Stephanie Mills Photography

Logan, Three Weeks Old...

2010-05-20T21:17:00.003-04:00

This was a quick photoshoot in our office.

Savannah Sapp--NBHC Show

2010-05-19T12:46:00.004-04:00

Savannah was a competitor at the NBHC (North Brevard Horseman's Club) show that I shot back in November. She has a lovely Paint who proved to be very versatile that day!

Blue Horse Ranch

2010-05-18T15:41:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Blue Horse Ranch had me back out to take some more pictures of their gorgeous horses...this time there were a few new additions.

The first new addition I got to photograph was Ricoma, he's a stunning Oldenburg gelding that came from my home state of Ohio!

The other new addition was this magnificent Dutch Harness Horse, also from Ohio, named Eclipse. He's an eventer and loves his job.

Reflection is another new addition, he too is a Dutch Harness Horse and is a sibling of Eclipse's. He's a young fellow still, but very flashy with all of the chrome he's sporting!

Benjamin was there the first time I visited, but still as cute as ever...

I love this picture of the herd together...I told their owner, Moriah that her horses remind me of a child's Breyer horse herd. It's like someone went down the aisle in a toy store, picking the prettiest horses of every breed and size, then put them all together into a single herd.

Logan at Two Weeks Old...

2010-05-17T17:56:00.003-04:00

I can't believe these pictures are actually *old* now, but here are a few shots of Logan at 2 weeks old...

Pictures of a Future Rodeo Queen...

2010-05-16T21:10:00.003-04:00

I have been so busy with my photography (and being a mommy!) that I'm very behind in updating my blog, so I'll do my best to get it caught up over the last couple of months and then *keeping* it up to date! Last week I had the chance to photograph Makayla, who is competing for Junior Rodeo Queen this weekend. She needed two pictures for the competition, one waist up shot and one full body shot for the "Photogenic" category of judging. We did the session at her family's gorgeous farm in Christmas, FL and the equine model is Dually, a stunning Quarter Horse Stallion. The following pictures are the results of that shoot!

Announcing the birth of Logan Edward Mills...

2010-03-01T19:55:00.003-05:00

I haven't been a very good blogger lately...I ended up being put on bedrest early in January and delivering our baby boy February 12th, almost three weeks before my due date of March 2nd. Fortunately he was a very healthy 7 lbs 10.7 oz and 19.25 inches. Naturally, I have some pictures to share!

(As always, click the picture to see it bigger)

First family portrait

Birth day

Another birth day picture

6 days old

6 days old

8 days old

10 days old

2 weeks old

2 weeks old

2 weeks old

A Belated Update...

2010-02-10T14:39:00.004-05:00

Well, I haven't been doing a lot of photography lately as I've been on bedrest for my pregnancy. Logan will be making his entrance into the world two and a half weeks early due to some complications, but after that I plan on getting back on the photography (and real) horse. I will also be expanding my business to include human portraits and eventually weddings.

Meanwhile, here's an example of what you get with a professional photographer. My dad took this picture in snowy Ohio and sent it to me. I proceeded to tweak it in the way I would with pictures I had taken, giving them that extra oomph that clients expect from a professional photographer.

Before Photoshop

After Photoshop

I did an engagement shoot a little while ago and I hope to do a blog entry about that, but I don't know if it will be before the baby comes or not, since the baby is coming Friday morning!

Ocean Sky Equestrian Center Dressage Show

2009-12-12T20:40:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow I will be shooting the Ocean Sky Equestrian Center Dressage Show...it's their first show and I'm very excited to see the facilities and all of the great horse/rider teams that I know will be showing. Eventually they will also be offering combined training events, which will be exciting to photograph, and maybe someday show my horse, Sophie in!

You'll be able to find the pictures here, after I get them posted...

http://jesterjigger.exposuremanager.com/g/13_december--ocean_sky_equestrian_center_

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2009-12-08T20:10:00.003-05:00

Saturday we did a Christmas shoot...these are a few pictures from the day...it's about as festive as a horse can get in Florida! I got a couple of halters specifically for Christmas shoots as they're a lot of fun.

An Update...

2009-12-03T22:13:00.002-05:00

The last of the photo challenge pictures! Soon after Thanksgiving we made the 18 hour drive from Ohio to Florida with my Arabian/Trakehner mare, Sophie. She handled the trip like a pro and is now settling into her new Florida home. I hope to get some pictures of her this weekend to share with everyone.

November 26th--Chores--Craig pushing the wheelbarrow...

November 27th--Expression--Jessie, my retired Appendix QH gelding...

November 28th--Details--Jessie again...

