Equine Photographers Podcast

Suzanne Sylvester - Interviews with equine photographers and other industry professionals to discover their love for horses and how they use their cameras to show the beauty of the horse and to make a living in the niche' of equine photography.
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  • VISUAL ARTS

Learn how today’s professional equine photographers got to where they are and how their niche’ works

  1. JAN 8

    Mastering Fine Art & Wild Horse Conservation in Equine Photography — with Carol Walker (10 years later)

    Carol Walker Returns: 10 Years of Growth Carol Walker returns to share what changed in her fine art equine photography business over the last decade—what she’d do differently, how her creative focus evolved, and why wild horse conservation remains at the heart of her work. SUBSCRIBE  IN THIS EPISODE: Carol Walker of Living Images by Carol Walker returns to The Equine Photographer’s Podcast for a candid “10 years later” conversation about what changed—creatively and professionally—since her last appearance. We talk about how her fine art equine photography approach evolved, what she would do differently if she were building her business again today, and the practical shifts that helped her stay aligned with her long-term vision. We also dive into photography as visual advocacy and why wild horse conservation continues to shape the stories she chooses to tell. If you’re an equine photographer who wants to refine your artistic voice, build a body of work with meaning, and grow in a way that feels sustainable, this episode will help you think more clearly about the next decade—not just the next booking.     KEY TAKEAWAYS What changed in Carol’s business—and what stayed the same—over 10 years How to evaluate your work as a fine art body of work What Carol would do differently if starting today Using photography as a voice for conservation Building a recognizable artistic style over time Balancing creative integrity with business growth About the Guest: Carol Walker Carol Walker is the artist behind Living Images by Carol Walker. Her fine art equine photography and wild horse work focus on storytelling, conservation, and creating imagery that lasts beyond a single moment in time. Connect with Carol: Website: Living Images by Carol Walker Instagram: @wild_hoofbeats Facebook: Living Images by Carol Walker SUBSCRIBE Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss a conversation—and share this one with an equine photographer building meaningful work for the long term. 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 26: Fine Art Equine Photography & Wild Horse Conservation With Carol Walker appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

    50 min

  2. 04/22/2017

    Building an Authentic Equine Photography Career from Childhood Passion — with Lori McIntosh

    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: Lori@Lorimcphoto.com 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.

    45 min

  3. 02/11/2017

    Turning Horse Life & Teaching into a Sustainable Photography Practice — with Pam Gabriel

    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: pam@pamgabrielphotography.com  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.

    31 min

  4. 07/27/2016

    How to Excel in Rodeo & Sports Photography as an Equine Photographer — with Matt Cohen

    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.

