Equine Photographers Podcast

Field Notes | Equine Photographers Podcast  EPISODE SUMMARY A good-looking ad and an effective ad are not the same thing. In the equine industry, especially in stallion and sale horse marketing, there’s a lot of emphasis placed on how something looks. Clean design, polished images, visually appealing layouts. But none of that matters if the ad doesn’t actually communicate the horse. In this Field Notes episode, we break down what makes an ad effective, where things start to fall apart, and why clarity matters more than design when someone is making a buying decision. IN THIS EPISODE We cover: the difference between a visually appealing ad and an effective one why clarity matters more than design in horse marketing how buyers actually use images when evaluating a horse where ads commonly go wrong how photography and design work together—and where they don’t why “pretty” can sometimes get in the way of communication KEY TAKEAWAY A strong ad is not built to impress. It is built to communicate. WHY THIS MATTERS In stallion and sale horse marketing, images are not just decorative. They are part of the decision-making process. Buyers are using these ads to: evaluate structure assess presence form an initial impression If the image or design gets in the way of that, the ad stops doing its job. And when the ad doesn’t work, everything built on it becomes less effective. THE BIGGER CONVERSATION This isn’t about removing design. It’s about understanding what role it plays. Design should support the image—not compete with it. And the image itself needs to clearly represent the horse. Because if that foundation isn’t right, nothing layered on top of it will fix it. CONNECTED CONTENT This episode is part of a larger series on equine photography and marketing standards. Read the full article:Stallion & Sale Ads: Why “Pretty” Isn’t the Same as Effective FINAL NOTE A polished ad might get attention. But attention alone doesn’t sell horses. Clarity does. COMING NEXT Film → Digital → AI: How Accessibility Changed the Industry If this is something you’ve seen in your own work—or in ads you’ve come across—share this episode or pass it along to someone in the industry. Subscribe The post 34: Field Notes – Stallion & Sale Ads: Why “Pretty” Isn’t the Same as Effective (Part 3) appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Field Notes | Equine Photographers Podcast EPISODE SUMMARY Editing has always been part of professional photography, especially in equine work where environments are often unpredictable. But as AI tools become more common, the line between refining an image and altering the horse itself is becoming less clear. In this Field Notes episode, I break down the difference between traditional editing tools like Photoshop and AI-driven processes. While both can improve an image, they do not work the same way—and that difference matters. We get into where normal editing belongs, what AI is actually doing when it regenerates parts of an image, and why that becomes a much bigger issue when the subject is a horse. Because in equine photography, especially in sale horse and stallion marketing, even subtle inaccuracies can change perception. This is not really a Photoshop vs AI conversation. It is a conversation about whether the horse is being preserved—or changed. In this episode: what editing is supposed to do the difference between cleaning up an image and changing the horse how Photoshop works differently from AI why AI regeneration is not the same as traditional editing where the ethical line sits in equine photography why this matters more in sale horse and stallion marketing KEY TAKEAWAY The tool is not the issue. The outcome is. CONNECTED CONTENT This episode is part of a larger series on equine photography and marketing standards. Related article:Photoshop vs AI: Where the Line Is in Equine Photography FINAL NOTE This conversation is just getting started. COMING NEXT NEXT Coming up in this series: Stallion & Sale Ads: Why “Pretty” Isn’t the Same as Effective If this topic is relevant to your work, share this episode or send it to someone who’s part of this conversation. Subscribe The post 33: Field Notes – Photoshop vs AI: Where the Line is in Equine Photography (Part 2) appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Field Notes | Equine Photographers Podcast EPISODE SUMMARY The equine photography industry is changing—but not in the way most people think. A lot of the current conversation is focused on AI. But this shift didn’t start with AI, and it won’t end there. It’s part of a pattern the industry has already gone through before. In this Field Notes episode, we step back and look at what’s actually happening. From the transition from film to digital to the current rise of AI tools, the same cycle keeps showing up: increased access, more participation, and growing pressure on pricing and standards. The real question isn’t whether the tools are changing. It’s whether the standard is. IN THIS EPISODE We cover: why the current AI conversation feels new—but isn’t what changed when photography moved from film to digital how accessibility reshapes the industry over time where graphic design followed a similar path how AI is affecting editing and marketing—not just image capture why the conversation around tools is missing the bigger issue where the real divide is forming in the industry KEY TAKEAWAY Every shift in technology increases access. It does not increase understanding at the same rate. And that gap is where the separation happens. WHY THIS MATTERS In equine photography and marketing, images are not just content. They are representations of real horses. Used in: sale horse marketing stallion promotion client decision-making When accuracy slips—even slightly—it affects trust. And once trust starts to erode, everything built on it becomes less stable. THE BIGGER CONVERSATION This isn’t about resisting new tools. The tools will continue to evolve. They always have. But the expectation should remain the same: present the horse clearly present it accurately present it as it is CONNECTED CONTENT This episode is part of a larger series on equine photography and marketing standards.  Read the full article:The Changing Standard: How Technology Is Reshaping Equine Photography, Design, and Marketing FINAL NOTE This conversation is just getting started. Because the question isn’t what the tools can do. It’s whether what’s being created still works. NEXT IN THE SERIES Coming up in this series: Photoshop vs AI: Where the Line Is in Equine Photography (part 2) If this topic is relevant to your work, share this episode or send it to someone who’s part of this conversation. Subscribe The post 32: Field Notes – The Changing Standard: How Technology is Reshaping Equine Photography, Design and Marketing (Part 1) appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Lori McIntosh: How She Built Her Equine Photography Passion from Childhood to Career In this episode, Lori McIntosh shares how a childhood surrounded by photography and horses became the foundation for her equine photography journey — from early studio experiences to endurance riding and professional work today. Whether you’re building your own equine business or exploring your creative roots, Lori’s story shows how passion and persistence shape a meaningful career. SUBSCRIBE IN THIS EPISODE Lori McIntosh’s equine photography story begins long before she ever picked up a camera professionally. Growing up in a photography studio and spending summers at horse camp, Lori built a lifelong connection to both horses and imagery that shaped her creative path. In this episode, she recalls how early studio work taught her the craft, how endurance riding deepened her understanding of horses, and how those elements continue to influence her photographic vision today. Listeners will hear what it’s like to merge a passion for animals with artistic expression, lessons on building a sustainable photography career, and insights into staying connected to the things you love most. Whether you’re an aspiring equine photographer or a long-time creative professional, Lori’s experiences offer both inspiration and practical takeaways for your own journey.   KEY TAKE AWAYS: How Lori’s early life around photography shaped her artistic voice The role equestrian experiences played in her career focus Lessons on building skill through real-world involvement Why balancing passion and professionalism matters What endurance riding taught her about perseverance and creativity About Our Guest: Lori McIntosh Lori McIntosh is an equine photographer based in Auburn, California, whose passion for photography grew up inside her family’s studio and alongside her love of horses. Her work combines technical skill with an unmistakable understanding of the horse–human connection. Connect with Lori: Website: lorimcintoshphotography.com Facebook: facebook.com/LoriMcIntoshPhotography Pinterest: pinterest.com/lorimc26 Email: [email protected] SUBSCRIBE Ready to deepen your own artistic voice? Follow the podcast and explore related episodes below. We invite you to subscribe on iTunes so you never miss a new episode of the Equine Photographers Podcast. Subscribing, rating, and leaving a review helps other photographers discover the show and supports the continued growth of the podcast. If you found this episode valuable, we’d appreciate you taking a moment to leave a rating or review. Subscribe on iTunes → The post 25: Lori McIntosh: Equine Photography Journey from Childhood Passion appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