November 29th--Contrast--Lou, my sister's Appendix QH mare

November 30th--End--Getting the trailer ready to move Sophie to Florida

November 25th and 26th--Monochrome and Chores

2009-11-26T10:48:00.002-05:00

Well, we're in Ohio! Craig and I made the 16 hour drive in 19 hours and didn't stop for more than 30 minutes during our stops. It was a test drive for bringing Sophie to Florida, hoping we could do it in one night. So far, I think we can. It was the first time I had driven the truck and the trailer, I took a 6 hour shift in the middle of the night (starting at midnight) so that Craig could sleep and then drive again. Anyway, on to the pictures...

November 25th--Monochrome

November 26th--Chores

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

Lots of Days...

2009-11-24T13:32:00.003-05:00

I got a little behind on my November Challenge updates with shooting the Dancing Horse Dressage Show on Sunday and getting ready for the trip to Ohio on Saturday. So, here are the updates. If you'd like to see the proofs for the Dancing Horse Dressage show click on this link...Dancing Horse Dressage Proofs.

November 22nd--Action

November 23rd--Thirds

November 24th--Circles

And a couple more action shots...

Day 20--Scenic

2009-11-21T09:58:00.003-05:00

I didn't get to the barn as early as I'd hoped to, especially since the nursery furniture didn't arrive until 4:10, so by the time I arrived lessons were already in full force. I took a few pictures for the day's topic, "scenic", but then I settled in to watch the lessons. Today's picture is "action", which is hard to get with only boarder horses that are more interested in grazing than running around randomly for no reason at all. So we'll see what I end up with. I am going out to the barn again, when we drop the trailer off so that we can get things packed up for the trip north.

Day 19--Abstract

2009-11-20T07:15:00.003-05:00

The theme of the day was Abstract. I don't do well with modern art, I don't go to museums of modern art and I skip the modern art section of the Met every time I visit. Don't get me wrong...I love going to the Met and other art museums, just don't love modern art. So this challenge was a bit of a struggle for me.

These pictures aren't abstract, but they were good moments, I was really liking the lighting on the pony by the lake and the fact that the pony was by the lake, since she's normally not there. And the squirrel! I love squirrels, if I could keep one as a pet I would and there are tons of squirrels at the barn.

If You'd Like to Buy Prints...

2009-11-18T20:47:00.002-05:00

In case you'd like to buy prints of any of the pictures I've posted for the November challenge you can find them here or go to my website and click on the Proofs page.

November 18th--Light

2009-11-18T20:43:00.003-05:00

Today's topic was "light". One nice thing about the barn is the line of trees running along the property, providing lots of shade as the sun sets...of course, this same line of trees provides a lot of shade as the sun sets...meaning that by the time I get to the barn after work it's almost not even visible over the trees. I was a little worried about getting a good light picture, but I think I managed it!

The rest of the "light" photos...

November 17th--Wide

2009-11-18T20:40:00.004-05:00

My selection for the day...not my favorite, but the most horse related that I liked the best! River, the Tennessee Walking Horse...

The rest of the pictures...

Day 16--Relationships

2009-11-16T21:40:00.002-05:00

Catching Up--Days 12-15

2009-11-15T21:18:00.004-05:00

I got a little behind with updating the blog, but here are the past days of challenges...

November 15th..."Patterns"

November 14th..."Hay"

November 13th.."Mane"

November 12th..."Bokeh"

And then some of the rejects...

Day 11--Human

2009-11-11T18:53:00.004-05:00

A little behind, but here are my photos from day 11, "Human". We had the day off of work, but Craig was a willing volunteer for today's picture session and put on his uniform so that I could get some Veteran's Day human pictures.

My selection for today...

My other favorites...not too many, since we don't own any of the horses at the barn and I am hesitant to put halters/leads on horses that don't belong to me just to pose them for pictures!

November 9--Eyes

2009-11-09T22:33:00.003-05:00

Quick posting of today's picture, the theme was eye(s), most of the horses at the barn are wearing fly masks, but I did find this adorable pony and got a few good pictures of him. He just stared at me curiously, all of the horses thought for sure I was getting them for dinner though!

I'll post the other pictures tomorrow!

November 8--Water

2009-11-08T21:24:00.003-05:00

Today's theme was "water". In between uploading orders from yesterday's show Craig and I hit the barn to get some horse related water pictures. I was hoping to get a chance to shoot someone bathing their horse, but it didn't work out, no one was to be found on a Sunday afternoon. That'll be one nice thing about having my own horse here...if I need pictures of a horse being bathed all I have to do is pull her out of her stall!

