Because Material is Stylish..

When my horses stopped placing with the high grass photos I sought help in some novice shows and a few clubs. An article on photo showing suggested using material as a backdrop to keep it simple for the judges. So up on a shelf my horses went, with material backgrounds and footings. Yep, I showed with these, even that really interesting striped one. They actually didn't place too bad with these...

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

VnV Seaflight

Charcoal Breyer SM Citation Custom

AHA! I'd read you could use magazine pictures as realistic backdrops, and sandpaper for footing. Too bad taking indoor pictures creates need for a flash and I had no zoom lens.

VnV Seaflight has flown home. After many years in Jennifer Selby's collection she saw my post here about wanting him back if he still existed and she still had him! Big thanks to Jennifer for returning him. You can check out better photos of him on the vintage custom page. He was one of my very first customs.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Shema Kallai - going to dinner

Ok, now we're talking. I'd read a lot on photo showing, got a bunch of dirt from outside, pulled some hay out of a roughly model sized bale. Made a fence out of some boards, got some 'trees' that were roughly in scale (branches off of bushes outside). And look he even has friends! Fuzzy little yellow easter chicks made out of pipe cleaners. LOL The Sky has a few wrinkles though..

He did quite well with this photo actually. Shema is one of my favorite models, and he's what started my obsession with the Foundation Stallion mold.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Aquila - Mustang Stallion - Take 2

Alright, I got the idea the judges grew to dislike Aquila's legs hidden in the grass (see Monster Vegetation page). What could I do? Here was my favorite stallion he needed to be shown but he was missing his legs! Then it snowed, deep. I thought I figured out a great way to hide his flaws, stick him in snow, that's more in scale, right? If you ignore the monster telephone lines I guess..

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Triumphant - Hanoverian Stallion

Same set up as Shema above, minus the chicks. I had a hard time not cutting off model legs/tails in my early pictures. He's not blurred too badly. See his nice halter? Made that myself...one of my first attempts..just a bunch of braided embroidery floss. :) He showed pretty well with this.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Copperstone Rouge - QH Stallion

Well this came about because Copperstone was one of my favorites, but I'd read a lot of people hated Rugged Lark's conformation. My solution was get a pretty shot of his front end, then they couldn't see his flaws. Also quite a few props there, 'rose bushes' and a bale of hay..now what horse do you know that walks AWAY from a bale of hay?

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Simarillion - Arabian Stallion

Photo contributed by Alisa McClanahan

Simarillion - Arabian Stallion

Photo contributed by Alisa McClanahan

Polvere di Stelle - Andalusian Stallion

Photo contributed by Alisa McClanahan

Silverlode - Mustang Stallion

Photo contributed by Alisa McClanahan

Olympia - Mustang Stallion

Photo contributed by Alisa McClanahan

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Photo contributed by Ronald Bartholomew

Dimitri - Spanish Mustang Stallion and his handler "James"

Unknown make 'barbie' sized horse complete with his handler an old ken doll. He even sports Barbie horse tack!

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Grand Champion Stallion

I showed this GC briefly until I was told there was no place in breyer shows for 'cheap toys', then he retired until this year where he now shows proudly in Model Horse Fun Club's toy horse show. With new photos of course. ;)

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

New Moon Risin' - Lippizan Stallion

This was my attempt at making an 'arena' type setting. Hung a piece of dark purple material on my white closet walls, which were a folding closet so I thought it looked sort of like panels in an arena wall. Sandpaper footing, breyer fencing, and little handmade 'advertising signs' decorated the 'arena walls'.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

New Moon Risin' - Lippizan Stallion

One of my first attempts at using a painting as a backdrop. Footing was a piece of white posterboard.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Marazion - Paint Stallion

One of my first attempts at a more realistic 'scene'. The 'tree' is an aquarium plant with monster leaves. Other than that it was taken indoors so it's horrendously dark and shadows all over. I still use that backdrop though. :)

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Mitherdath - Standardbred Stallion

This is a 'wallet size' photo. I had to trim so much out it ended up wallet sized. You used to get a lot of weird sized photos until people started making rules agaisnt them.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Native's Black Moon - Thoroughbred Stallion

This is a 'wallet size' photo. I had to trim so much out it ended up wallet sized. You used to get a lot of weird sized photos until people started making rules agaisnt them.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Mitherdath - Standardbred Stallion

This is a 'wallet size' photo. I had to trim so much out it ended up wallet sized. You used to get a lot of weird sized photos until people started making rules agaisnt them. Think this was one of the first ones I tried using coffee grounds as footing too.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Illusion of Motion - Thoroughbred Stallion

This is a 'wallet size' photo. I had to trim so much out it ended up wallet sized. You used to get a lot of weird sized photos until people started making rules agaisnt them. This one actually won quite a few champs for me, which thrilled me to no end since at the time Man O War was my favorite racehorse (still is) and one of my favorite models.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Servant King - Mustang Stallion

Photo by Vikki Fair.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Stud Spider

Photo by unknown

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Bonfire - Standardbred Stallion

Yet another toy I tried to show. Several problems with this one besides him being a 'toy' though. I showed him as a 'dun'. And if you'll look close you can see he's missing his back leg (legos are holding him up..). Surprisingly enough I believe he placed several times.

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese

Stud Spider

Photo by unknown

Photo contributed by Samantha Kroese