From Horse Passion to Photography: Exploring Pam Gabriel’s Creative Journey In this episode, Pam Gabriel shares how a lifelong love of horses turned into a path of wrangling, teaching, and building an equine photography practice rooted in creativity, connection, and community. SUBSCRIBE IN THIS EPISODE: In this conversation with Pam Gabriel, we explore how a love of horses shaped her life and creative pursuits — from wrangling and teaching to discovering the power of photography to connect with equine lovers. Pam reflects on her early experiences with horses, how photography found its way into her work, the joy of capturing horses and their people, and how she continues to grow her craft while supporting her community. Whether you’re an aspiring equine photographer or someone building your own creative path from lifelong passions, this episode reveals how heart, experience, and dedication can guide your career.     KEY TAKE AWAYS How horses have influenced Pam’s life choices from childhood onward Why she pursued both teaching and photography How she uses equine photography to connect with community Creative lessons that shaped her photographic eye Seasonal marketing strategies for slow months About Our Guest: Pam Gabriel Pam Gabriel is a lifelong horse lover, teacher, and equine photographer based in Minnesota. With a passion for keeping horses at the center of her life, Pam has blended her teaching, wrangling, and artistic instincts into a creative path that celebrates the equine bond and community. Her photography captures the spirit of horses and the people who love them, reflecting both her technical skill and her deep connection to the equine world. Connect with Pam: Website: pamgabrielphotography.com Facebook Page: Pam Gabriel Photography Instagram: Pam Gabriel Photography Email: [email protected]  SUBSCRIBE Ready to deepen your own artistic voice? Follow the podcast and explore related episodes below. We invite you to subscribe on iTunes so you never miss a new episode of the Equine Photographers Podcast. Subscribing, rating, and leaving a review helps other photographers discover the show and supports the continued growth of the podcast. If you found this episode valuable, we’d appreciate you taking a moment to leave a rating or review. Subscribe on iTunes → The post 24 : Equine Life, Photography & Teaching with Pam Gabriel appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Thanks Kirstie Marie for a great introduction for Matt Cohen. Matt Cohen Rodeo Photography Website: http://www.mattcohenphoto.com Blog: http://www.mattcohenphoto.com/blog/ Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/1115/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattcohenphoto Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattcohenphoto/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmatthewcohen Cody Snow, Red Bluff 2016 SHOW NOTES: Matt describes himself as a city boy. He didn’t really have any exposure to horses at all until he was sent by a local paper to cover a rodeo for one evening. He started his career as a photographer shooting high school sports for several local papers. On that first night at the rodeo, he decided to come back for all three days of the event and was hooked. With high school sports you are just shooting one thing. For example with football, you have about 10 minutes of shooting time spread out over an hour. But, with rodeo you have constant action and there are 4-5 completely different events to shoot. Each event although it involves horses is completely different from the other. This is how Matt describes what intrigued him with rodeo shooting. Bobby Marriott / 926 Sundown of Flying U, Reno 2016 The other thing that makes it a whole lot more fun is that you can get right in there. Between events you can chat with the riders and you have access. With other professional sports you are nowhere near the participants. Even when you are on the side lines, you are 10 to 20 feet from the players. You certainly are not allowed on the field. Everything has horses. Even with the bull riding there are the pick up riders that go in to rope the bulls and get them back in the pens. Social media Matt is on pretty much everything. When he started, he just figured he would put the best pictures out there and figure out how to make some money with it. Facebook seemed to be the key to that as riders were tagged, then their sponsors would see the images and I would make connections with them for additional work. He has 56,000 followers on Instagram, but it does not lead to a lot of business for him. He tends to spend more time on Instagram because he likes the format better. You see more images on Instagram and less “other stuff”. But, Facebook has been the social media that has performed in terms of helping him make the connections. Making money in Rodeo Photography He does not use the old model of shooting with the hopes of the riders wanting images of their rides. He works directly with the rider sponsors and only does a very little bit of selling to riders. Sponsors are looking for outstanding images for promotional purposes. Autograph prints, trailer wraps, bill boards, and other promotional materials. He does nothing on spec. He won’t travel great distances to a rodeo unless he knows that he has several sponsored riders at that event and the pictures are already spoken for. He questions whether the old model is very workable any more. The better riders have been there and done that already and they don’t buy 8 x 10s. It took him a long time to get to where he is today. As editorial diminished, he moved more and more of his business to commercial. It used to be that Sport Illustrated, a cover for example or a two page spread, was a real payday. Now instead of a couple thousand dollars, you are looking at a couple hundred bucks. Now they have laid off all their photographers and they get whatever pictures they can find. Matt said he has seen covers that were out of focus. It’s sad, he said, when he first started there was more in editorial. Blake Hirdes, Marysville 2016 Why a great shot is important Matt explains that in editorial, you are a cost to them. They look for the cheapest solution to their need that they can find. Advertisers, however, need the best possible images and are willing to pay to get those. Getting as close to the end-user, the people who are selling products, is where the you can make a living. JR Vezain / 631 Lil Josey of Flying U, Reno 2016 A sponsor might have 15 guys that ride for them. Another might have three. Each contract is tailored to their needs. He is basically on a retainer with these sponsors and this is what funds his income, his travels, his equipment, hotels and so on. NO FREE PICTURES warning on his website Before someone can click on the contact photographer form, they have to agree that they are NOT GOING TO CALL FOR A FREE IMAGE. This is a waste of time and spending 20 minutes explaining that he is a professional photographer and he gets paid for his work. If someone still calls him and asks for FREE IMAGES for their small publication or whatever they want it for, Matt will tweet out that such and such publication asked for free image and embarrass them. He has a bit of a reputation. He explains that getting a tag line for free images does nothing for you as a photographer. Negotiating from FREE is very difficult to do. Sarah Rose McDonald, Clovis 2016 He shoots rodeo March through September. In the winter he shoots other sports. He spends more time working on his rodeo image sales than he does on the other sports. There is much more action to shoot in rodeo so he spends more time on the images as well. Big Lens Fast Shutter Podcast Him and a partner help people learn sports photography. He has been working on that for about 5 years. He enjoys helping others to improve their work which is gratifying and there is some income stream from it. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE Also, please use the SHARE buttons at the bottom of the page to share The Equine Photographers Podcast with other equine photographers that you may know. The post 23 : Matt Cohen: West Coast Rodeo and Sports Photography Behind the Scenes appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Judy Bosco has been an equine photographer for a long time, however she has stayed part-time balancing a full-time job, family, husband and recently other life challenges to continue to pursue her love for photography and horses. Listen and hear about her story on The Equine Photographers Podcast. SHOW NOTES Judy’s website: http://www.judybosco.smugmug.com Judy’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PhotographybyJudithMBosco When did she start to love horses? Her parents knew that she was horse crazy so they gave her horseback riding lessons when she was 9 years old for a summer. After that a friend of hers who had horses stabled at the same barn and she helped clean stalls, and they rode a lot together. She did lease a horse for one summer, but has never owned her own horse. Where did the photography come in? She met her future husband at a new local camera store that had opened in the area. She bought a Yashica film 35mm camera and some lenses and started to take black and white pictures. She would study the horse magazines to determine if her images were any good and how she could improve them. Practice, practice, practice is how Judy learned back then. She shot in black and white and the “guy at the camera store helped her to process her first bunch of rolls of film.” She focused on hunter/jumper and english riding. He taught her to process her own black and white images. She also acquired a Bronco 645 which uses 120 and 220 roll film. From there she did lots of small shows on spec, but today shooting on spec does not work to well. She still does several hunter pace events and still enjoys those the most. In the film days, she would send her daughter to have film processed and bring them back to sell at the events. She used to do a lot of horse shows then, but things have changed quite a bit now. There are a lot fewer shows these days, but today everything is digital and there are lots of “photographers” shooting all the shows. At the same time she sometimes gets complaints that there was not a photographer at a show. However if the participants are unwilling to support the photographers when they do come, what would they expect to happen? After shooting a couple of shows with few sales photographers give up and move on to other types of events. Now, she does everything online using Smugmug. She still have several hunter pace events that she does. She puts up a booth with samples and business cards and there are information cards in the rider packets. Sign-up here and win an 8×10 from today’s event She gives away an 8×10 at each event or show she does. This is a way to gather up lots of email addresses where she can notify them when the event gallery is available for viewing and purchase. At the hunter pace events is that there are people who don’t do other types of shows and they may not have any pictures of themselves with their horses yet. This means lots of new sales at these events that can also lead to other business. Now she is trying to figure out how to sell digital files effectively and profitably. Many just want the digital files today. Sometimes she sells a bunch of files on a thumb drive for people who want a lot of files. Conformation pictures to sell or promote a horse Discussion of the cell phone pictures that people are using today to promote the sale of their horses. They wonder why there are no buyers or why they have to lower their price so much to sell their horse, however the horse does not look good with a large head a very tiny bottom and does not look good. EPnet workshops I’ve been to workshops in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, all the way through 2013 she explained. She loved what she learned from Betty Cooper’s workshop one year learning a lot about posing horses with their people. Hands on learning seems so much more effective to learn things about posing and getting horses to look great rather than just various online general photography learning opportunities. Learning how to turn the horse’s head or pose the person with the horse can be learned so much better when you are actually seeing it done before your eyes. Judy recommends going to equine photography workshops whenever possible. As you can see, she has attended a few. Family and health issues have slowed things down a bit lately She cared for her mom until she passed in 2014. Then she had a kidney stone and an infection. Then her heart was feeling odd. At a big show her blood pressure and pulse tanked and were very low. She ended up getting a pacemaker and feels great now. Now she has more energy and is looking to do more shooting in coming months. Taking care of yourself is important. Trying out Team Penning & cutting shows recently My D800 has been great for this indoor event of a different nature. It’s action like hunter pace and hunter/jumper, but it is something I have not done before with new challenges. It was lots of fun and she had some good sales. Trying something completely new and challenging can be a great way to learn and grow. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE Also, please use the SHARE buttons at the bottom of the page to share The Equine Photographers Podcast with other equine photographers that you may know. Thanks from your host Peter DeMott. The post 15 : Judy Bosco: Balancing Equine Photography, Business, and Life Behind the Lens appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Lynne is a California-based equine sport, ranch, portrait, pets and livestock photographer for both personal and commercial clients. Lynne is pictured third from the left in the above image. SHOW NOTES Website: http://www.photo.lynnesite.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynne-Glazer-Imagery/42216687604 I’ve known Lynne for many years. She is a talented and very technically particular photographer. What I mean is that she never fudges getting the images right in the camera and on post processing to create the best possible image for her clients. Because of this she has done all sorts of both personal and commercial photography, but for today’s interview we spend a lot of time discussing her endurance ride photography including covering the internationally known Tevis endurance ride which is a point to point 100 mile trail event which occurs every year in California. Lynne has been horse crazy as long as she can remember, but she got her first horse at 31 years old. He was an older horse, but she was able to enjoy him for quite a few years. In 2003 started shooting endurance rides. She also had a desktop technology support business for media companies as a freelancer, so she knew how to run a business before getting into the business of photography. She also had a lot of knowledge about using technology proficiently for her photography business although later in the interview she explains that she hates to blog which she knows would increase her visibility as a photography business. Now she works with an aerospace engineering company in areas of technology that you and I would not have a clue about. She can work remotely and on the schedule she chooses which is usually at night. It’s just what she likes to do. That also leaves her time during the day for photography and enjoying her horse. How does Lynne describe her business today? She does events, farm and ranch photography along with her endurance ride photography and a smattering of other things. She says she does family photography with “critters”. She used to do a lot of editorial photography, but does a lot less now. She still shoots for Arabian Horse World. She also did stock photography profitably for many years, but doesn’t do much with that any more. How long did it take her to move into professional photography? She was able to bring herself to professional status almost instantly because of her understanding of running a business and her technology background. Knowing Lynne, she is one that I would never have to say, “read your camera manual”, since she does technical writing and also probably has it completely memorized. She has done a lot of things over the years like horse shows, kids rodeos, also 2nd camera for Cristy Cumbersworth for her contracted events. Second shooting can be nice because you just hand over the images and the lead photographer takes it from there. Lynne did a lot of work for Cavalia, the horse stage show performances for 10 years. This was a very difficult challenge due to low light. We discussed some of the challenges she faced. They would fly her to their show locations for shoots they needed. Back to endurance riding and endurance ride photography She is currently bringing along a 6-year-old horse for her own endurance riding. She is bowing out of endurance ride photography somewhat so she can ride endurance. She wants good images of herself riding endurance. She wants to encourage other photographers to come up and photograph these events and learn to do it well so she can buy images as keepsakes for rides where she is a participant. The challenge is trying to capture images that will both look great and at the same time identify the ride that they are participating in. This is what makes the images eminently buyable. Making the images interesting and memorable can be challenging in California high desert, so finding the right place with the right light is important. It’s not just taking pictures of everyone. We discuss some how to photograph trail events like this. Finding a place where the 25 mile and the 50 mile riders will both pass by is important, then moving to another point later in the event in order to get an additional opportunity to shoot all the riders. How does the business of endurance ride photography work out for her? The rides she photographs out in California are usually 100+ riders. The average orders for prints is $45.00 which is 3 4×6 prints at $15.00 each. With an 8×10 or larger she includes a digital file for Facebook sharing. Rather than run off and have the images made quickly, she post processes, crops, color corrects the images for very good keepsake image quality. Even though it seems that you can make more selling on site at the event, she likes being able to shoot longer and not having to run off to cull and quickly print out images for sale. People know they will have high quality prints from her business model. She uses Facebook endurance groups and pages to promote the availability of event albums to purchase from. Western States Trail Foundation (WSTF) is the sponsoring organization for the TEVIS endurance ride and she provides a lot of photography for them from this event. We again have a discussion of the TEVIS endurance ride. Vet checks protect the horses throughout the ride. At the end if the horse is not fit to continue, then the horse is pulled and does not complete. This protects horses from being overextended. It is about knowing and training your horse not just pushing performance. She travels around the USA shooting various equine clients, not just endurance. We have a discussion of using Facebook. Lynne uses her cell phone to create slice of life images and people seem to enjoy this. She has a much stronger following of her personal profile page vs. her business page. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE       The post 14 : Lynne Glazer: Endurance Ride Photography and Storytelling Beyond the Finish Line appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Richard Horst is a nature and equine photographer who manages a ranch where ranches are described in hundreds of acres and he has consciously chosen to bring his family and live where the pace of life is different and the love of horses and nature can be expressed in his heart and through photography which he can share with everyone. SHOW NOTES Website: http://www.richardhorstphotography.com Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/RichardHorstPhotography Pinterest Board: https://www.pinterest.com/richardhorst794/ Email Address: [email protected] How did Richard get involved with horses? Grew up back East around Arabian horses. His grandfather had horses, and at his home with his sisters she had two horses, but Richard was not happy about having horses because he had to take care of them for his sister every morning. Not until Wyoming did he start to enjoy horses again. He appreciated that horses could take him to places nobody else could see. Then he and his wife and family moved to manage another ranch in Montana. He manages the largest herd of Rocky Mountain horses in the world. He learned to depend on horses when out in the wild. Working together and trusting each other was important. Where did his interest in photography start? Richard got into photography in high school. He took pictures and processed in the unused bathroom in the basement of his parents house. Peter explains that this is just how he started as well. While leading various horse packing trail adventures for the people coming to the Wyoming guest ranch Richard took lots of point and shoot images throughout the rides. Richard’s wife pushed him to do something with photography rekindling his passion for photography that was dormant for some time. After moving to Montana, he had a little more time and invested in better equipment. He would like to have harder criticism on Horse Photo Critique group on Facebook. People are too nice. I want to improve more. Has a nature photographers “look” to his work. Richard has won some international photo competition with a picture of this daughter in the middle of nowhere with 3-4 horses and expansive rolling hills in the background. We discussed and debated about being a 1/3 time photographer or full-time. Jumping in with both feet Richard announces that he is the OP “official photographer” for the Colorado Horse Expo. A discussion of on site sales and his need for second shooters. He also needs people to organize viewing and handle sales while he shoots all day long. Without on site sales it is likely that sales will be lacking. Needs price sheets, order forms, and promotion to get riders to come and see the images. We will email him with some event photographers to consult with. Which way will Richard go in his photography business as it comes together? What do I do next? Gigi explains that it is interesting to be talking to someone on the cusp of building into a business. You must take the right steps at the right time according to some people who Richard has spoken with in the area of nature photography. Will Richard migrate toward horse events or toward nature photography? SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE   The post 13 : Richard Horst: Building a Multi-Genre Photography Career Across