    39 min

  5. 06/15/2016

    Growing Your Editorial & Stock Equine Photography Business — with Shawn Hamilton

    In a changing market with changes in photography and changes in the economy their have been publications that have ceased to exist and others have cut back on photography budgets. Stock photography has also changed over the years. Throughout all this change, Shawn Hamilton has been able to run a successful editorial, commercial and stock photography business focused exclusively on equine photography. My wife an I have been to the Rolex Three Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Kentucky for the cross-country jumping portion of the event many times over the past many years. One year I had the pleasure of introducing myself to Shawn as she photographed at the water jumps. She had a very large lens which I think was a 300mm prime lens. I’m not sure where this picture  (below) was taken, but this is pretty much how I remember her on that day 4 or 5 years ago. For me it is just a 2 hour drive from Dayton, Ohio, however Shawn comes from Canada to shoot the event each year rain or shine. But, as the interview progresses, you’ll hear from Shawn how she morphs her business to meet the needs of the day and now may also create some offerings that give her a chance to “give back”. Website: http://clixphoto.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CLiXphotocom Email: clixphoto7@gmail.com        SHOW NOTES: As with every episode we start out talking about the origins of interest in both photography and especially horses. She got her first 35mm camera from a rich ante when she was about 10 years old. She started riding lessons when her mom traded fabric for riding lessons. She started her business in the mid 80s. She picked up The Photographers Market and entered all the magazines she had an interest in into a data base. She was working with a data base management company at the time. After a pregnancy leave of several months when she came back to work she realized that she wanted to go full-time with photography, so she quite her job and dove in. It took about a year of shooting horse shows and three-day events before she would say that she was actually making money as a business. She started out as a show photographer. In order to make it as an editorial and commercial equine photographer in Canada, you must have clients in the USA. With the down turn in the economy she went back to school to learn more about writing and she has refocused on travel photography and writing, but still focused on equine vacation opportunities. National Geographic Traveller Magazine UK version Her recent accolade was her photography in National Geographic Traveller Magazine UK version. Shawn had taken a 7 day trip crossing the Andes Mountains from Chile to Argentina. A National Geographic writer had taken the same trip, but the photographer she had did not work out for whatever reason and they were able to use Shawn’s photography instead. It’s been in the works for some time and was just published recently. She is still looking for a copy of the magazine. 30 years photographing the Rolex Three Day Event She has only missed two over those thirty years. Once because she was pregnant and another because she was living overseas. It used to be as an assignment photographer for several publications, but now she does the photography there for stock. She still shoots for several clients, but not like she used to. There are so many photographers at the event these days so the competition and the availability of good images is much greater. In any case Canada is still gray from winter and coming down to the Rolex where it is already spring, inspires her and gets her stock photography Fine Art Equine Photography Fine art is something that she has been working on for a year or so. We discussed pricing a little bit. How to Photograph Your Horse She was invited to do a presentation at an event. She presented about how to photography your horse. Afterwards, she had people coming up to her booth with lots of questions and asking if she would do a workshop. She scheduled a teaching workshop about how to photograph three day events. That is happening in mid June 2016. She is ready to give back and feels that this will be a great opportunity to do so. A Book About Horse Back Riding Vacations If she writes a book, the name will be “From the Saddle” because she does a lot of her travel photography from the saddle of the horse. We discuss how to have cameras while riding a horse. She has Lowe Pro bags and belt attachments for the cameras and lenses. The HOW-to of Editorial and stock photography Find magazines that resonate with you as a photographer. Send emails to the photo editors or call them on the phone to get an idea of what new types of work they are looking for. Go to the media center of the events. Don’t be afraid of the phone. Don’t be afraid to talk at the events with publications and show them some of what you have. She works with “want lists” and sends out emails with links to her images. She discusses where her income comes from today. It comes from stock, editorial, fine art, travel photography, and now perhaps workshops. The below photo is from her website and the list goes on and on. 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 22 : Shawn Hamilton: Editorial and Stock Equine Photography Behind the Work appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

    30 min

  6. 05/23/2016

    Legal Essentials Every Creative & Equine Photographer Should Know — with Christina Scalera

