Why cannot people take decent photos

windand rain

windand rain

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Looking for a pony for a friend and the number of odd shots on ads is astonishing some of just an eye or ones with rugs on or other gear. ridden ponies with loads of gadgets or jumping loose in poor surroundings.maybe its me but a lot of the ads are awful. Still back to trawling the ads for a nice pony need a good eye as we will have to travel for miles
 
But didn't you want to see one of the horse 3 miles away in the field or that really blurry one in which it's hard to work out which is the front end....
 
It shows how much thought and effort they put into their ad and how much of a response they expect to get from it - and of course if they put up rubbish photos then they get fewer if now replies to that ad and as a result reinforce their own choice.

Also don't forget that many putting up an ad have an emotional attachment to the animal; which tends to make them super blind to any problems with photos (so long as they took them - if they hire'd a "pro" they'd go nuts) .

Browsing the site now an then it is amusing to see horses up for sale for thousands of pounds with photos clearly taken badly on a mobile phone in a snapshot style.
 
Don't get me started. Drives me crazy, not to mention appalling quality videos where they are so pixelated you can't even work out whether the legs are moving properly or if they even have them when it's a black pony on black rubber arena!
 
Because they know the pony is more than likely crap conformation/condition and anyone who knows anything won't see it and anyone who "doesn't care about all that" will buy it - easy targets. Professional looking photos will put the lower end buyers off.
 
Some sellers seem to think that their pony/horse is so special that buyers will be falling over themselves to buy........ sorry NO. They don't think much about the wording of the advert & even less about the 'snaps' they post on the advert.

What I call 'selling' photos should be taken & used. Photo showing conformation, if you're advertising as a jumper then a nice photo of him doing that. Similarly if eventing or doing Dressage then appropriate photos of horse doing that. Also post decent quality video on You Tube & have the link to the video in your advert. If you say your horse competes at 1m10 then post video of him doing that & likewise with other disciplines. If you are saying something about your horse then be prepared to prove it with photographic/video/documented evidence. Don't expect a buyer to believe what you've posted.

Finally you need to be truthful about your horse, answer questions the buyer has on the phone truthfully before they travel to view & try. Don't waste your time & buyers time having them come & see your horse that clearly isn't suitable for them.

Honesty is appreciated by potential buyers. :)
 
Or the only photo shown is a lovely, cute one of them curled up asleep in their stable...yes, lovely to see if if it's your horse; no good if you're considering travelling a few hundred miles and spending a few thousand pounds.
 
Have had various snotty replies recently, when asking for a couple of photos of the animal in a headcollar or bridle onnly, one taken from each side.

Out of 9 vendors contacted in past fortnight, only one posted pics up when asked.
The others said 'they would get them at weekend' (2 vendors, and neither have done so 2 weeks on) or things along the lines of 'why, you can see what a good sort he/she is already'.

A 10th vendor sent me film - thank goodness she did send it late on Fri afternoon (was booked to visit on Sat am), and after viewing, I prompty cancelled appt. No, I don't want a nappy horse (video badly edited so part napping was there and the signs most of the way through with tail swishing , falling out, falling in etc. (and found more of horse rearing on her FB page from only 3 months ago, with comments of 'its a learned habit, bitch-face! )
Am now a time waster according to vendor....

These are for animals marketed up to around 5k.

Only looking for a 15hh xc/hunter/rc type for self!

No vendor, I am not trekking out in my car for a 2 to 5 hour trip, without seeing the basics.
 
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Wow your experiences mirror what I have been going through. It is amazing when people do not even respond to your questions and when they do they can’t or wont take the photos that your need and as for some of the videos I have been sent. More of you have been framed than we are trying to sell this horse. Then get by one person told I was wasting so much of her time by asking all these questions. We I don’t want to drive to Cornwall from Lincolnshire to see something that I would not touch with the barge pole at a 100 paces.
 
Good grief. Think that is just about the worst. I have not looked around those pages before wow some are really bad and so young
 
The second photo doesn't help either as this very quite child friendly horse is held and the child is held and the person doing the holding has that stance of "ok this will last for 5 seconds then we get him off before this horse gets grumpy".



I think another part of it is that taking a good photo actually takes time. Many people are brought up with the idea that a picture is a point and shoot affair - the camera does all the thinking and if the shot isn't perfect its not anyones fault its just what the camera got and thus the best possible result.
So one gets a lot of bad photos because people don't put time into learning how to use the camera they have and don't put the time into learning how to even pose their horse let alone compose a half decent photo.
 
Then you get the fantastic eventer... fab in all 3 phases but you only get 12 XC photos and not a single SJ or dressage.
it always make me wonder just had good they really are at SJ or dressage.
 
I would never buy anything off dragon driving. There is a reason it is full of one sort and the owner of the site is the most vile human I've ever came across.
 
looking for a registered british mountain and moorland under 8 years of age over 4 years musts are it must be good in traffic, show quality but can be green, would prefer a forward thinking one. Backed and hacking out would be ideal. But really not sure where to look. as most are either not backed or have done too much for their age
 
That colt :O :O :O Good grief.

Even in relatively decent photos it's hard to tell conformation etc because the horse isn't stood up properly or because it is wearing a saddle etc. It's so frustrating.
 
Funny enough, I viewed a coloured mare with an awful advert. One Photo taken at dusk in the field so she had the flash glare that made her look like the devil himself and one in the far far distance being ridden in an open field. Looked like a cow with tack on. Viewed as local and was curious. I ended up buying her! Wonderful little horse. With a better advert, I think she would have been snapped up.
 
Saw an advert last week and the pony sounded a little gem but was in a field surrounded by ragwort.
I'll give her a miss then.
 
Given that iPhones and most other smartphones can take some good, clear pictures and videos (and even videos clear enough to screenshot and use as pictures!) I don't understand why so many people can't get a decent photo.

I know not everyone can afford even a phone with a decent camera, but if you're selling a horse, could you not ask a friend with a decent phone camera to take some for you and send them to you?

I recently came across a horse being advertised as a future eventer/showjumper prospect with 'fantastic' movements and was broken and had been brought on, but photos only showed the horse loose jumping and the take off (it looked as though horse didn't clear the fence) and standing still. Nothing to show the 'fantastic' movement or the horse under saddle. For the money they wanted, getting some photos showing the horse in w/t/c and with a rider wouldn't have been too much to ask.

The photos with a photographers watermark on them wind me up, but that's a whole other thing.
 
I was selling my 4yo (Took him off now- rather keep him and enjoy him myself and somehow find the time!) He has just started jumping, looks really promising. Had some woman ring and ask 'well will he jump foxhunters? Because that's what I want to do.'

I said 'okay, as you can see yes his jump looks very promising so I don't see why he won't in the future'

'Okay, well I was hoping you'd be able to let me know for definite'

I told her I don't think a 4yo is for her! Also wish I had asked if she knew where I could buy these crystal balls she expected me to have!
 
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