While on vacation in the beautiful state of Georgia, Marianne discovered Southern Cross Ranch in Madison. As she scrolled through the information on this beautiful guest ranch she came across information on an experience of photography and horses. Immediately, her daughter Lulu, an avid equestrian back home came to mind. When scheduling portraits for her daughter, Marianne wanted to have Lulu’s love for all things horses preserved and displayed on their wall. 

When planning the vision for Lulu’s portraits we had one word in mind – fairytale. As soon as they mentioned a whimsical theme, I knew Hildie was the exact horse for the job. Hildie is a Haflinger with a calm nature and gorgeous mane residing at Southern Cross Ranch. I pulled a few options from my client closet and we ultimately chose a tulle white tiered dress and floral crown suited for this 8 year old princess! We also added a beautiful floral wreath around Hildie’s neck to match Lulu’s crown!

We spent our time in an open field of tall grass and forest background that could be found illustrated in any fairytale storybook. Marianne fondly remembers the patience in getting the perfect pose and of course giving a horse crazed girl all the time she needed to love up on her dappled Haflinger. The lighting provided the final piece to the puzzle bringing this whimsical vision to life allowing Lulu to enjoy every aspect of being in the moment. 

It was no surprise when I found out this tiny 8 year old with a huge passion for horses was also an active equestrian back home. Lulu enjoys spending her time competing with Shooting Stars, an Equestrian Vaulting team in New Jersey. With her outgoing and energetic personality, Marianne describes her daughter as having a passion for life and I agree.

Today, Marianne enjoys remembering her adventure to Madison, Georgia by displaying a large wrapped custom canvas of Lulu and Hildie as well as a few smaller framed portraits throughout her modern farmhouse inspired home. If you are making the trip out to Southern Cross Ranch and want to have once in a lifetime portraits created with one of their incredible ranch horses, visit HERE.