    Where to Find Christina: Instagram: http://instagram.com/christinascalera Twitter: http://twitter.com/creativeatlaw Facebook: http://facebook.com/christinascalera Website: http://christinascalera.com Email: hello@christinascalera.com Periscope: @cscalera You can ask Christina questions here: http://www.christinascalera.com/contact1 Photo by Shelby Rae Photographs Christina is an attorney based in Atlanta GA. NEW? START HERE TRADEMARK REGISTRATION BLOG STORE AFFILIATES SPEAKING CONTACT If you’ve ever complained that you love what you do but HATE the business side of things, you’re in the right spot. Christina’s mission as a lawyer for creative entrepreneurs is to help them fulfill their life’s work by creating beautiful businesses from the inside out. She provides the creative world with accessible, affordable legal solutions. Whether you need a last-minute contract template that covers your butt, a painless trademark registration or want to learn more to empower yourself to run your business well, legally speaking, Christina has you covered. SHOW NOTES: Christina has been a show rider for many years. She loves horses and horse people since she has competed with her arab horse for 19 years. Disclaimer: This is general information and does not constitute legal advice. Here is her official disclaimer from her website: THE CONTENT ON THIS WEBSITE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS INFORMATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE AND DOES NOT ESTABLISH AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. CHRISTINA IS LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN GEORGIA AND FILE FEDERAL TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT REGISTRATIONS FOR CREATIVES ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. SHOULD YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE FOR MATTERS THAT DO NOT CONCERN GEORGIA LAW, PLEASE SEEK OUT A LICENSED ATTORNEY. SOME STATES MAY CONSIDER THIS CONTENT ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. How do you get legal advice? What does it mean to “retain” an attorney? What does it mean to “retain” an attorney? How do you get a consultation from an attorney? When calling attorneys look for an attorney that is a “good fit” for you and for your particular needs. For example, a family law attorney may not be helpful to you about setting up your business and registering your images or if you had problems with regard to intellectual property rights. Contracts – When and why do you need a contract? Whenever you are forming a relationship with a person or company, it is appropriate to have a contract describing your relationship. Christina explains that many people do not realize that when someone presents you with a contract, that it can be changed. In fact you need to make changes to make the contract agree with what your relationship will be before you sign it. Don’t think of it as something fixed and not changeable. If you don’t feel comfortable with something, you should change it. Then it is something to negotiate with the other person or company so that it correctly describes the relationship your are joining into. It can also help to define the give-and-take of your relationship with your client. Today contracts are moving toward more common language rather than complicated legalese that is difficult for everyone to understand. You want your agreements and customer education to be easy to understand so that everyone has the same expectation if something should go wrong. If you have it in plain English, then it becomes an effective educational and communication too for you and your client. If you cannot understand something, you should not sign it. Tort Law, indemnification clauses, waiver of liability, and release from liability clauses in agreements You cannot make people sign away their rights to take you to court. But, you can negate the risk of being sued for activities that involve “inherent risk”. You and your client need to be cognizant to the fact that a horse can be unpredictable. You should involve everyone present or participating with the horse/s, not just the horse owner. Everyone there should know that there are inherent risks in what they are doing and if something goes wrong, it is not your responsibility as a professional because they knew going in that there was risk involved. However, if you do things that are obviously negligent, you may invite legal action even if an liability clause is signed. “Statutory language”  or quoting of individual state laws can be added to your agreements. This may be different in each state and there are 36 states that have laws about farm animals and professionals regarding the inherent risks associated with being around horses. You cannot protect yourself from being sued for negligent behavior At this point we discuss what might be an example of negligent behavior and the importance of having good communication with your clients. As an equine photographer it would be wise to have knowledge of horse behaviors and cues that horses give before going out with horses in order to help prevent dangerous situations. What are the basics of horse behavior? You can be unique and creative with your photography without being dangerous. Around horses, you and your client are at your own risk in many states. Common language in your contracts and making it easy for your clients Putting your contracts online can make your paperwork less intimidating. So can the use of common language that is clear and precise. Clients can sign agreements online, they just scroll through the information so that it does not seem so long. Rather than the tedious process of sending a PDF of your contract and requiring your client to sign it, then scan it and send it back. Christina likes to use online document services to simplify client contract relationships. She points out that you will need use this type of technology going forward, especially with younger audiences (Millennials) age 30 or younger. They just won’t sign things if it requires too much effort. Streamlining through an online service also makes you look more professional and can be extremely helpful for both you and your client. Here are the two services that she mentions and recommends using. LINK: Honeybook.com LINK: Docusign.com She mentions separating client education from contracts. She recommends that you have educational materials for your clients, but some of this should not be in your contract. For example you would not want to be able to take someone to court because they brought two changes of clothing instead of three. Choice of clothing is more of an educational point than something that has to be legally binding. Stealing of images, Copyright law What to do when someone takes your images without your permission. Photographer credit does not clear you from taking someone’s image without permission. You can register your copyright for an image AFTER you discover that it was taken and published without your permission. You have 90 days from when you “should have known” it was being used. We have a discussion of registration in batches. If you find a possible infringement that you feel is worth pursuing, it can be helpful to register that specific image again with an individual registration. You own the copyright to your images at the point at which it is taken by you and fixed into a permanent form such as clicking your shutter button and recording the image on film or onto digital media. Only the courts can decide if there is an “actual infringement” of your image (this is a legal term that should not be used too loosely. As an attorney, she refers to “alleged infringements” as the judge has to make the final determination). I explain using a “license to use contract” and why this is correct terminology when people “buy” your images. Clarity is important and there can be many misunderstandings about what is being purchased if you are not clear with your licensing agreements. For example if a client want to buy an 8×10 what does that mean? Actually, they are purchasing the rights to one personal display of that image as an 8×10 print. They have not purchased the copyrights of the image to use however they choose unless you sell those to them. In most cases there should be limitations written into your agreements. One great thing to include for example is,” No license to use this image is granted until payment in full is received for the usage described.” What to do when someone steals from you Don’t send an email when you are flaming mad at someone. Christina discusses what you can do. What is the difference between infringement and willful infringement? When might it be worth retaining an attorney regarding stolen or images used without your permission? If you retain an attorney, generally you would want to be able to recapture to attorney costs in your recovery, so typically, if an individual steals your image and places it on their facebook page, it may not be worth involving an attorney. However there are other things that can happen. The Digital Millennial Copyright Act We discuss DMCA Take down and what that means. The Digital Millennial Copyright Act notice makes it so your can have your images removed from people’s websites and Facebook pages if the image is stolen from you or used without your permission. They sometimes will take down an entire Facebook account or website, or they may just take down a few images. But, you also want to suggest they make payment for the image because this is your business. Being calm and firm when talking with people is more effective generally speaking than coming down on someone with all your anger. But, even without an attorney, your request to either remove the image or pay for it can have teeth because of the DMCA. World wide issues – Work for hire – Intellectual Property This podcast is NOT focusing on international copyright law and this does not constitute legal advice. When to have a Model Release question is discussed here Be ope

