A EQUINE artist from Barnsley was the first person ever to photograph a horse on stage at the NEC in Birmingham for its recent photography event.
Jane Lazenby, of Cawthorne Lane, Kexborough, has been working as an equine artist for many years, having become a fine art artist in 1992 and being interested in equine photography from the age of 13.
Now 49, Jane submitted a proposal for a niche talk at The Photography Show from March 16 and 17 at the NEC in Birmingham, and was chosen out of hundreds of applicants for saying she ‘would only do something that big would be to take a horse on stage and shoot it for real’.
On the day, Jane took her choice of her horse - a white Lusitano horse called Tulio - and used a model rider who she dressed in a Tudor style dress and wig.
She said she believes she is the first person ever to photograph a horse live on stage at the show, and said the day went really well.
“I understand there are hundreds of applicants for presenters at The Photography Show each year, a number of people have told me it’s on their bucket list, so I feel really honoured to have been chosen not only for my quirky proposal, but also for the professional quality of my images,” said Jane.
“My proposal was how to get the best from your equine photoshoot; horses are amazing creatures, but have to be treated very carefully when expensive easily breakable equipment is around, bright flashes, costumes etc.
“Often with photography there is so much talk and theory, so my plan was to do it for real and show how to work with horses by doing a live photoshoot on stage with a live horse.
“On the day everything went like clockwork, my little horse was so brave, our rider looked beautiful and the horses handler and owner, Rod Brown, was perfect to the second,” Jane added.
“We had such a mass of people who couldn’t believe their eyes.
“I’ve had many offers since the weekend for workshops, filming opportunities and also to create a number of videos about using flash with horses for Pixapro.
“I’m hoping that this is just the tip of the iceberg for my photography.”
As well as being an equine artist, Jane also teaches art in the Barnsley area for The Workers Educational Association.
She will speaking about her work for The Royal Photographic Society on April 7 at The Grange, Carleton, Pontefract with a presentation called Paintbrushes to Pixels.
