With the advancement in smartphone camera quality, farriers are taking more and more photographs of our work. For the most part, documenting our work is a good thing for many reasons. One of the most important of these reasons is for the analysis of the trimmings and shoeings we perform.

However, it seems at times that these photographs may lead us to question what we see — or what other observers say that we should see. In many cases, there may be a good reason for that.

What we see from various points of view, such as typical standing or crouching position, can be very different from what we “should” observe. First, it’s not possible to correctly see the angles that concern us as farriers from that perspective. For example, have you ever rested your camera or smartphone on the floor, shot a photo, looked at the results and then, when reexamining the foot, thought, “How’d I miss that?” It is all a matter of perspective. Perspective not only is critical when comparing your work to what you think you see in the moment, but also to how you attempt to compare it on your next visit or even comparing the foot you started with months or years ago to what you’re working with today.

By showing my work, I will give you several considerations to make sure your photography benefits your work, rather than hurts it.

The Basics On Where To Begin

Here’s the first question to consider. Did…