    58 min

  7. 04/25/2016

    Capturing Hunter/Jumper Shows & Portraits That Sell — with Andrew & Stacy Ryback

    One big family It is interesting interviewing show photographers and finding that one thing they love about what they do is getting to know the riders as friends over time. Andrew and Stacy do this to the nth degree and hire people who will continue with their sales philosophy and the feeling of family in their business. It sounds like they have a blast shooting and selling their photography at these shows. I would love to spend the day with them and just watch how the customer experience works. The camera came first for Andrew Andrew grew up around professional and avid amateur photographers so for him photography came first before the horse. He was very active with photography through college but lost interest for a while as he learned his new career after college.  For several years he worked at Disney World, a perfect place to learn about customer experience and customer satisfaction. For Stacy the horse came first as long as she can remember Stacy grew up with horses and in competition and still competes with her own horse. She knows the joy of owning her horse and the excitement of hunter/jumper competition first hand. She participates in upper level competition in the sport and has connections both as a participant for many years and now as a part of Andrew Ryback Photography. For Andrew, dating a young lady with a horse (Stacy, that is) led to photographing her in her hunter/jumper activities. As her boyfriend and then as her husband Andrew followed her to her shows and brought his digital camera to fill the time and photograph her events. Continuing to photograph his wife and sometimes other friends at the shows Andrew was invited to take some pictures by show managers. He did two shows for two years before things started to grow quite quickly. He started as a weekend part-time business in show photography, but it soon became apparent that he could go full-time with this. Both Andrew and Stacy find this entrepreneurial adventure to be fun as a couple. Now he is full-time photography and is doing about 50-60 shows each year. Understanding customer experience and customer service Stacy’s family background included some entrepreneurs so she understands customer experience and she does a lot at the sales end of the business. She maintains her corporate job and helps out with management of the business and the employees as well as running the sales office at the shows when she can. Her vacation time is spent either participating in hunter/jumper competition and/or making the sales end of the business run smooth as silk. Join me now in my interview with Andrew and Stacy of Andrew Ryback Photography SHOW NOTES Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewrybackphotography Website: http://www.andrewryback.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Andrew-Ryback-Photography-158188154858/ We started out asking about which came first, as I do with each of these podcasts. Andrew shared his story and Stacy shared her’s. He started with the camera from way back and Stacy started with horses from way back. As we start talking about the business they discussed finding the right kids to hire who love photography and horses. Andrew has a team of photographers that make it possible to take on the shows that have multiple arenas. His wife, his dad and other teens and college students make up their team. It sounds like perhaps it is a lot of work to keep things organized for each show. Camera Settings and exposure Click on video button on this photo: A little close up slo-mo Grand Prix action! #andrewrybackphotography #horseshowphotography #horsesofinstagram #horse #theridge #theridgeatwellington #lovethetail A video posted by Andrew Ryback Photography (@andrewrybackphotography) on Mar 19, 2016 at 8:32am PDT Andrew and his staff of photographers use only available light for both indoor and outdoor venues. They don’t want to chance causing a fall because of a spooked horse at a show. If the light is very bad for an indoor venue, Andrew sometimes shoots RAW. He likes f4 as a general rule, and a minimum shutter speed of 1/500th. Depending on the venue he has to push the ISO very high in some situations. His newest camera (he thanks Stacy for letting him invest in this particular new gear) has great ISO capability. He has experimented with 25,000 ISO with surprisingly good results. Although 6400 ISO can usually work. His newest camera can do far higher with NO NOISE. The outdoor venues are where he needs additional photographers. At outdoor events there are many times multiple rings going at one time. Andrew has 70-200MM f2.8 lenses on his cameras and communicates with his