Creative Kid Photoshoot With a Pony

Want to know a really awesome and unique ranch park in the Sacramento area? Gibson Ranch Park is one of the best locations for kids and family photography. Every season has its unique variations that give a specific feel to a portrait session in this area. Therefore, this is why it’s one of my favorite locations for a portrait photoshoot.

For anyone searching for a gorgeous and peaceful location for their family and children portraits, I would recommend the Gibson Ranch Park. Every time we visit this park, we discover new and unique spots that let us produce authentic portraits for families.

Let’s discuss some nuances that make this park a great location for kids and family photography, and why Sacramento photographers love the Gibson Ranch Park.

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Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Window Light | f/1.2, 1/640s, ISO 125 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

WHY CHOOSE GIBSON RANCH PARK FOR KIDS PHOTOSHOOTS

Gibson Ranch Park is one of Northern California’s popular family destinations. It spreads on 325 acres of pristine natural countryside in the Elverta area. Gibson Ranch Park is an incredible natural resource park, which offers a world of fun and relaxation in a gorgeous natural setting.

The Gibson Ranch Park has many interesting spots that I’m sure would suit many photographers’ tastes. In addition to all the greenery, also there is a horse ranch with other domestic animals and unique rustic buildings.

People who like fishing would enjoy a good-sized fishing pond that’s right in the middle of the territory. Furthermore, you can find a few open field spots that are great for someone who is going for those specific.

All this diversity creates gorgeous backgrounds for family sessions, children photography, senior portraits, and pretty much any type of photoshoot.

To find out more about this location for your portrait photography or to visit the family-friendly Gibson Ranch Park, visit their website.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Window Light | f/1.2, 1/500s, ISO 125 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

SPRING KIDS PHOTOSHOOTS AT GIBSON RANCH PARK

The time when nature awakens from the long winter with fresh leaves on the trees and blossoming field flowers, calls us outdoors. Spring photo sessions at outdoor locations are something truly remarkable, especially when you choose a beautiful place such as the Gibson Ranch Park.

For photographers or families who are looking to have beautiful fresh greenery in their photos, the best time to visit this park is in the springtime. The trees and the newly grown grass, in addition to the fresh air, create the perfect atmosphere for amazing photos.

Spring arrives early in Sacramento, California, and you can start taking pictures at this location as early as in February. Children’s photo sessions are especially unique if you are going for dreamy birthday pictures or photos of kids with their pets.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
f/2.8, 1/160s, ISO 125 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

ABOUT THE BIRTHDAY PHOTOSHOOT

At Bidun Studio, we know the importance of photoshoot preparation – it’s crucial for yielding great results. The preparation steps need to be taken both by the photographer and the client.

First, we meet up with the client for a private consultation meeting. During this time, we find out what likes and preferences the client has and what type of images they are looking for from this session.

In this spring photoshoot, mom wanted to document her daughter’s 4th birthday through beautiful pictures with a pony. We knew right away that we should aim for a country-like location for this photo shoot.

After discussing different ideas, outfit choices, and accessories, we settled on Gibson Ranch Park location for the birthday girl photoshoot. The idea was to take beautiful portraits at the park, and then get some pictures with a pony as well.

We recommend looking through our post Top 5 Outfit Ideas for Family Pictures for more detailed information on how to choose the best outfits for children or family photoshoot.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
f/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 125 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

FINDING PONY FOR THE CHILDREN PORTRAIT PHOTOSHOOT

After finalizing the location of the main part of Daniella’s photoshoot, we set out to find the perfect pony at a local ranch for the second part of the photoshoot. Both Bidun Studio and the mom did a lot of research, trying to find a pony that would be suitable for a 4-year-old birthday girl. Finally, we found the perfect pony at an ideal location!

JB Ranch is located only 20 miles away from downtown Sacramento, in the Elverta area. The JB Ranch and Gibson Ranch Park were two convenient locations for our birthday girl photo session, as they are only a couple of miles away from each other.

The ranch offers a wide variety of spots for portrait photography with their horses and ponies, horseback lessons, trail rides, as well as pony rides for family birthday parties. The owner of the JB Ranch – Jerry Bestpitch is super friendly and was very accommodating with setting up the photo shoot time.

To check out JB Ranch webpage for more information, you can follow this link: http://www.jbranch.com/

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
f/2.8, 1/3200s, ISO 1000 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

GIRL PORTRAITS AT THE PONY RANCH

We planned out to start the photoshoot a few hours before sunset time for the best lighting during the photo session. When photographing outdoors, the best light setting is around the sunset time, that’s when the light is soft with a golden glow.

I recommend you to check out our post on Natural Light Photography for more ideas on how to photograph outdoors.

The photoshoot will run pretty smoothly if you carefully prepare for it ahead of time. Because of Daniella’s mom careful preparation, this is how it was during the girl photoshoot. Her mom came exceptionally prepared for this photo session, with unique personalized outfits and headpieces.

The portrait photo session at Gibson Ranch Park was an excellent warm-up for our little birthday girl – we captured beautiful portraits as she enjoyed running through the tall grass, exploring the area.

After we got a good amount of creative portraits, we were ready to head out to the JB Ranch.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
f/2.8, 1/4000s, ISO 1000 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

CHILD PHOTOSHOOT WITH THE PONY

Including pets in the family or children portraits can get a bit challenging, but it adds a particularly personal touch and a sense of completeness to the images. I always approve of families wanting to include their pets in the photo session.

Taking pictures with a real-life pony was even more special. When we got to the JB Ranch, we were allowed to pick any pony or two to have the birthday girl photoshoot with.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 400 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

It didn’t take us long to notice that we were all drawn to one beautiful and unique mini pony named Cody. He had the perfect color of the fur, his mane and tail were so clean and puffy, and Daniella just fell in love with him at first sight.

During these types of sessions, it’s very important to prepare and consider all the details. If outfits or shoes don’t match well to the location and photoshoot setting, the images won’t be as storytelling.

For this part of the photoshoot, Daniella’s mom prepared a beautiful fairytale dress as well as a personalized pony rider outfit. These outfits and coordinating accessories added a great feel to the images.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
f/2.8, 1/500s, ISO 400 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH KIDS OUTDOORS?

The best way to photograph kids at this age is not by forcing them to pose a certain way or give a cheezy smile, but by letting them be themselves as much as possible.

Daniella was very excited to see a real pony and be allowed to pet him and even feed him some grass. While she was busy admiring this big pet, I was capturing everything on a camera.

For images like these, I suggest working with a 70-200mm lens, which gives a beautiful, softly blurred background. Creating a natural blur in the background gives your images a more storytelling feel.

You can see how I create beautiful blur in the background of my portraits in our post: How to Blur Background in the Photo.

CHILDHOOD MOMENTS WORTH CAPTURING

Photographing kids in a natural outdoor environment has a lot of benefits. First of all, it’s easier to get them to cooperate for the camera. Also, children are more likely to be relaxed and not pressured outdoors.

There’s nothing more special to watch than kids interacting with their surroundings, nature, animals, and showing them care and respect. These beautiful childhood moments should be treasured, adored, captured, and remembered!

If you are looking for a children photographer around the Sacramento area, look no further. Our Sacramento photography studio will take care of all of your needs. Whether you are looking for children photographer, family photographer, or a photographer for your creative photoshoot with a pony.

At Bidun Studio Photography, we specialize in creating timeless images that tell the stories of your life! Our portrait studio is conveniently located in Sacramento, California, and we provide photography services in the greater Sacramento area.

Our fine art portrait studio is here for you, and we are ready to take on any adventurous photography challenge!