Anyway, on to the pictures. I ended up doing most of my shooting in a pasture with a pond. I hope you guys enjoy them!

First, my selection for the day's theme...

And then the rest...

NBHC 7 November Pleasure Show and Curves...

2009-11-08T12:04:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I shot the final North Brevard Horseman's Club Open Pleasure Show of their three show series. The horses were great...tons of paints! I have uploaded the proofs to their gallery, which can be visited here...November 7th NBHC Pictures

Meanwhile, the challenge for Saturday was "curves". I was so busy shooting the show I didn't take time to really focus on a unique picture for my photo assigment, but I did get this shot of a shimmery bay mare with a curvy brand in addition to hindquarters.

November 6--Behavior

2009-11-06T22:21:00.004-05:00

Today's theme was behavior. Most of the horses were being pretty boring, so I focused on Prada, who was at least moving around. She's a beautiful Trakehner/Thoroughbred mare.

The behavior shot I picked...

And the others...

November 5--Texture

2009-11-06T21:50:00.005-05:00

I didn't have a chance to post my texture pictures last night, so I'm doing it today. Tomorrow is the last North Brevard Horseman's Council (NBHC) open pleasure show of the season. I'm looking forward to photographing it, especially with the weather looking to be a sunny 77 all day!

First of all, my pick to represent my texture pictures.

And the rest of the pictures...

Michelle Gerlach Clinic Pictures...

2009-11-05T21:23:00.002-05:00

I took these on Sunday, at the Dancing Horse Dressage Clinic featuring Michelle Gerlach.

"Legs"--Day 4

2009-11-04T20:22:00.003-05:00

The theme of the day was "legs". Fortunately when I got to the barn there were some horses out, and one working in the round pen, a pretty Trakehner/Thoroughbred mare named Prada...and she had some *nice* legs.

My "legs" picture for the day...

The others...

Challenge Day 3--Blur

2009-11-03T22:11:00.002-05:00

Today's theme was my least favorite so far...it was "blur"...I've spent a lot of time learning to take pictures that aren't blurred at all...and now I have to take some blurred ones?!?! Well, I wanted to give it a good try, though when I got to the barn everyone was inside and munching on hay...hard to get blur pictures when teh horses are standing still. There were a couple of lessons that night but I had to leave to make it to the Spacecoast Arabian Horse Club meeting so I tried a few different shots and settled on focusing on the fans. So, here are my blur shots, I hope you enjoy them!

The one I submitted...

All the others...

"Environment"--Day 2

2009-11-02T21:50:00.005-05:00

Today's theme was "environment". It was very overcast and felt like rain, but I did end up getting some interesting shots, I hope you like them!

Big News and Photo Challenge Day 1

2009-11-01T19:36:00.008-05:00

First of all, my *big* news. I am moving my Arabian/Trakehner mare Sophie to Florida! She'll be moving at the end of November when my husband Craig and I make the trip to Ohio to get her. I am very excited to have my horse with me again, even though I won't be riding again until the baby is born. As a result, I have resurrected Sophie's blog, which can be seen here...Sophie's Blog.

Sophie

Now the photo challenge...(and a reminder, click the pictures to see the large versions)...

A equine photographer's group I'm a member of is holding a challenge for the month of November. The point of the challenge is to take a horse related picture every day. Each day will have a theme, that's set forth two days in advance so we have time to scheme. Today's theme was "hair". I am very grateful to Lynne Everest of Brandywine Stables (click here to see their website!) in West Melbourne, Florida for allowing me to take my pictures for the monthly challenge at her barn. There are some gorgeous horses there and I'm excited to be taking pictures tomorrow, when the them is "environment" because the facilities are gorgeous so tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun! I should also mention that this is where I will be boarding Sophie when she makes her arrival in Florida.

This is the picture I chose to display for the challenge for today.

These pictures are other I took, liked a lot, and wanted to share!

This is a 4 year old Trakehner gelding. He was on his way to a Michelle Gerlach clinic and picking up another horse in the barn. I had the chance to photograph him while he stretched his legs before continuing on to the clinic. Isn't he stunning???

Dancing Horse Dressage Schooling Show--October 18th 2009

2009-10-20T22:43:00.002-04:00

I shot the Dancing Horse Dressage Schooling Show on Sunday and had a great time. I loved watching all of the tests and the horses/riders were fantastic. The weather was chilly but sunny, quite a change from the 90s we'd been experiencing! You can view the pictures here... http://jesterjigger.exposuremanager.com/g/dancing_horse_dressage

NBHC Pictures Are Posted!

