Jim Cain started taking pictures in grade school with a Kodak instamatic camera received from his parents for his 9th birthday. A childhood fascination grew into leisurely and learned pursuit.

In these formative years behind the lens, Jim took numerous classes, won contests, and was published in the newspaper. His dad taught him the way around a camera with a Kodak Vollenda on a family vacation one summer. “I walked around Washington DC and New York City with a hand-held light meter and that Vollenda taking pictures of the city. I saved everything I earned in 9th grade to purchase my own camera, a Canon AE-1. By the end of 10th grade, I had acquired 3 lenses, a flash, and a power winder. This was serious fun!”

His love of the medium and skill with a camera continued to grow over the course of many years. Soon Jim’s pastime became his profession.

“Photographing horses and riders didn’t really get started until several years ago when my daughter began to ride,” says Jim. “I would shoot her lessons and then find shots around and about the stable.” Digital cameras were becoming more popular and Jim invested in a Canon Rebel. As his daughter’s lessons progressed, so did the pictures, capturing the light, the mood, the moment, and the emotion. He received attention for his photographs; riders and families of riders were impressed by his pictures and began asking how they could buy prints. And Notable-Equine was born.

These riders loved what Jim saw in them: He has a sharp eye for the fast-moving moment of the jump, along with an understanding soul that allows him to capture tender moments between horse and rider. “I can capture the rider and horse together at the apex of the jump as well as the soft nuzzle of a horse’s warm nose. There’s a lot of great competition and athleticism at equestrian events. The muscle, the movement, the control and the trust. There is a real connection, a partnership, between animal and human. These are the moments that I capture.”

Jim is available to photograph your horse, the rider, in action, in portrait. However you prefer. Jim also photographs the pieces and parts of everything equine. Let Notable-Equine photograph and preserve your treasured and memorable moments.

Notable-Equine works by commissioned appointment only and our camera is pointed exclusively at you. Because there is no film cost, we do not limit the number of pictures we take. We use Canon professional equipment, the 8.2 mp 1D mark II. Notable-Equine.Com charges a flat fee for its services. You'll know exactly what you will pay and what we will deliver before the shoot commences.

Click over to see our popular collage prints. Jim shoots photos for many days, even weeks, to capture the best variety of pictures for you. It is a unique and beautiful way to show off your notable equine.

Notable Equine is located in Irvine, California, and does work throughout the Orange County area. See ya at the stable!