The perfect porTROT! Photographer creates 3,000 square foot backdrop to capture stunning pictures of horses in all their glory


Strong and muscular but graceful when they move, horses have inspired artists and writers for centuries.



But these pictures show the animals as you've probably never imagined them before - posing for portraits in a professional photographer's studio.



And this isn't any ordinary studio - it's a 3,000 square foot backdrop and stage which the photographer, Lindsay Robertson, takes to stables in the back of his Transit van.

Horses Basil and Humphrey look away from each other in this incredible picture from a series of equine photographs by Lindsay Robertson

A horse called Champagne holds its head up high for this portrait picture taken in a mobile outdoor studio by photographer Lindsay Robertson Grey horse Hobo is captured staring into the middle distance in this wonderful portrait picture Mr Robertson, 58, from Edinburgh, designed the studio himself and revealed that it cost him a 'five-figure' sum to create.

To make the backdrop, he had to buy two enormous rolls of muslin before sewing them together in the only space he could find that was large enough - a railway station car park.

He then spent a month painting the muslin and rigged up a system of poles to raise it to a right angle. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Mr Robertson came up with the plan because he wanted to take pictures that highlighted the statuesque quality of the animals. He said: 'It was an idea I had some years ago and then I was talking to someone about it and he said that he had some horses and I was welcome to go and try.

'I realised that I needed specialist equipment because no one has done this before.

The muscular body of this horse, Marti, is clear to see in another of Lindsay Robertson's photographs

This photograph of a horse and a dog, titled Hobo And Friend, is one of a series of pictures of horses taken by Scottish artist Lindsay Robertson in his custom-made mobile studio

Kaluh (left) and Picasso (right) are pictured in almost identical poses in Lindsay Robertson's mobile photographic studio



Another photograph of Champagne. The horses stand on a 700 square foot stage to pose for their portraits

Artist Lindsay Robertson takes commissions for work like these amazing photographs of horses Ed (left) and Blue (right)



This picture shows Basil and Humphrey turning to their right as something catches their attention

Basil and Humphrey bring their heads to the ground as if preparing to eat in this extraordinary image captured in the photographer's mobile studio

'For a background I bought two huge rolls of muslin and sewed them together in a railway station car park, which was the only place I found that was big enough.



'I then spent a month painting it using mops and sponges so it is a black/grey colour.



'I also needed to custom-make a stand so I could raise it up, and this involved some 25 feet high poles.'



Mr Robertson takes his studio on the road to photograph the horses where they are kept.



After managing to persuade the horses into the mobile outdoor studio, Mr Robertson lights up the stage and takes his pictures.

Mooney's colours blend in with the 3,000 square foot backdrop, which Lindsay Robertson spent a month painting as he creating his studio

These unusual portraits of horses Starbucks (left) and Liberty (right) were taken in a mobile studio brought directly to their stables



This horse, rather appropriately named Diva, certainly knows how to pose for a portrait photograph

Mr Robertson also takes photographs of the horses carrying their riders. Leanne Moir on Showtyme (left) and Jenny Herries on Ed (right) are two examples



Owner Kent Pledger helps his Arabian horse get into position on the stage with the painted muslin

'Everything had to be able to be carried about because I couldn’t expect horse owners to bring their animals here,' he said.



'So it all fits into a van and I drive to where ever the horses are. It was a huge investment of time and money but I’ve been doing it now for two years.



'The horses are surprisingly well-behaved and the owners obviously help to get them in the right place.



'Horses are majestic animals with a kind of aura and I wanted to capture the statuesque nature of them.'



Mr Robertson's enterprise has certainly proved to be worth the effort - prices for his pictures start at £1,000 and he takes commissions from horse-owners.

Lindsay Robertson takes his equipment and mobile studio from paddock to paddock in the back of a Transit van The artist stands with his painted muslin in a supermarket car park - the only space he could find that was large enough for him to perform the month-long task