2009-10-05T11:09:00.005-04:00

Pictures can be viewed by going to this link... http://jesterjigger.exposuremanager.com/g/nbhc3oct I divided the pictures into type, In Hand, English, Western, Trail, Hunter Hack and Portraits in addition to making a separate gallery where pictures are grouped by horse. I hope everyone finds one of those methods convenient for locating their pictures. Pictures can be ordered through the website or you can always contact me about paying via check or money order instead. I hope everyone enjoys their pictures, the show was a lot of fun to photograph and I love how diverse the show bill is.

I wanted to have the pictures up earlier, but unfortunately my Korean cat, Kitty, was feeling pretty under the weather yesterday so we took her to the emergency vet. She was treated and tested but so far isn't really showing any signs of improvement, so please, keep your fingers crossed for her! She's one of a kind, and not just because we brought her to the States from Korea two years ago.

NBHC Pictures Coming Soon!

2009-10-04T18:47:00.003-04:00

I just have to finish editing the trail and portrait pictures, then upload them to my gallery. I'll post the link as soon as they're up and ready for viewing. Craig and I had a great time at the show yesterday, watching all of the beautiful horses and meeting what seemed like everyone there! If you have any questions about ordering your pictures, or want to set up a farm call just send an email to info@stephaniejmills.com or call 814.248.3238.

Let's Hope Tomorrow Doesn't Repeat Itself!

2009-10-02T21:32:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is the next North Brevard Horseman's Club Open Pleasure Show. I will be the official photographer and am hoping it doesn't rain like it did for the September show! Meanwhile, here are some pictures from the hunter hack class (which bore the brunt of the rain) and the western pleasure classes. They seemed small in comparison to the English and in hand classes, I think some exhibitors probably left due to the torrential downpour, so it will be interesting to see if the western classes are bigger next time. I'm really looking forward to the show tomorrow, Craig and I have been working hard to get our tent ready as well as come up with ideas for ways to give competitors some discounts and free pictures!

I'll be sure to take pictures of our set up, especially the easels Craig worked so hard on to display the 8x10s!

Miscellaneous Wellington Fall Classic Pictures

2009-09-29T22:50:00.002-04:00

Some more pictures from the Wellington Fall Classic. I'll have to get names and breeds later!

NBHC--Western Pleasure

2009-09-27T11:38:00.002-04:00

In preparation for Saturday's show I wanted to share some more pictures from the North Brevard Horseman's Club open pleasure show that I spectated earlier in the month. I'm going to be the official photographer at the October 3rd show and am very excited to see all of these wonderful horses and riders again. Hopefully we don't have a rainstorm in the middle of the show like the last one!

Lisa Wilcox and Queba HM

2009-09-26T23:44:00.004-04:00

This is Lisa Wilcox and Queba HM in the FEI Grand Prix de Dressage from Sunday's Wellington Classic. Queba is a Lusitano stallion and simply stunning! They won the class with a 68.723%.

Shannon Duek and Sentimiento I

2009-09-26T00:16:00.005-04:00

I couldn't help it, my camera just loved Shannon Duek and Sentimiento I at the Wellington Classic on September 20th, here are the rest of their pictures from warm up and their test. They showed in the Intermediate I and earned second place with a score of 68.158%.

Werner van den Brande and Optimus

2009-09-25T09:37:00.005-04:00

Optimus is a KWPN gelding ridden by Werner van den Brande. He moved a lot like Totillas, though it doesn't come across in the pictures except for the flying lead change pictures! They won their Intermediate I class with a 68.684%.

Amy Swerdlin and Lily Zilo

2009-09-24T21:42:00.004-04:00

This beautiful black gelding is Epikur. He's a Hanoverian and ridden by Amy Swerdlin in the Wellington Fall Classic show, pictures were taken September 20th. She won her Intermediate I class with a 61.842%.

This is Stradivari, a Hanoverian gelding ridden by Lily Zilo.

Warm Up at Wellington Fall Classic

2009-09-23T23:02:00.005-04:00

The following are more pictures from the warm up ring at Wellington. Equine photography is a lot of fun, but even more so when you have such beautiful horses to photograph!

Lisa Wilcox and Der Euro

2009-09-22T22:32:00.004-04:00

Der Euro is an Oldenburg gelding. He was ridden by Lisa Wilcox at the Wellington Fall Classic this past weekend. They made quite a pair!

Sentimiento I and Shannon Dueck

2009-09-21T21:36:00.005-04:00

This gorgeous PRE stallion is Sentimiento I and he was ridden by Shannon Dueck at this past weekend's Wellington Classic Dressage Fall Challenge. His coat literally shimmered and Shannon was a very tactful rider with lots of good boy's and other praise for this magnificent stallion. She can definitely ride my horse anytime!