Nature, Horses, and Landscape appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Terri Cage is a portrait and equine photographer specializing in senior portraits, show promotion photography, and farm family portraits with animals. Please join us to listen as she explains her business and her life with horses. SHOW NOTES Website: http://www.terricage-photography.com Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TerriCagePhotography/ Horse crazy kid at 10 years old for my first horse. Her dad got her a camera and he was a photographer actually. She did some barrel racing as she got a little older. As she had children, then now are showing. Started photography business in 2009. Uses studio sometimes for some portraits, dogs, to promote and for selection sessions. Main clientele is horse people. She does weddings from time to time. Shows 5% (networking through the shows with a booth showing portrait work) Majority of work is seniors and promotion for shows, some studio, some lifestyle, but a lot of images for client horse or rider western show promotion. Equine Chronicle and others. The magazines are mailed free to all carded judges and they are free at the shows. Gigi looks at her website and comments about how beautiful it is. Temp was 105 degrees at time of interview and is planning some mini session in studio. The studio is only 8 months old. Plans to stick it out for a year or two to see how it turns out. She sees the studio as promotional also. She also has a retail storefront with framed art work, canvases, boxes and cups etc. Marketing – Advertising – Networking Marketing – What else do you do besides Facebook Page. She mails out some postcards several times per year. Sends to farms and sends to seniors in the area. They are small mailings of 200 to 400 at a time. Spends about a day a week on Facebook and schedules posts, but with Instagram you have to actual do it when you want it to post. Instasize App for sizing photos for Instagram. Shoots some dressage shows which have many different breeds represented. Took a workshop with Scott Trees for Arabians, to learn the breed better. Makes sure that whatever she sends out is appropriate for the breeds represented. Does some marketing through Instagram and this is where the kids are. You have to be there. With Instagram, you will be seen. It’s not that way any more on Facebook. Hashtags not like “senior portraits” because teens will not be looking for that. When I go to someone’s ranch, usually will be there for several hours to provide a variety of images for promotion. Pricing is discussed depending on if she is visiting a stable with 3-4 riders at one session time. Sells Facebook images, high res files for the promotional ads, and various other prints. Grand parents still want wallets. Age 14-18 competitive riders. Spring amateurs, fall stallion promotions. Sometimes travels long distances and stays in guest house or client pays hotel fees. Works with trainers in the ad development. “We have 4 people to do”. For these I have to please the trainer more than I have to please the client. The difficulty of draught and increased costs affects the small horse people. For a while, we were paying 3X for hay. Focus on Niche’ is important Keep a focus on equine to reach these clients. Most of her work is niche’ equine and sometimes she gets other work, but many of those jobs come through people who know her through her equine work. My senior work started with horses. Now I have all kinds of seniors… motorcycles, not just horses now. Big family portraits in fall for Christmas… that’s the only time I shoot families in general. General Shooting schedule for year Spring – shoot for summer World shows Amateurs – shoot in summer – age 19 and above – Fall shows Families – fall shooting Workshops is also something she does for her business. Two days for around $500. Show promotion photography Western lifestyle photography SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE The post 12 : Terri Cage: Equine Portraiture and Visual Storytelling in Texas Horse Country appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Scott is one of those fortunate people who has done something they love their entire working career and that is be a photographer. Horses have been the primary subject of his efforts, and he has been able to travel the world capturing their beauty and essence. His style embodies an artists understanding of light and a tactile emotional portrayal of his subjects. While horses have been the primary subject, his work is not limited to just that area. He also does commercial work including architectural, fashion, portraiture and travel journals. His locations have been worldwide ranging from ghettos to palaces and everything in between! His services include promotional photography, videography, editorial, lectures and seminars. SHOW NOTES Website: http://www.treesmedia.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Scott-Trees-Photography-245113558834563/ Scott Trees is based in Texas The horse came first, quarter horses and Arabians growing up. Started with a Minolta SRT 101. Developed black and white in the bathroom. Started a party picture business for fraternities and Sororities and it paid for his college education. First foray into equine photography was an “A” Arabian show in Pueblo Colorado. Shooting black and white and processing in a rented trailer with a friend. Started doing some 16mm film work for a company working with horses. 1983 Did some work for a disbursement sale for a very large Arabian breeding farm. Did some of the first “at liberty” shooting. Then everything started coming to him as fast as he could handle it. There were only 3-4 photographers doing all the work. Shooting medium format cameras. For every job he accepted there were 3 he had to refuse. Today is very different. Went through the digital change over. At 65 he is in the last phase of his career. It used to be that he had the best gear at any shoot, but today, there will be several people with equipment better than him. Now people think good-enough is acceptable. Very competitive in a dwindling market as breed registries are seeing fewer and fewer horses. Does a lot of video now. It’s an area that new photographers need to become competent in. VHS  then DVDs  then Online Streaming. He has done all of these. Current project working with Arabian breed with video to tell different stories about this versatile and interesting breed. Telling the good story about Arabians. With video you have to consider how the story is being told. Scott has gone back and forth between video and still as each goes up and down in demand. There is a different art involved in motion. Snapshot of his business now 1/3 photography, 1/3 video, 1/3 teaching 80% Horse photography / When he was working in Dubai, it was only 40% horses. As a new photographer you had better be able to adjust to change over and over. Marketing is constantly changing as well. You must be able to perform on-demand and produce a quality product for your customers if you expect to be paid. Horses have been the engine that pulled the train of his photography business. Niche’ is very important. You have to KNOW the area that you photograph. Specialty brought me to other work. Example with a story from Dubai. Goes to horse shows to network. Does not do shows. Be careful that you don’t take on work that you are not prepared to perform well for. Taking on a national “A” horse show as your first project could ruin your entire career in the horse world if you don’t deliver. This includes meeting the expectations of the particular kind of event that you are photographing. Photography today can be a TIME monster. We used to send off our film and it would come back. Now we spend hours and hours on the computer being the lab for ourselves. Package online education in photography available at certain times of the year. Also does on-location teaching. Heads up the Sombrero Ranch Equine Photography workshops. Now he is trying out some classroom only teaching events. Two days: Fundamentals of still equine photography and Fundamentals of video for equine photography. Classroom can be as many as want to come. On-location workshops need to be limited in number to be more effective. Gigi: Workshops are very valuable for her. Hands-on is how she finds the most effective learning. Scott: THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LEARN IN PHOTOGRAPHY. Last question: Tell us about how you are lighting horses these days. Most people are shooting horses are outdoors. Learn the color and direction of the light. Shoot morning or evening. Lighting and shadow give the picture depth and the look of 3 D look. Open shadow also has direction. Sometimes uses reflectors. Doesn’t use on camera fill flash which creates a flat image. Setting up lighting around horses is difficult because horse MOVE. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE   The post 11 : Scott Trees: Lessons From a Long-Term Career in Equine Photography appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

I ran across Anette in the Facebook Group called “Horse Photo Critique” The group is for people wanting to improve their equine images, not a place to share the latest snapshot of your horse. Some people get it, but sometimes people put up images of their horse snapped on a cell phone and become upset when someone explains how the images could be improved. They will say, “why, it’s my horse and I love him and I think it is a great image.”  But, it’s not. The exposure is wrong, the horse has his head in the grass, there are broken fences and garbage piles in the background and so on. There are of course those who understand the purpose of the group and who follow the rules. They post their image with all the details about the image and ask, “How can I improve this image?”  If you want to improve your equine photography, find this Facebook Group and be teachable as Anette has been with outstanding and fast results. One day Anette Augestad posted an image. It was wonderful. A young lady with her horse. The light was just right and there was little that could be done to improve the image. Since then Anette has been doing more and IMPROVING FAST, so I invited her to come on the Equine Photographers Podcast to share about what she was doing and where she was heading with her work. Even now Interest in her images is expanding across the globe.   SHOW NOTES Website: http://www.hestefotograf.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Hestefotograf?fref=photo Equine photography is a hobby or side business, but she has a full-time career in another field. Anette explains that she determines the location of the shoot. Some she shoots with models and borrowed horses. Started with horses when she was 8 and everything in her life. Took riding lessons, dressage and show jumping. 