How to Take Great Photos of Your Barn

Great photos are the foundation of a great website. You don’t need a professional photographer—just a smartphone and a little know-how. Here’s how to capture your barn at its best.

Use Landscape Mode

This is the single most important tip. Hold your phone horizontally when taking photos. Website headers and hero sections are wide, not tall, so landscape photos fit perfectly.

Portrait photos often get awkwardly cropped or leave empty space that makes your site look unfinished.

Shoot in Natural Light

The best barn photos happen during daylight hours. Early morning and late afternoon give you that warm, golden light that makes everything look inviting.

Avoid shooting at high noon when shadows are harsh, or in dim barn aisles where photos can turn out grainy or yellow.

Pro tip: Overcast days are actually great for photography. The clouds act like a giant softbox, giving you even, flattering light with no harsh shadows.

Clean Up First

Take 10 minutes to tidy up before you start shooting. Move wheelbarrows out of frame, coil hoses neatly, and sweep the aisle. A clean, organized space photographs much better.

Look at each shot through the viewfinder and ask yourself: is there anything distracting in the background?

Get Variety

Give us options to work with:

• Wide shots: Your arena, barn exterior, pastures
• Medium shots: Stall fronts, tack room, wash stalls
• Detail shots: Trophies, ribbons, special amenities
• Action shots: Lessons in progress, horses being groomed

The more variety you provide, the better we can design a site that tells your barn’s story.

Include People (With Permission)

Photos with people in them feel more alive and help visitors imagine themselves at your barn. Just make sure you have permission from anyone pictured—especially minors.

Candid shots of lessons, trail rides, or barn activities work better than posed photos.

Check Your Settings

Make sure your phone is set to the highest quality. We can always make photos smaller, but we can’t make a small, blurry photo look better.

On most phones, you can check this in your camera settings under “Photo Quality” or “Resolution.”

What to Photograph

Not sure what to capture? Here’s a checklist:

• Barn exterior from multiple angles
• Arena (indoor and/or outdoor)
• Stalls and barn aisle
• Tack room
• Pastures and turnout areas
• Wash stall
• Parking area
• Any special amenities (hot walker, round pen, trails)
• Horses (your lesson horses or notable residents)
• Lessons or activities in progress

Need More Help?

Check out our detailed photo tips guide for a printable checklist and more examples.