Unfortunately Sunday dawned cloudy and we knew the forecast was for rain and possibly thunderstorms, so a more challenging day ahead. The pastries we'd bought last night from Asda were just about still edible and filled a hole.
We left shortly before 9 and called at the Spar to collect our rolls. Sure enough they were ready and had been put aside for us as promised - what lovely people in Pwllheli (apart from the drunks late at night).
Knowing the route, we took far less time to get to the yard and there were some new faces including a chap I'd met previously at one of the Atkinson Action Horses shoots in Goole. Also a women I recognised instantly as someone I'd met on a textures workshop in someone's house 4 years ago and who'd subsequently "friended" me on Facebook but clearly didn't have a clue who I was, nor did she care, and she didn't speak to me for the rest of the day!
The original plan for today had been to take the horses up into the mountains for some scenic shots but sadly the threat of thunder and lightning put paid to that (metal horsebox) and we had to make do with more around the yard/fields.
So a small selection of today's shoot which, because of the combination of poor light, rain and my tiredness (= laziness), wasn't nearly as productive as yesterday. I want to get this blog finished so they'll all be more or less SOOC.
We started off with Marta being some kind of warrior with a knife and then head shots with Troy before riding him in the field.
I really like this one, can't wait to add a texture.
Next we had Janine in the chain mail riding the fabulous Ligon hoping for some nice images put of this set (after some background changes)
He really is a dude!
Jess and Moleador Rosa (PRE stallion) who I think is another new edition to the yard and quite lovely.
It all looks a bit boring with the black backgrounds and although left like that they are "judge bait" - which I don't care about one iota - it does make it easier to cut out and add a texture.
Then it was Cai Cai's turn to cast his spell on us all again. I don't usually like cremello horses as I find the blue eye rather disconcerting, but this guy really is cute ...................... and he knows it.
I haven't a clue how I'm going to do anything with these yet but I wanted to show the marvellous costumes Janey provides and just how basic the set-up is. Of course Cai Cai couldn't be "ridden" with all this material wrapped around him - something many horses would have had a hairy fit about.
After a short break for lunch and a bit more rain, we had Ellie riding Bejiador (means Kisser in Portuguese) (Lusitano gelding) in classical Portuguese tack and costume. Sadly the lighting was very, very flat.
Ellie was still very self conscious and one photographer kept insisting she should wear a heat, despite none being of a suitable fit. The woman then produced one of her own, which as you can see from Ellie's expression was not something she was comfortable with, and it didn’t appear to me to be in keeping with the classical costume.
She was then given a Garrocha (long pole traditionally used when herding cattle) and proceeded to trot and then canter a circle whilst keeping the pole in the same place on the ground. Given how wet it was the chances of Bejiador slipping were very high and poor Jess was watching with baited breath.
Ozzie and Bob (stablehand) were next. Bob was another one who didn't want to get involved and certainly wouldn't do head shots - that was until he'd seen just how amazing the sets were and then he was more than happy to join in.
As you can see, by the time we got back to the barn it was chucking it down and my camera (or more likely me) didn't cope too well with it.
We then had Ligon and Yarrow who was wearing yet another amazing outfit. Sadly the weather was still against us, so we could only do barn shots and then a few in the indoor area which didn't give sufficient light for me. I can tell from the photos I took, just how tired I was at this point as they all seem to have been taken from the same spot - or was it just that I was sheltering from the rain under the barn eaves opposite.
I just need to extend the canvas on this one, find the tip of his ear from somewhere else and remove the raindrops. Other than those two major mistakes, I just love this and the angle of his head.
The mirrors in the indoor school were a problem as well as the lighting.
Finally, Moleador Rosa and Jess and Janine with the supreme stallion Duque SF (PRE stallion).
As a newbie, Moleador Rosa was very wary of Duque to start with, but within a short time they were working beautifully together - testament to the skills of Janine and Jess - and they entertained us with a wonderful Pas-de-Deux.
Knowing I was struggling with the lighting, I decided to go for long exposure, supposedly creative shots - not sure it worked!
The rain then eased off a little so they moved into the large field.
Moleador Rosa
Duque
I think Janine and Jess really enjoyed themselves "dancing" with these two beauties.
Love Moleador's head attire in this pic.
Duque's coat is the colour of pearl and his mane was like gossamer - he was just exquisite. Sadly I don't think I took a decent close up of his head to show.
Rain on and off throughout the day made the field too slippery for any more horses at liberty (what a shame) so the finale was a few controlled rears from Duque and the height he reached was unbelievable, he absolutely dwarfed Janine.
And that was it, day over and I was shattered. I've taken nearly 10,000 shots in 2 days so there's going to be an awful lot of deleting to do. An absolute privilege to spend time with these beautiful animals and talented riders. It's a shame we didn't get to the mountains but I will definitely go back if there is a mountain/beach shoot planned.
Shoot Credits:
Organiser/Styling: Janey Lazenby EJ Lazenby Photography
Host: Janine Pendlebury-Lee Pen Llyn Lusitano Stud
Armour: Black Raven Armoury
Fairy Dress/Crown: Revivify
In a way I was glad it was raining and overcast as I didn't I have the energy or brain power to go off sightseeing again tonight. So straight back to the hotel and on our way in we bumped into the owner who'd been appraised of our various complaints by Irene and he was full of apology and in total agreement. He said he'd already typed out a note to leave in each room explaining the position and insisted on delivering one to us instantly just to prove he was taking our comments seriously. He was a very personable chap and we felt sorry for him having only just bought the business early in the year.
Feeling lazy we decided on take away pizza again but unfortunately mine wasn't a patch on the previous one (although Ian's was better). Hope we get some undisturbed sleep tonight (we learned from the owner that 9 rooms had been taken by Gwynedd council for people who for one reason or another couldn't go home which certainly explains the oddball characters hanging around and night-time security guards!).