Sophie in July 2008

2009-09-19T21:00:00.003-04:00

These are some pictures of my Trakehner/Arabian mare Sophie. She's a sweet girl and doesn't mind posing for pictures one bit!

NBHC--Hunter Under Saddle

2009-09-18T19:09:00.006-04:00

Next up...Hunter Under Saddle pictures from the North Brevard Horseman's Club from the September 5th show. The horses were beautiful and the kids adorable!

NBHC--September 5th Pleasure Show

2009-09-17T20:24:00.007-04:00

The North Brevard Horseman's Club is a great organization that hosts a lot of shows in Mims, Florida. They have speed shows as well as pleasure shows and on September 5th I spent the day at one of their pleasure shows. It's a great show bill with a wide variety of classes, ranging from halter to versatility to trail, reining, and jumping. I loved how they broke the classes down into different age groups (for handlers *and* horses) to ensure everyone had a fair shake for their experience level. I took a lot of pictures even though I didn't stay for the whole show, or stay out by the ring for the whole show, and wanted to share some pictures I took from the halter classes.

As you can see the horses were stunning and handlers professional. I'll be returning on October 3rd as the official photographer. Needless to say I'm very excited to have the chance to photograph these great horses and handlers again and I hope they enjoy the pictures I end up taking.

The Wagner Barn--Pepper

2009-09-16T22:59:00.003-04:00

I'd like you to meet Pepper and Tara. Pepper is an Appaloosa mare that lives at The Wagner Barn in Rockledge, Florida. She's loved by Tara and together they make an unbeatable barrel racing team! I was very excited to learn I would be photographing Pepper after arriving at The Wagner Barn, afterall, she is a *very* striking color. Pepper was the consummate model, posing perfectly and pricking her ears easily, which I'm sure my husband appreciated as ears are his specialty!

Blue Horse Ranch--Scarlet

2009-09-14T23:01:00.004-04:00

This is Scarlet, isn't she beautiful?!? She belongs to Moriah, owner of Blue Horse Ranch in Melbourne, Florida. She's actually a polo pony, so if you haven't seen a polo bridle before check out the following pictures for a glimpse of one. Moriah doesn't know Scarlet's exact breed(s) but I thought she looked a lot like a part-Arabian or National Show horse. She had lovely movement and Moriah got her so white for her photo shoot, she was just glowing with health!

Blue Horse Ranch--Benjamin

2009-09-13T22:04:00.002-04:00

This adorable little guy is Bejamin. He too is owned by Sheila and lives at Blue Horse Ranch in Melbourne, Florida. He's super sweet and cute as a button. Poor little guy is too small to go out with the big horses but they decided to see how he and Napoleon would do together...and they did really well! Napoleon got very excited if Benjamin decided to run, but he was very careful not to step on him or actually touch him. It was a lot of fun watching the two play together.

The Wagner Barn--Rebel

2009-09-13T10:28:00.002-04:00

Rebel is a regal OTTB (off the track Thoroughbred) that had been with his owner Karen for just a couple of weeks when I had the chance to photograph him. There's definitely one thing to say for those OTTBs...they are bombproof! It was very hard to do something interesting enough to pique Rebel's interest. My poor assistant (also known as my husband Craig) had a tricky time getting Rebel's ears up. I think the only thing that worked was jogging circles in the direction we wanted Rebel to look! Rebel was located at The Wagner Barn in Rockledge, Florida. Rebel and Karen had great chemistry together and it was a pleasure to photograph them. I can't wait to see them in the future, after their relationship has had more time to blossom into what I know will be something special.

Blue Horse Ranch--Risky

2009-09-12T20:01:00.003-04:00

I had a chance to take some pictures at the Blue Horse Ranch in Melbourne, Florida. The facilities were beautiful with a gorgeous, well-detailed barn and lots of green pastures. It was like a different world compared to just half a mile down the road! One of the horses I had the pleasure of photographing was Risky, owned by Sheila. Risky is a grey Quarter Horse mare that was trained in western pleasure. She was a lot of fun to photograph and beautiful to boot!

Wecome to Stephanie Mills Photography!

2009-09-06T22:21:00.000-04:00

I decided a blog would be a good way to allow clients to follow along with what is going on with Stephanie Mills Photography. I'll use this forum as an outlet to post pictures of what I'm working on as well as some blasts from the past. I also intend to use this blog to give clients sneak previews from my latest photo shoots as well as update where I'm going to be shooting next. So welcome, and I hope that you continue to visit often!