Light-flooded country mornings seemingly captured in a bygone era, hounds milling about hooves, vintage fashions worthy of The Crown.   

When we fell upon Georgina Preston’s ethereal equestrian photography, my editorial heart beat a knowing that she would be one of the first British photographers to feature in our publication. A native to rural Somerset, her work borders on cinematic, a two-dimensional period drama which acts as a spellbinding transport to the heart of the country’s impassioned and everlasting devotion to horses. 

Growing up exploring the foot of Quantock Hills by pony, Georgina comes from a family well-steeped in equestrian history and hunting heritage. The latter of which sparked her artistic pursuit for the earliest morning light and the heritage and timeless fashions of equestrian sport.

“I was fascinated with the characters who looked as though they were from a bygone era, with their bowler hats, old school tack and ladies cutting a dash side-saddle,” explains Georgina. “I think it is also where I fell in love with light, which is what photography is - capturing light. Early mornings autumn hunting, watching the sun rise through woodland, moors and hills, you see the world differently and understand how the use of light changes the aesthetic of everything.”

She spent this period of fascination during teenagerhood perusing old vintage hunting photos and painting, slowly developing her work and her ‘eye’ as a photographer. During her university years studying photography, she cites the historical portraits of August Sander as a enormous influence, as well as the work of horse photographer George Stubbs. 

“I try to replicate the timeless quality, much of that is due to the nature of the subject but also the post-processing - I try and keep everything subtle and muted and sophisticated, pulling back on bold colours and steering away from too much vibrance and contrast.” Georgina says of her process. “I also try and keep a lot of the scene in my work to keep the context and signifiers, so each image depicts a little story within itself.” 

Whilst the historical is a beloved dimension to sparking her creativity, there is a notable fashion element to Georgina’s work – one as an editor, I’ve particularly fallen quite smitten with, certainly sparking ideas for the style direction of our publication in the years ahead as we celebrate British designers.  

“I colour grade my work as though it is fashion and I look for elegance, silhouette and capturing the moment,” she explains on the fashion element of her equestrian portraits. “I like to avoid something static, unless the posing gives some shape and dynamic.” 

With fashion photography echoing the richness of heritage and another era in the English countryside while still focusing on the modern character, Georgina says her dear friends who share her love for crossing country side-saddle – Sarah Kate Byrne, a vintage ITV racing stylist, and Martha Sitwell, a model for Irish milliner Philip Tracy – were her gateway into that world.

“Their style on and off the hunting field has always been inspirational to me and they have certainly taught me a trick or two when it comes to styling, but just growing up surrounded by such characters has certainly rubbed off on me.”

‍

All Photography courtesy of Georgina Preston. Thank you for flooding our publication with the magical light of these Somerset mornings.  

Editorial Note: Humane hunting experiences within England and Wales must comply with the restrictions of the Hunting Act of 2004, which bans the chasing of wild mammals. 

‍

‍