[better-reviews]
Capturing Magical Moments
With Cappadocia being utterly magical, I wanted to make sure I captured a photo of that magic. I somehow got it stuck in my head that this magical photo needed to involve a horse, probably because Cappadocia is known as ‘the land of beautiful horses.’ I was thinking the only way I’d be able to get a photo of myself on – or with – a horse was to do one of Cappadocia’s many horseback riding tours. But even then, I was worried if there would be enough time to capture the perfect photo while on the tour – not to mention, find someone patient enough to take some photos of me during their tour.
Long story short, It was all looking a little bit dismal until I checked into Cave Hotel Saksagan and got talking to the owner. He mentioned that Cappadica Ranch not only did horse riding tours, but also offered a private Horseback Photoshoot Session.
I repeat, a private Horseback Photoshoot Session!! Could this be any more perfect? I was immediately sold.
The Experience
The photoshoot session began with free pick up service from my hotel – already a great start. Upon arrival, I was invited inside and offered a Turkish Coffee, while the Aktas brothers asked me about what I was looking for in terms of photos. I already had some inspiration shots on me which I shared and the brothers also had some examples of previous work they could recreate for me.
Next it was time to pick my horse. Because my outfit was dark, I decided to go with a white horse. I was also able to dress him and chose red and black accents to match my outfit. Once ready, we rode out into the beautiful landscape of Cappadocia and picked a spot for the shoot.
One aspect I really liked was that Cappadocia Ranch gives you the choice of bringing your own photographer, or they can provide this service for you. This is great for Instagrammers, because it means you can use your own camera and photographer – something some other photoshoot services didn’t allow (i.e. in Pamukkale). In my case I was traveling solo, and the staff were happy to help and even learnt how to use my DSLR for the shoot!
I was really happy with the length of time the photoshoot session went for and the staff did not make me feel rushed. In fact, I had to cut the session short because I had another tour to attend!
To finish, I was dropped back off to my hotel.
Professionalism
Even though I’m a blogger, I am EXTREMELY awkward in front of the camera, so if you have this fear going through your mind as you read this, you don’t need to worry. The Aktas Brothers were extremely professional in directing me how to interact with the horse and also instructing me to do some poses, which really got rid of any awkwardness.
I’m not going to lie though, working with an animal is quite difficult and a little scary – particularly if you’re not use to working with horses – they are big animals! But the staff are all well experienced and skilled in equestrianism so they were always there to help and instruct me, creating a smooth experience overall.
I will add a note that the staff are not professional photographers, however I was very happy with my photos.
Customer Service
The Aktas Brothers were very welcoming, friendly and enthusiastic. I really appreciated that the team checked with me continually to make sure I was happy with the photos and to get feedback. I really felt like they wanted to do a great job and by the end, they had taken just under 500 photos! As mentioned above, they are not professional photographers but I admired the effort they went to to make sure I had some good shots.
To give you an idea, I was left with about 40 great photos (which is really good!) – all in focus, where the horse and I were facing the camera nicely. I have picked my favourite 10 to showcase in this blog post and also two bloopers (see below), so you can see what I mean in terms of the difficulty in getting a good photo – sometimes the horse just wouldn’t have it! haha
Bloopers!
Value for Money
The online price for this session is 50 euros which equals to just under $80 AUD. This is pretty expensive for me as a budget-traveler and also quite expensive when compared to Turkish currency. However, it was the best paid experience I did during my time in Cappadocia and I am very happy with my photos. I would do it again and also highly recommend the experience to anyone else that wants to create beautiful memories in Cappadocia!
The details
Service:
Photography Horseback Riding Tour
Service Includes:
Pick up and drop to your hotel
Online booking facility
Professional Tour Guide
Credit and debit card payment facility
Contact:
Phone: +90 384 271 2391
Mobile: +90 538 454 2968
Mobile: +90 535 681 0568
E-mail: info@cappadociaranch.com
Find Them Here:
The pictures look amazing what a great experience!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thanks Lovely! I was really happy with the photos too and they make such a great souvenir!!
Those hot air balloons are crazy, what a gorgeous setting! https://mariannyc.com/2018/08/20/reebok-classics-at-dsw/
The hot air balloon sunrise is absolutely stunning!! A definite addition to everyone’s bucketlist!
What a magical shots you have here dear. Love the dress, and you’re riding that magical creature so effortlessly!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Thank you so much Jess!! Haha it looks effortless is these photos only…In truth, it took a lot of effort hahaha
Oh these pictures are so amazing! I had horses growing up so this is my dream! Chloe x
www,fivethingsaboutchloe.co.uk
Definitely live this dream one day!! It’s so perfect!!