2008 Landscape and nature photography 2012 started to build a portfolio of horses 2013 Started to build her portfolio of equine photography Her full-time job gives her the flexibility to do what she wants Hand picks the horses, hand picks the horses, without having the worry about the money. Learning photography was trial and error. Tried and failed and tried again. Understands all the concepts and learned most of it before starting with horses. Most of her activities come through her Facebook Page. 2013 first large article was published in a magazine called EquiLife. Also published late in Dressage a website in Norway. You have a really specific hobby, her friends tell her. Easier to create intimacy in the images with fewer subjects, the connection. Details about her typical sessions. Delivers about 15-20 images in low resolution. If they want prints, then they have to order through her. Most of this is through emails. Stories of some of her sessions. Loves to photograph the large and powerful breeds. Setting up model sessions with horses she chooses. A discussion of capturing the connection between the horse and rider. Discussion about her rates. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE       The post 10 : Anette Augestad: Building an Equine Photography Career in Norway appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Tracey Elliot-Reep has a truly unique and amazing business model that proves you can create a business that fits your spirit and personality in the equine world. How would you like to live on the edge of a reserve with wild ponies that everyone adores, then take equine trail treks across mountain trails for hundreds of miles in Spain or the Netherlands? How about riding horseback from Mexico to Canada? Then, when you get back share your adventures through books and motivational speaking opportunities throughout the world. Her story is truly inspirational and amazing. You will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, listening to Tracy. SHOW NOTES Show notes are sentences and phrases and words that indicate what is being discussed in the interview along with any websites and links for your further exploration. How did you get involved with horses and photography? Lives at Dartmoor in England. Rode the ponies as a child. Tried to get into school for art, but did not qualify. Joined the traveling circus taking care of the horses. Somewhere along the line I picked up a camera and found that 2011 – across Greece and Italy over the Alps across norther Spain. 5 month trips. Began her business in photography photographing for several magazines. One went bust so she started selling postcards of Dartmoor ponies. Living off 5 pounds a week for a period of time. That was 23 years ago. Now my business of calendars, greeting cards, books funds my adventures then when I come back I give talks about LIVING YOUR DREAMS. I talk about overcoming obstacles. People are inspired to live their own dreams after hearing the struggles and overcoming which I talk about. In the spring she had 20 talks. Working on a children’s book about Rainbow, her pony. Sells greeting cards, novelettes, calendars, children’s books, horseback travel adventure books. Started one adventure with $100. Faith into action. Took on jobs to fund the adventure. Purchased the horses. Crossing the southern Alps. Flash floods. New Zealand. Raised money for disabled riding programs. Ride from Mexico to Canada. Drug smugglers, snakes, mountain lions, mountains. Her European adventure included tunnels, refugees, mountains, mountain goats, dangers of many kinds. http://www.traceyelliotreep.com Riding by Faith Across Southern Europe A gripping journey with two Greek ponies from the arid heat of Greece, across the Alps of southern Europe, to the ancient pilgrim trail of northwest Spain. Riding by Faith Across America A stunning photographic account of a dream becoming reality, as Tracey rode all the way from Mexico to Canada following the Rocky Mountains. An inspirational, informative and humorous taste of life in the American West, past and present. Riding by Faith Through New Zealand Tracey’s first big adventure started with faith, a friend and only a few pounds in her pocket. They travelled the length of the North and South Islands of New Zealand, across mountains and battled through cyclones, floods and droughts. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE     The post 9: Tracey Elliot Reep: Equine Adventure Photography and Storytelling on the Move appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Phyllis has been part owner and manager of Burchett Training Center for over 30 years so it was only natural for her to turn to equine photography. Her knowledge of horses helps her to fulfill her creative vision for the Equine Form as art.  Her passion for beautiful light and candid moments inspires and fuels her to make images that make the viewer want to come along on her journey. Join us now as we talk to Phyllis about her life and journey as an equine photographer and artist. SHOW NOTES Website: http://phyllisburchettphoto.net Workshops: http://phyllisburchettphoto.net/workshops/ Iceland photography tour: http://phyllisburchettphoto.net/iceland-tour-2016/ Winter horse photography tour: http://phyllisburchettphoto.net/winter-horse-photography-tour/ She has a blog which you can sign-up for email subscribe on her website. Show notes are just rough notes, phrases and sentences to give you some clues about what was discussed during the interview. She has been in the horse business since her teens. Late 1990s had 14 stations and did lots of stud service. 45 Acre farm. Had as many as ten people working for them. 2003 started getting burned out on horse breeding business. Went to a workshop and caught the bug. Bought a film camera. Back country Yellowstone tours. Was “possessed with photography”. Known for wildlife and bird photography. Polar bears in Canada. Now, it’s horses, bears, and birds. Sold the farm, but works at the farm part-time as part of the purchase agreement. Breeding crashed 2008 and has diminished a lot. Today in your photography business. She is in two galleries. She does instruction. Portrait work is word of mouth. 50% or more of her portraits are horse and rider or owner and pet portraits. Connects a lot with people through Facebook. Workshops and tours are mainly equine related. Workshops are one day from dawn to dusk. Poems Art and World Art represent about 15% of her income. Enjoys much of what she does. #1 Horses, #2 Nature, If I could do workshops every day, it’s what I love to do. Doing an Icelandic horse tour and workshop in Iceland. For new photographers, it’s good to be well rounded. She does architectural photography. Leading to a photographic riding tour with horse pictures. Has a waiting list. One day workshop around $179.00. Iceland tour is around $3500.00 excluding airfare. Riding and photography tour – beta test was too low. This year will be more. Gigi chimes in, “I could be your cook. I used to be a chef.” Gigi says, “Phyllis is a great teacher.” PPA, ASMP, NAMPA, LOCAL Affiliate Chapters, Equine photographers Network. Equipment: Nikon from fish eye to 600mm (birds). D4, D810, D7200,  70-200 is favorite lens for horse and a lot of portrait work. Small studio, not a store front studio, just a room at the farm. Will set up at the Gallery for holiday portraits to promote the gallery also. Sees herself as an artist. Encourage new photographers to get involved locally. 50% Equine photography – Includes horse and rider, tours, teaching, fine art equine sales, farm 15% Portraits including pet photography 15% Fine art nature photography 20% Teaching through the gallery and one-on-one mentor tutoring. Portrait clients will see 15-25 images completely post processed. Small town. Spends more time in post processing than in the actual session. Prices with other full-time professionals in the area. Do competitions. PPA judging. To learn. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE The post 8 : Phyllis Burchett — Fine Art Equine Portraits and Nature Photography appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

When I saw his website and looked around it was reminiscent of the Norman Rockwell covers on the Saturday Evening Post. In our interview we discussed these images and more to discover how an old-time cowboy moved from large format cameras to digital and continues to come up with new ways to grow his business with outstanding personalized service and top quality output for his clients. From Ron’s website: Ron McGinnis was born and reared in the hills of the Missouri Ozarks, surrounded by wildlife and wild places. In these surroundings Ron developed an eye for the beauty of both rural and natural settings. He grew up hunting, fishing, and participating in rodeo events. The son of a professional photographer, he was introduced to a camera at a fairly early age. He was tutored by his father and his father’s cousin, a Kansas City crime photographer, who was a master of fine art, and black and white photography. Between the two of them, they managed to teach him a thing or two about light and shadow, aperture settings and composition.   A college professor once told Ron, “If you don’t make a living as an artist you will starve to death.” Art has been his livelihood for most of his life. Whether it was as a sculptor, or his main profession as an award-winning marine artist, Ron has made a living doing what he does best: art.   Now with the latest in state of the art digital photography equipment, Ron is sharing his artistic eye with the viewing public. Ron’s photographs can be seen in homes and businesses, and in galleries for resale. Several of his photos have won awards, including Cowboys & Indians Magazine contests, and are used in magazine articles and on book covers. SHOW NOTES Show notes are just rough notes, phrases and sentences to give you some clues about what was discussed during the interview. Website: http://www.ronmcginnis.com Ron’s Artist Website: http://ron-mcginnis.artistwebsites.com/index.html Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ronmcginnisphotography Ron’s email: [email protected] Started at 17 Father was a master photographer. Friend of Ansel Adams. Still shoots with a the zone system. Started with a 8×10 large format camera. Cameras are still a box and hole in it. Raised around horses and cowboys all of his life. Participated in rodeos. Also does reproductions of marine life as part of his living (3-d sculptures). For museums and other. 