique Ranch is available for self walking and Kubota guided photography tours by appointment only. All other tours are scheduled to keep with social distancing guidelines so when you schedule you own that hour to yourself or your social bubble friends.

Individual Photographers $35 per hour.

Videographers $45 per hour.

Call to schedule. 713-702-4569

Anapaytoo a smokey black pearl photo by Richard Houghton

Beginner’s Guide to Photographing Horses

Horses speak through body language. They also interpret human intentions through our body language. Simple movements like crouching down to make yourself smaller than the foal (baby horse) will draw the foal to you. Raising your hands up in the air will make you taller than the horse and will send it away. A cupped hand with a few fingers wiggling will indicate a treat and gain attention. However, in a herd that attention may get you more than you bargained for. Always be leery of too many horses surrounding you at any time as they may fight the others off for your sole attention.

Fillys Playing photo by Kristi Johnson

Photographing horses is dependent on the end results you wish to achieve. Action shots like a herd running can be very breathtaking and require a fast shutter speed with zoom lens while horses grazing is a more serene view that a regular lens. A stallion photo in an attentive stance is very majestic and can be captured with a regular lens while foals playing are adorable and will require a zoom lens and faster shutter speed. Action shots can be taken from a distance or up close but attention to safety should be your main focus. Grazing shots can be taken up close with a focus on the horse’s ears for safety. Ears forward represents a positive nature of a horse. (However, that being said there is a whole family line here at the ranch that keep their ears pinned back at all times. Not that they are mad, just a family trait.) Foals are curious and will come up to you when you squat down smaller than they are, but will possibly curiously lift their leg and put a hoof on you to see if you move or nip at your hair to see your reaction. They are learning our body language and unsure.

Gypsy Moon Grazing photo by Kristi Johnson

Avoid any fast motions when approaching a horse. You may be in a hurry, but they don’t wear a watch nor care what time you have to leave. The only time they care about is dinner time. A horse’s vision is very sensitive to motion and visual changes in their routine fields. This is how they are alerted to predators. So, avoid any fast motions around a horse. A horse has blind spots around its body so they cannot see your feet when you are close to them because they cannot see their own. Therefore, when you see them start to move dance fast and watch your feet. Most horses unlike dogs do not prefer to be petted on the head. Always start by extending your hand palm and fingers down much like they do their neck and nose to sniff your hand. This is how they greet each other. After the initial greeting they like their necks scratched. An un-tethered horse that is being scratched will most of the time move its body to where it wants you to scratch the most. If they are really enjoying it, you will see their hind hip drop down in a relaxed pose. If they are not comfortable, they will pull back and move on. A horse’s main defense against predators is its hind legs. A horse frightened by a fast or unknown movement behind it will kick in defense of a potential predator. Always make yourself known when you are behind a horse by either talking to them as you move around them or keeping your hand on them as you walk around them. Safety should always be in the forefront of all photography adventures.

We look forward to having you here and our staff is here to answer any questions you may have about the horses and your visit. Looking forward to seeing you soon! Jeanne Schlenk, Owner

Horses Range of Monocular Vision the circle,
Gray areas are blind spots