I see a lot of equine photographs showing horses contrasted against a black background. Some of these images are absolutely stunning and I am a particular fan of Tim Flach's work with horses . Much of his portfolio is created in a studio under controlled conditions, but some good images can be achieved around the stables without having to resort to extensive editing.

I am not a fan of Photoshop, mainly because I find it too complex to use, but I also prefer my images to look natural and therefore achieving a black or dark background in camera at the time of taking the photograph generally works out much better when the right location for the shot can be found.

Old fashioned stables with little interior light work well for doorway shots, so if you think your stables are dark and gloomy then they will probably be ideal! I recently spent a morning at a beautiful purpose-built yard with interior stables in a large barn. The natural light inside was fantastic for the horses and their owners, but unfortunately was not suitable for creating the dark backgrounds that are so appealing. I did however discover the nearby hay barn and whilst not completely black, it did provide a lovely soft dark background against which to photograph the ponies.

If you would like me to produce some beautiful photographs of you and your pony against a black background, have a look around your yard and find somewhere dark and gloomy that I can use and make sure it is tidy so there are as few distractions as possible.