75% of his career is photography. Shooting kids growing up doing rodeo is rewarding. His wife does the selling at computer table at the events. He does not print on site. He is very particular about quality of print work. BLACK RIVER Imaging does great work for him. Knows his lab people personally. Does a lot of 40×60 canvas wraps. Like to shoot action events at low angles. Shoots from inside and outside of the arena depending on safety issues. Will sometimes use wider lenses and low angles to capture a more dramatic. Mostly shoots with 70-200 f2.8. Have to be able to shoot action and some in evenings. Uses up to 8 speed-lights. Can turn on and off as needed. Sometimes he can just use higher ISO in a good night rodeo arena. 1/500 is the slowest shutter speed that he would use if not using a flash. Faster for some events. Almost all rodeo events. Art sales 50%  Average purchase is a 30×40 canvas  and framed images through fine art america. Some art shows. Art dealers. Facebook. A new image might get shared 50 times on Facebook. Rodeos almost every weekend. Takes some shots from the events to create art images.  The contestants almost always purchase these images that he has created as a gallery wrap. His wife is showing the pictures from previous events which he has worked on during the previous week at the current show that he is shooting. Doesn’t usually sell online to keep people honest and keep them from stealing the images. Grew up being a fan of Norman Rockwell and is pleased that we saw that in his work. But, these shots are real life images of friends at a bunk house. Nick Filters collections. Every image is different. Plays with things until he gets what he wants. Pops details that he wants to see and pushes back other things. Rockwell looks. Likes back-lit images. Shoot to edit. Shoots only in manual mode. Lightroom and layers in Photoshop with textures are the things he likes to work with. Taking a mediocre shot and making it into something very good. Something I figured out is that women run the horse industry, decorate the home, and buy the horse magazines. Does quite a bit of teaching. Zen and the art of photography. Teaches the creativity aspects of photography (not the technical aspects of photography). People come from a 4-5 state region come in for a day or two. Doesn’t advertise it much. People call and ask. Portraits, senior portraits 25% of his business. Shoot and edit pricing. Post processing all in about 2 hours. I’m a pretty good photographer, but not that good of a business man. Teaching people how to SEE is the hardest part of teaching others. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE   The post 7 : Ron McGinnis — Rodeo and Western Lifestyle Photography appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Charles Hilton and I got to know each other when he was still in Equine Photographers Network and the world was changing to digital cameras. He dove right in and went digital and started learning Photoshop to enhance his beautiful images of people and horses. Always improving his photography and business practices As I mentioned on Facebook, every time that I see an image that Charles shares on his Facebook feed, I think, “Wow, that is better than the ones from last week.” He continues to learn and grow and learn and grow each day in this advection of equine photography. We had a wonderful discussion with Charles about his passion of horses and people and photography. SHOW NOTES: Website : http://www.charleshilton.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Charles-Hilton-Photography Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/charles.hiltonca?fref=ts Podcast Link: Equine Photographers Podcast Took his daughter up to North Texas for her 16th birthday to explore the horse farms. Got run off many of the farms. One had a sign that said welcome and open any time. He took some pictures of a foal and took them some 11×14 prints with new backgrounds. Invited back to do more pictures. Traded photography for a 2-year-old appaloosa. 1992 took early retirement and took it. Debt free. Son killed in an accident. Built a 15 stall barn over a couple of years with his daughter. Daughter was going through John Lyons certification. Did all his shoots for “the Perfect Horse Magazine.” Went through a divorce. Clinton Anderson called and wanted him to do his pictures. Horse Magazine, Horse and Rider Magazine, and others. Lots of editorial work after 2002. More recently moving toward the more emotional captivating horse and rider portraiture. Feels that it is photography with more purpose to it. What horses mean to people. Facebook feed. Telling the story behind the people we are photographing. 15-year-old fighting cancer session. Helping sharing her story and maybe write a her book. My faith is a part of what I do. Work on my photography EVERY DAY!  We all have so much talent, and the effort we put in will determine how far that talent will take us. Wants to do more Photoshop mentoring and classes, but I’m a shooter. Wants to do some larger scale workshops. Day rate for editorial work. Work for individuals is very different. $250 minimum for any work for individuals. The $250 goes toward purchases from his price list. They almost always buy a lot more. Shows the client 30-40 images and does a selection session to make their purchases, then once they have purchased the $250 worth, then it is up to them to keep spending more if there are images they must have. Helps them to eliminate images, but the clients usually push back and say I must have this one and I must have that one. Usually $1000 to $2500 spent. If it’s $250 it’s okay, if it goes to $500 that’s better, if it goes to $1000 or $2000 that’s great. He brings LARGE PRINT canvases gallery wrap. If you show them an 8×10, that’s all they will buy. I bring a 24×36. Sue Bryce is someone Charles follows. http://www.inbedwithsue.com/blog/ Several other portrait photographers that he also follows. NOT a pressure type person. Does not like pressure sales. I talk with them throughout the session to give them what they want and what they are looking for. What is the pre consultation like. Dealing with the environment presented to him. Shoots with a 200 to 400mm zoom lens with wide aperture and blurs the background. Finding the light that is right. Not taking a landscape photo, shooting a client and their horse and letting the background just go very soft. 4×7 ft reflector sometimes. Wife Susan helps a lot. Now starting to use flash metering to balance with ambient light. Tries to darken the background by 3/4 or 1 stop and bring up the subject with the flash. All manual settings. Flash high on the stand. These are studio strobes with battery packs. Traveling. How does that work? Trainer client wanted a day shoot. Pay set fee plus travel. She said she had some clients that would want to also participate. Ended up do 20 sessions over a week or two with a $150 minimum for each. Did selection sessions online by sending a PDF file locked so it cannot be printed. It only can be opened on-screen. Order form on each page. They can see the images pretty large on-screen. 25 to 50 or 75 images. Some stealing, but not that much. If they don’t order, he called them up to follow-up. What are your questions? Before, when he sent small JPGs they would not order. Now they are ordering with hand holding over the phone and with emailing. Trying for over the phone orders looking $500 to less than $1000. Last time he went to that farm he photographed 47 sessions over almost 6 weeks in multiple locations. Uses a Facebook GROUP to invite people to join up for portraits. Tell them how many they need for him to come. Basic prices show. They decide if they want to participate. He collects a deposit of 50% of the base fee. Friends invite and join their friends to the Facebook Group. At the end there is a big part that someone throw and he puts together a big slide show of everyone at this event. Posts a few images on Facebook and the group keeps growing. This last time, he had to tell ten people he had to tell them he could not do them. Keeps the GROUP from year to year, deletes all the old images and starts again. Has THREE Groups that he is managing. Tries to do 3-4 people per day. Has done as many as 10 in one day. Might schedule a weekend at the beach photography sessions at an additional fee. Funny stories. Talks to people. Don’t try anything new for the first time. Best advice to the new person. Learn a foundation of good quality photography. In some Facebook groups. Was in EPnet for many years. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE     The post 6 : Charles Hilton — Seeing the Light and Honing Your Craft appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

Living Images Horse Photography by Carol Walker – Equine Photographer Portraits of Horses and their people, Farm Calls, Horse Stock Images, Fine Art Horse Prints and Commercial Equine Photography. In 2000, Carol Walker started her business Living Images by Carol Walker, specializing in horse photography. Carol’s images illuminate the relationship between horses and their people as well as showcase the beauty of horses with her stunning images of horses at liberty. Her commercial work includes catalog covers for leaders in the Equine industry. She has had numerous calendars published featuring her work and she markets her fine art prints from her website as well as in several locations on the Front Range of Colorado. Living Images offers a wide range of products and services ranging from Portrait and Farm Call Services to offering her Horse Photography through Fine Art Prints and Stock Images. SHOW NOTES: http://www.livingimagescjw.com http://www.wildhoofbeats.com/blog • Influential in the wild horse sector of the equine photography business • Always loved horses and started taking pictures when she was age 4 focused on nature photography first as an amateur • Joined Equine Photographers Network • Started with portraits of owners and their horses • At nature photography conference someone asked her why she was not photographing wild horses • Monthly visits to the wild horse herds • Found out that they were going to be removed and got involved and wrote her first book “Wild Hoof Beats” • Incomes streams have shifted from year to year / started with portraits / then got into stock / calendars / magazines for editorial / trade shows / fine art sales • Did everything on her own until she hired an assistant several years ago • Trade shows and galleries and art shows (local art shows), but has pulled out of most of the trade shows • Be careful that any show you sign up for has enough people • Sales at trades shows varied a lot. Difficult to predict what was going to sell from one year to the next. Greeting cards always sold • Uses http://www.zazzle.com • Sometimes does better at non-horse shows for selling art prints / decor prints of wild horses or horses at liberty • What sells in the middle of the country is different from what people will spend on the east or west cost • Etsy Store is working great. Website orders are going gangbusters – drop ship images as