A horse farm photo and film location in East Tennessee

What a shoot has to work with

River Creek is a working boarding and riding barn on 86 acres along the river with mountain views, in Church Hill in Hawkins County, East Tennessee. It is about 15–20 minutes from Kingsport, about 40 minutes from Johnson City and about 40–45 minutes from Bristol.

The property holds a barn with 27 stalls, a 100×200 ft outdoor arena, a round pen, open pastures, the river and 12+ miles of creek-side, meadow and ridge trails. There is trailer parking on site, plus parking and restroom access for visitors.

Light by location

The photography page maps 6 locations. Build the schedule around each one's best light.

When the sun is high, the barn aisle still works; its pine board walls hold up at any hour, including hard midday sun.

• The Barn Aisle (pine board walls and crossties; works at any hour): any hour, including hard midday sun
• The Arena (open footing with the valley on every side): the first or last hour of light
• The Round Pen (the ridgeline directly behind the rail): late afternoon, with the mountains layered behind
• The Pastures (fence lines running out to the treeline): golden hour along the fence line, or an overcast day
• The Water (wide, slow river water with the far bank in frame): morning, before the wind
• The Ridge View (the long view north across the valley to the ridgelines): clearest an hour after sunrise; hazy blue layers late afternoon

Commercial shoot days

Commercial shoots with exclusive use of the property run half day $650, full day $1,100, with a certificate of insurance required.

A full day covers morning and golden hour in one booking, so a crew can catch the ridge view early and the pastures late without coming back. A horse added to the shoot comes with a handler and works within daily session limits and scheduled rest days.

• Half day: 4 hours, exclusive use, crew and talent up to 15
• Full day: 8 hours, exclusive use, up to 25, morning and golden hour in one day
• Vehicle access to the barn, power at the barn and a changing space
• A horse with a handler can be added
• Certificate of insurance required

The Photographer Pass

Working photographers can buy a Photographer Pass for $600 a year for weekday sessions of up to 6 people.

• A year of weekday windows
• First call on new dates
• A discounted horse and handler
• Up to 6 people per session
• Your work featured on River Creek's site, with credit