With two corgis and two chestnut geldings right at home in Sheridan, Indiana, Madi didn’t have to travel far for her senior portraits. She wanted her session to reflect every side of her life, from her love of animals to her own personal style. We planned a mix of portraits both with and without her four-legged family members.

We started next door in her neighbor’s backyard, where the September light filtered softly through the trees. Madi wore a soft pink maxi dress and went barefoot in the grass, creating a natural look that let her personality shine. Her next outfit—a white mini dress paired with tall red cowboy boots—captured her fun sense of style and the confidence of her senior year.

Then it was time to bring out the horses. We began with Prince, Madi’s show horse, who she competes with in the equitation and jumper rings. Like many seasoned show horses, Prince wasn’t entirely convinced that posing for photos was part of his job description, but thanks to one of my favorite tricks (the All Ears app), we managed to grab his attention long enough to capture a series of golden hour equestrian photos that show their partnership beautifully. I always remind my equestrian clients to keep smiling, no matter what their horses are doing. The final photos always tell a calmer story than it feels in the moment, I promise!

To wrap up the evening, Madi changed into jeans and a classic white tee to spend some quiet moments with her senior horse, Ben. At 27, Ben is happily retired and living the good life at home, spoiled by Madi and her family. Before we finished, we couldn’t resist including a few shots with the family corgis, especially Baker, the ten-week-old puppy. Is he precious or what?

This session truly was a family effort, with Madi’s mom and sister helping every step of the way to get horses ready and ears up. It was such a joy to capture Madi during this incredibly special milestone year of her life!