the orders come in. • First book sold about 8,000 books self published so far • Horse photography book about 7,000 + • Galloping to freedom is her next book. The story of the journey of a herd of wild to living in a sanctuary. This book is sponsored. • Sells best online, galleries where her work is visible. Bookstore sales are slower. • Primedia sells her books and calendars as well. • Also photographs horses at liberty “set up” photography for decor images. People are buying more “pretty horses” for large prints for decor. • She has done workshops all over the world and gathers some of her images through that. Tony Stromburg workshops. • Did a workshop in Dubai and got some wonderful pictures of arab stallions in the desert. She was the instructor and had 25 students who were people from Dubai. This is her second time. • 70% fine art sales. Does about two workshops per year. • Stock photography has gone down since she started. Many people who used to make a living in stock photography are now doing photography tours and workshops. • She thinks that wild horses should not have names. • Her wild horse advocacy helps her photography and her photography helps people to appreciate wild horses in nature. • It works well to have a cause. Advocacy and art is a beautiful marriage. Other photographers may want to make connections through rescues and such. • Suggestions or ideas for new photographers wanting to go the wild horse way. Getting known for a specialty is really important to getting known. Diverse sources of income, but target niche within horse photography. • Facebook Page – 850,000 followers, 220,000 on hoofbeats Facebook page, about 50,000 on Living images -tries to post something EVERY DAY. WOW! • Discussion of Instagram. Pictures of your process get eaten up by people on Instagram. She is not doing much with it yet, but sees that it is important. • Photoshop or not Photoshop. She likes the images to look more natural and has a minimalist view. Likes black and white. Does not like sepia tones (personal preference). Importance of good photography and good lighting. Having a look to YOUR work is good. Being consistent with your personal style can brand you… That looks like Carol Walkers work. • Start with a business plan – put your money first in your web site and then go from there. Start locally with art oriented. Still with Equine photographers Network and recommend it to new photographers she encounters. • Workshop in the Black Hills in September – hopefully annually – Look for the new book Galloping to Freedom. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE The post 5 : Carol Walker: Wild Horse Photography, Fine Art, and Building an Online Market appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

In today’s podcast we explore the work of Shelley Paulson and discuss her new website focused only on equine photography. We find out the reasons for the change and the results that are coming. Many know Shelley’s outstanding photography and her love of horses. She knows how to run her business well and recently moved to a farm where she could wake up in the morning and talk to her horse from the back porch. Her blog talks of her love of equines and their people and her joy in photographing both. If you woke me tomorrow and told me I couldn’t be a photographer or filmmaker anymore, it would be like telling me I was going to be blind for the rest of my life. Being an artist has given me eyes to see beauty in the world and people around me. My heart is to share that beauty and tell heartfelt stories with artistry and excellence. HORSE CRAZY As a child, I was that horse-crazy girl who would spend hours with her model horses, making up stories about them. Every horse had a name, a personality, a heart. In my youth, I spent my summers on horseback, falling in love over and over with these beautiful creatures. As soon as I was grown-up enough to buy my own horse, I bought Maggie Sue, who is still the equine love of my life. When she was younger, we competed in local shows and even won a few ribbons. Now we enjoy hanging out and going on trail rides with friends. MY LOVES My husband, Tracy. I am blessed to be married to a great man. He is my business partner, personal comedian, and best friend. My dogs, Toby and Arthur. Toby is my baby and constant companion. I’m trying to raise him right, but he’s a bit spoiled. Arthur came to us as a foster dog, and decided to live out his days in our loving home. His gentle soul and passion for squeaker toys gives us a reason to smile every day. My horse, Maggie Sue. I bought her when she was two and she’s now 22. She’s sweet, gentle, has a carrot addiction, and holds a dear place in my heart. My Jesus. He’s the most kind, captivating person I know. SHOW NOTES Shelley’s website: http://www.shelleypaulson.com Shelley’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/shelleypaulsonphotography Mentoring: http://www.shelleypaulson.com/mentoring/ Shelley does some spend on Facebook ads with very specific target audience Born with an affinity for horses Horse back riding lessons at age 10 Purchased a horse as soon as she could earn the money — 20 years ago. Still has her horse. She had a graphic design and web design business Hired by a construction company – started taking photos of construction sites Struggled with the film camera learning curve Purchased a digital rebel and kit lens and started learning fast Started up photography business inside her other business Undercharged for a short period and quickly realized that she needed to charge more because of the time involved. Mostly self-taught. 2006 Cheryl Jacobs workshop was a huge thing. Until that point Shelley was shooting everything and everybody. The workshop released her to being artist driven and less client driven. She cried at the workshop. Does critique and portfolio reviews with her to this day. The ONE IMAGE that has given her the direction and focus for her work to this day was pointed out by Cheryl Jacobs during a portfolio review at the workshop. The personal portrait showing a connection between the horse and rider is something that was gaining some steam. Prior to this it was just “show portraits” and win shots. How to get people to show their connection. How to pose people without making it stiff. If it bends bend it. Minimal instructions. How to help them relax and enjoy their time with their horse. Shelley explains “when the horse is inviting you into a moment” to the client. She tries not to interrupt that moment when it occurs. Pre-consultation. Does not do a lot of phone pre consultation, but does send out a pdf with lots of detail and explaining pricing and frequently asked questions. What kind of clothing to wear. Fly spray. Because of her experience, she knows when to call things off, when a horse might get agitated and about to blow-up because of flies or whatever. The question of safety at a session came up. New website and blog post about quitting weddings. A couple of years ago she bumped her head on a fall causing a brain injury and created some brain fog and a great deal of pain. Struggled with pain and stress. Her primary source of stress was weddings. She was stressed at the wedding day and in her lifestyle because of weddings on the calendar. Shelley was a presenter at WPPI and yet decided to change direction, Welcome Horse LOVERS is her new focus. She does mentoring. She is working on an ebook about posing horse and rider. Her bread and butter is equine photo sessions with people. She blogs about her client’s stories. Mostly high school seniors. Full service customized experience for her clients. Minimum starting point is in the $650 range.  In person ordering session in her living room. She has 10 hours into a session by the time she is finished. Her average sale is in the $1200+ range. I am not the right photographer for everyone. But, if they want what I offer, then they will be willing to invest in the session. Remember Sessions are not very often. Uses Pro-Select in the selection session. Does some over email to narrow some before the actual in-person ordering. She can help them, she can show them and they can touch and feel the products and if she wants she can put together something special for that client. She does not like hype or high pressure sales. She lets them see their pictures beforehand. Then the selection session is just an hour instead of 3 hours. Some of the work is done before the selection session begins. Clients have all the pricing and packages in a pdf that explains all their options so they know what they are getting into when they come to their selection session. Because of the steady growth over the years, she had the confidence to go to all equine. She did not just start from scratch with her entire focus on equine. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE The post 4 : Shelley Paulson: Developing Personal Style and Vision in Equine Photography appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

My name is Sophie. I’m an equine photographer, a horse addict and a story-teller and I’m incredibly lucky to be able to tell the stories of horses owners throughout the UK and call it a job. I’m 27, based in Chelmsford, in Essex and travel all over, photographing horses and their humans. Join us to as we talk with Sophie about her work and her blogging which generates lots of engagement and a constant flow of people requesting her services as an equine photographer and lover of horses of all kinds. I love milky tea (one sugar), Instagram, music that makes you want to dance, my UGGs, diet Coke, sunsets, reading smutty romance novels on my Kindle whilst pretending to read something intellectual, anything navy-blue, things that sparkle and my Cocker Spaniel, Barney. Welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to look around. I’ve ridden and had horses since I was three years old and actually have an Equine Studies and Stud Management degree, from Writtle College. My parents aren’t at all horsey, although, every year, my dad tells me he could win the Puissance, at Olympia, with his eyes closed. Because, you just sit and kick, right? My first pony was a moody Shetland mare, called Gemma, who thought it was fun to terrorise my mum. Since then I’ve owned, loaned and ridden Thoroughbreds, M&Ms, cobs, Arabs and everything in between. I’m obsessed with traditional and native, coloured ponies and I really love photographing horses with unusual colouring or breeding. I love showing and think you eventing and show jumping lot are a little nuts. 😉 If you see me at a show, I’ll usually be following behind a coloured pony with very white feathers and have chalk powder up to my elbows. I’m currently horseless (for the first time ever) and seriously sulking about it, but will hopefully be in a position to go hairy-patchy-pony shopping next year! Phew! I love the feeling you can’t get from anything other than a good gallop, I love the smell when you bury your face in your horse’s neck and I love that heart-melt when your pony recognises the sound of your boots walking across the yard. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have what I think is the best job in the world! I have taken my two passions and combined them, allowing me to do something I truly love. I live and breathe this job every day. Our memories; of moments, of feelings, of emotions; are the most precious thing we could ever own and are so personal to each of us. And my job is to literally parcel up my clients’ memories and hand them to them in a tangible form; in a gift box, on a canvas or in a frame. I’m so honoured to be trusted with this responsibility. Hopefully my love for what I do comes across in my work. I began my photography career working in event photography for five years, moving on to studio photography and then finally into equine photography. And I have finally found what I feel like I was born to do. I am truly passionate about making art through photographing you and your horses! I’m quite an untraditional photographer, in that I’m not so much into the technical side of my job as much as I am the creative and equestrian sides. I’m entirely self-taught and I don’t carry my camera everywhere I go because I love photographing pretty scenery. I photograph horses because I’m passionate about the animals themselves, the impact they have on our lives, and about creating something beautiful from this. I love colour, I love evening light, I love when my clients go all out with their outfit and put as much into their images as I promise to, and I always try to photograph what I feel rather than what I see. I simply adore telling your stories! If you’ve read through my blog or ventured onto my Facebook, you may have already noticed that. I try to get to know my clients and their horses as well as I can in the limited time I have with them, and I’m committed to telling their tale with as much accuracy and empathy as possible. I’m always inspired by the fact that every partnership I meet has their own story to tell and this is one of my favourite parts of the job. I think the most important thing about my job, is to capture the horse that the owner knows. My clients don’t just want the horse to look ‘pretty’ and posed, they want their personality to shine through and they want to see the character, the best friend, that they know so well, and love. I like to keep things natural and relaxed in order to achieve this. Above all else I want my clients to feel that unique bond when they see their images. The bond that gives us that warm feeling that only a horsey person will understand, and this is what I strive to achieve through my work. I’d like to thank each and every one of you that I’ve worked with so far on this journey. Everybody who has booked me, and of course their equine partners, for being such fantastic models and making my job the best job I could have ever hoped for. I have the most fabulous clients! And lastly, once again, thank you for taking the time to check out my blog and considering trusting me with the responsibility of making memories of you and your horses that will last you a lifetime. I look forward to meeting you, and having the chance to tell your story! SHOW NOTES Sophie’s Websites Sophie’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/SophieCallahanPhotos Sophie’s Website http://www.sophiecallahanphotography.com Sophie’s Blog https://sophiecallahan.wordpress.com Sophie Callahan’s and her wonderful blogging. How she came to horses and photography. Facebook engagement and blog – 1000 to 2000 hits for most posts. One went viral at 120,000 hits. There is room for everyone – Lots of competition sprouting up. Writes blog posts and schedules them to publish. Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook all linked back to the blog. Uses Instagram quite a bit and it feeds into Twitter. Does not do paid advertising at all. Spends a LOT of time blogging – at least 1/2 every day. D300x with 18-200mm lens Nikon equipment. Add in dogs and family at the session, but only books for equine. She does online sales, but she takes product samples to the session and they discuss at the session. Lots of emails back and forth individually and personally and on phone – she places the orders. Not push button like her event photography business was. Discuss needs and desires have lots of fun. She puts their focus on the relationship with their horse in conversation at the session. Gathers all the blogging information and puts client at ease as well. The blog makes it personal and gives them something to comment about, not just a picture a horse. Blogs after every shoot within a couple of days. Sits and blogs in front of the Tellee (TV). Group shoots become even more of an experience together (A hive of activity). Did 11 people in one day in one group…. started as 3 then went to 6 then 9…. Usually end up 80-100 images for the disk purchase. Couple days work on a disk buy. Post shoot email is very clear about everything. Are there differences with Facebook in UK vs. USA. The KEY is keeping people engaged “show me photos of your ponies”. This opens the door to them receiving her posts on Facebook. Tries for one shoot per day toward evenings. Travels 5 minutes to 6 hours and all over the UK with travel expenses. Even though she is very safety conscious but there have been a couple crashes. Two contracts – model release and liability release at time of session before beginning. Mini horse session “the were so naughty!” Accessories like buying a Barbie doll. Mistakes are the best way of learning. Must be totally passionate about your photography. I absolutely LOVE what I do. Whatever your dream is, you should be the one doing it, otherwise you will think “I wish I would have done that.” I’m VERY easy-going and laid back The blog changes they way people look at you…. just not another photographer WordPress online blog (not-self hosted WordPress) To keep up with changes and learning about photography she reads lots online SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE The post 3 : Sophie Callahan: Blogging as a Tool for Building Connection and Audience Trust appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

An Interview with Equine Photographer Carien Schippers  Carien Schippers has been photographing professionally since 1976. She has an AAS degree from SUNY Cobleskill in Animal Husbandry and a two-year certificate from the New England School of Photography. For many years she was primarily an event and farm photographer, more recently she has been developing an extensive stock archive of equine images for publication as well as a fine art print site at www.horsedrivephotos.com. The photos from this collection have been exhibited in galleries all over the Northeast and have placed well in numerous juried art competitions. As a lifetime student of the horse she excels in capturing the spirit and beauty of the equine and is in constant pursuit of finding fresh, unique and creative perspectives of her subject. She is a keen observer and able to capture the subtle nuances of horse and herd behavior, giving her a highly recognizable style of work that has been widely published in a variety of magazines, calendars, books and catalogs. Drifting Herd SHOW NOTES Carien has several websites you can visit Her Website http://www.imagequine.com Her Personal Profile Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carien.schippers Her Business Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ImagEquine Her Website for the Horse Drive http://www.horsedrivephotos.com Her Blog http://imagequine.blogspot.com The Equine Photographers Network Website http://www.equinephotographers.org The Equine Photographers Network Newsletter Sign-up http://www.equinephotographers.org/subscribe.htm Host: Peter DeMott Host: Gigi Embrechts Our Guest: Carien Schippers and her life growing up with horses. The Equine Photographers Network. Some go pro too soon. All the work associated with actual photography business. Shoot what’s in your back yard to get started. Work your way up from local 4H shows in your area. Choosing the work. Don’t do things that you are not confident about yet. Being versatile, stock, horse shows, portraits – learn as much as you can. Invest in your gear and your education. Look at other people’s work. Put your ego aside and put your work out there to learn. Susan Sexton said, “you can not be emotionally attached to your photographs”. Experiment and find your own style, don’t just follow the latest trend. Where her income comes from. EPnet, Portraits, Shows, Editorial work etc. The business worked well around raising her children. Her opinion is that nailing down to a very specific niche is not the best plan. Learning breed specific standards. Look at websites and magazines to see what is expected. Learn them all. Basics of Equine Photography online workshop available every year. Learning about horses too – not just about photography. Most equine photographers are women because they love horses. A digital camera does not make you a professional photographer. Dealing with people and people skills are also important. Men come to equine photography through their daughters and wives more often. Cost of doing business and EPnet to help people really make a go of equine photography as a business. Learn as much as you can about the BUSINESS of photography before taking the leap. Online courses and in person workshops through EPnet. Don’t be too distracted and focus too much on the people who don’t want to learn the business. Her equipment Nikon D3s. Rough on gear. Great in low light situations. 80-200mm lens is the go to lens for equine photographers. 300mm f2.8 is my favorite. Don’t use wide angled lenses on horses. Stay at 135-300mm for horses. Playing with wide-angle for fun stuff. Some use wide angle when they get low and shoot up for more impact. Getting used to standing back from the horse to maintain the true proportions of the horse. 235,000 fans on Equine Photographers Facebook page Daily Horse Shots on Facebook Horse photo Critique Facebook FREE MONTH on EPnet Getting an education in Equine photography. SUBSCRIBE, Rate and Review: The Equine Photographers Podcast We also encourage your to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you never miss an episode. This is also where you can leave a RATING or COMMENT about the episode or the podcast. More comments and ratings helps others find our podcast on iTunes. If you enjoyed the podcast consider leaving a rating and review: Subscribe on iTunes Click HERE The post 1: Community and Connection in Equine Photography with Carien Schippers appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.