Photo Finish

Photo Finish is a female Earth pony and famous fashion photographer in Equestria. Her human counterpart makes an appearance in My Little Pony Equestria Girls, the animated short Perfect Day for Fun, and My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks.

Development and design
Photo Finish heavily resembles the iconic editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour. Her name is a play on a horse racing term; a "photo finish" is when competitors finish so closely that a photograph is needed to determine the winner. Tabitha St. Germain based Photo Finish's accent and mannerism on that of an Austrian woman.

Photo Finish's cutie mark is visible in Green Isn't Your Color and listed on Enterplay's Hoity Toity & Photo Finish trading card is the same as that of Twilight Sparkle and "Masquerade", and her eye color also appears similar to Twilight Sparkle's; a show crew member noted that Photo Finish was made from Twilight Sparkle's Flash character model, and the visibility of Twilight's cutie mark was likely overlooked during production of the show. Photo Finish's cutie mark visible on Hasbro's brushable toy of her and on her Battle of the Bands outfit in My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks is different. Both of her cutie marks relate to her: her show animation error and trading card cutie mark is related to "the magics", while her toy cutie mark is aperture blades as of a camera.

Personality
"I go!"

- Green Isn't Your Color

With her German-like accent, Photo Finish joins the ranks of unexplainable foreign-accent ponies. She is quite posh, stuck up, and dismissive of ponies she deems unworthy of her time. She travels with an entourage of servile ponies who never speak and who cater to her every whim, doing things like carrying her around and vanishing the moment she tells them to leave. She always refers to herself as "I, Photo Finish", and she is never seen without her sunglasses on.

History
Photo Finish first appears in Green Isn't Your Color. She is first mentioned during the spa scene, where Rarity excitedly says that Photo Finish was impressed by some of her latest fashion attire. She soon appears in the Carousel Boutique where she holds a photo-shoot of Fluttershy, seemingly fascinated by the Pegasus' innocence and simplicity, rejecting any extra flair that the she had attempted at Rarity's insistence. Photo Finish launches Fluttershy into a modeling career instead of promoting Rarity's dresses, much to Rarity's disappointment. With Photo Finish as her manager, Fluttershy takes the modeling world by storm, but grows to hate her fame almost immediately, uncomfortable with the excessive attention focused on her and unhappy at having no time to spend with her friends. Twilight Sparkle tries to sabotage Fluttershy's latest photo shoot in order to get her out of her contract, much to Photo Finish's horror, but an accidental intervention on Rarity's part makes Fluttershy even more popular, and Photo Finish seeks to promote her more eagerly than ever. However, Fluttershy confesses her dislike of the spotlight to Rarity, and quits modeling altogether, much to Photo Finish's surprise and dismay.

Photo Finish also has two brief cameos in Sweet and Elite: she can be seen attending an art gallery in Canterlot during Rarity's song sequence, and once again when Rarity is surrounded by Canterlot ponies in a checkerboard-like sequence. In the same shot, members of Photo Finish's photography and makeup crew also appear.

As of season four, Photo Finish now briefly appears in the series' opening sequence and theme song, taking a new photograph of the expanded roster of characters before it is sent to the princesses in Canterlot.

She also has a cameo in the audience sitting with Hoity Toity and Sapphire Shores in Rarity Takes Manehattan.

She can be seen sitting in the stadium in Equestria Games.

She is listed as having a speaking role in the credits of Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2, although she ends up not having any lines. She has a cameo as one of the ponies seeing the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom castle during Let the Rainbow Remind You.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls
The human Photo Finish appears in My Little Pony Equestria Girls as a student of Canterlot High School. She is first seen walking past Twilight Sparkle in the school corridor, again in the school cafeteria, and finally at the Fall Formal, taking photographs, one in particular of Twilight and her human friends.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
In the film, during Better Than Ever, Photo Finish takes several pictures of Big McIntosh, along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Snips, Snails, and Trixie at the statue up front of the school. Also, during the song Battle, Photo Finish is seen conversing with another student when she hears the song of the Dazzlings. She takes part in the Battle of the Bands as the leader of her own band, the Snapshots, which consists of fellow fashionistas Pixel Pizzaz and Violet Blurr. During the Rainbooms' performance of Shake Your Tail, she and her band attempt to sabotage the performance by lifting Rarity's metal fringes from her dress with magnets. She has one speaking line in the film.

Perfect Day for Fun
In the My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks animated short Perfect Day for Fun!, Photo Finish appears at the Canterlot High carnival.

Depiction in comics
In the IDW comics, Photo Finish appears on page 21 of, on page 14 of , on pages 9, 12, and 18 of Friendship is Magic Issue #10, and on page 19 of Micro-Series Issue #10. On page 13 of Friends Forever Issue #1, Summer van der Hoof says that Photo Finish "loves sauerkraut!" Photo Finish also appears on page 1 of.

Merchandise
A Photo Finish miniature collectible is included in the Famous Friends Set with Hoity Toity and Rarity.

A brushable Photo Finish pony toy and an Equestria Girls doll, each a Toys "R" Us exclusive in the Ponymania line, have been displayed at the 2014 American International Toy Fair. The brushable pony toy is an individual release, packaging of which states regarding Photo Finish "She is ready for a fashion show! Who will be her next model?" The Equestria Girls doll is bundled with Violet Blurr and Pixel Pizzaz in a release titled "Photo Finish & The Snapshots", packaging of which states regarding the group "They show off their rockin' style for the cameras!"

My Little Pony mobile game description
This famous fashion photographer pony has an eye for modeling talent -- like Ponyville's very own Fluttershy!

The Elements of Harmony guidebook
''PHOTO FINISH catches all the hot looks as Equestria's top fashion photographer. This trendsetter keeps an army of impressionable attendants with her at all times.''

Quotes
"I, Photo Finish... have arrived."

- Green Isn't Your Color

"Flootershy! It is time to make... da magicks!"

- Green Isn't Your Color

"Even her schneezes are graceful!"

- Green Isn't Your Color

"Zis never should haf been you, Rainbooms!"

- Human version, My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

"You! The poise. The masculine grace you had on that float. I must photograph you."

- Friendship is Magic Issue #10