That should have been such a lovely experience! Have a lovely day. xx
Andreea,
http://couturezilla.com/
It really was Andreea!! Thanks for your comment and have a lovely day too!
OMG, I am going to Cappadocia in a few weeks and am super excited! When I saw the title of your post I was so excited to read this. I am glad that you were able to get your horse riding experience and have it all photographed! The staff there sounds perfectly nice and so accommodating. Your photos turned out amazing and was totally worth it. I look forward to reading more about your trip! xoxo, Christine
http://dailykongfidence.com/
Hi Christine!! Oh my gosh, you will love it. The balloon sunrises are so beautiful!! Hopefully I can get a bit more content up before you head off!!
What a wonderful shoot of you here! There are seriously picture perfect images and what a wonderful backdrop too. You look absolutely stunning.
Laura xo
#SheHearts http://www.shehearts.net
Aww thank you so much Laura!! It was a great experience and I’m so happy with the photos!
What beautiful photos and such a fun experience! It’s great that they offered this service for you so you could get the photos you dreamed of! :)
I hope that your week has been going well so far :)
Away From The Blue Blog
Hi Lovely! So good to hear from you :) . Yes I’m so stoked they had a service like this, because it did make for the perfect souvenir!!
Those photos are beautiful! :)
xx Alyssa | STYLE VANITY
Thanks so much Alyssa!
OMG these pictures are so dreamy and too beautiful. You look adorable in this dress. Looks like you had a great memorial experience.
xo Ashon
http://ashonfashionary.com/all-white-outfit-for-summer/
Thanks so much for the lovely compliments Ashon!! I got to admit I’m super happy with them – and got some great memories too!!
Wow these photos do look magical! What an experience!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Thanks Rach! Can’t agree enough, I loved the experience!
Wow, these photos are so beautiful! I would definitely be so scared of the horse, haha! <3
TheNormcoreRebel
Hi Nikoline, not going to lie, I was a little scared myself (as your probably read in the post) I was worried the horse was going to stomp on my feet by accident when I was walking next to it, or kick me off when I was on top of it hahaha. But, none of that happened, or nothing even came close. I think it’s important to remember that the horses have all been trained, and you’re always accompanied by someone from Cappadocia Ranch in case anything goes wrong.
Wow these photos are stunning! Love the dress too.
Gemma x
http://www.jacquardflower.uk
Aww thank you Gemma! Very much appreciate it!
Wow!This place looks amazing!Wonderful pictures:-)
http://www.lostindaydreams.com/
Thanks Olga, it’s really beautiful!! Definitely recommend it!
This surely is an amazing experience and would totally try this in a life time. Great shots!!
https://www.missymayification.co.uk
Ohhhh I hope you do!! I can’t recommend it enough!!! Can’t wait to see your shots one day!
Such a fun and amusing adventure! I can’t believe this kind of photo session is achievable, good on you to be resourceful and ended up with these stunning photographs and experience. Thanks for the inspo, this place is a dream for me. The first photo with the balloon is worth a million bucks :) Have a fun weekend babe!
http://www.busyandfab.com
Thanks so much for your comment lovely!! Yes I couldn’t believe such a service was available too! I count myself very lucky!! I really hope that one day your dream comes true and you can also travel to Cappadocia!!
Haha couldn’t agree more about the first photo. Best souvenir ever! :)
What a beautiful photoshooting! I am also very glad to see that animals are being treated nicely. In most cases in touristic areas animals are being treated disgustingly, not fed well, working way too many hours per day under the sunshine so I am sincerely very glad to read your post!
xo
Anastasia
http://www.natbees.com/
Hi Anastasia! Yes, I can’t agree more, animals treated badly – especially for tourist experiences – is so terrible, but not these are treated well – they are kept on a large ranch, but also get to roam around for the tours.
So Stunning! White horse are my favorite. I love the pretty photos!
http://www.fashionradi.com
All the horses were so beautiful, and I was so close to picking the brown one also featured in this post, but you’re right. The white one I think was perfect for these photos!
Magnifique ces photos !
La vision du désert et le mélange des couleurs des montgolfières c’est génial !
Une excellente idée .
Thank you Lucy! It’s definitely beautiful and such a great photo opportunity! I can’t agree more, the balloons against the desert landscape is amazing!