photographers, who are mostly college aged or even High School aged, by text messaging on cell phones during shows. If the lighting suddenly changes, he might text everyone to bump up the shutter speed a notch or what ever might be needed. The card runner makes sure that the photographers have what they need throughout the day. Getting to know your clients makes them have a nice warm wonderful experience and both Andrew and Stacy have backgrounds that make this just what they do At the shows, he has some directional signage, but really word of mouth gets people in to check on their images. They recently purchased and renovated an old Airstream mobile home trailer. With the unusual shiny aluminum trailer it becomes very easy for people find them and see and purchase their competition images. Word of the shinny trailer and the great images moves quickly through the participants at the events. No online images from the shows “We prefer for them to have the in-the-moment experience with the images.” Andrew and Stacy do not put show pictures online. “We prefer for them to have the in-the-moment experience with the images.” It started out that Stacy was the only one in the trailer or hut and running cards to get images onto the computers, but now they have more help. To keep good customer experience they have employed people who are horse owners who understand the joy of competitive showing and others who love photography. They hire people with talent and the right attitude about why they are there. It sounds like quite adventure and great job for the people who work for them. What does a typical hunter/jumper show look like? Stacy explains that at a show series they do can have from 800-1000 horses and riders participating in a week. For the smaller local shows, they might be dealing with 80-100 horses for a much shorter period of time. Stacy describes the trailer and what the riders see when they walk into the trailer. The laptops set up for the participants have folders ready for them with all the pictures from their rides. They walk them through selecting images and explain various options and the popular all inclusive whole week digital package at a price point. They mention a Go PRO product, but we forgot to follow-up on it in the interview. Go to the PS below to read more about this product that is becoming quite popular with riders. Andrew explains that he wants his images to be seen and enjoyed Most popular is the full digital package for riders which is a USB drive of ALL the digital images of that rider during that event or that week of rides. For multi-week shows, they have to buy a USB for each distinct week. They set the pricing up so that if you want to buy two or three or four digital files, that it just makes sense to buy the digital package. Andrew explains that he wants the pictures to be seen and enjoyed by the participants, but they also sell individual prints and other photographic products as well. Lately, they have sold more canvas prints, as well as cute model horse jumps where a print fits into the stand and other unique products. They like to switch things up from time to time so that the riders always have something new to look at and consider when they come to look at their images. The USB prices are mentioned in the podcast. Pricing for individual digital files is high enough that after purchasing 2-3-4 digital files, it just makes sense to purchase the entire “All images USB” package for the week. When not shooting shows, Andrew also does senior portraits, horse portraits, pets, barn calls etc. A popular item lately is something they call mini-sessions “black-out portraits” of horses, which can be done both at the shows and at barn calls. Oftentimes, these mini-sessions can be scheduled at shows in between events to take advantage of the horse already being braided. These mini sessions, unlike full portrait sessions, include a beautiful “black-out” barn door session fee and a canvas image as the final product. They bundle the session fee with a canvas for these making it well worth the extra effort to work into the schedule of the day. The USB drives are culled for bad timed images, but they make sure that the exposure and color are good on everything from the camera. Fun new products Stacy explains that she introduced custom pillow pictures which are becoming very popular. Andrew thought there would be no pillows sold, but Stacy knew it would be a hit and it is. Every little girl (or girl at heart) needs a pillow with their favorite horse to cuddle up to at home. What makes this a great business for both of them? Why do they LOVE doing this business? Andrew and Stacy talk about the joys of this business. He talks about being an artist, a photographer and a friend to his customers. He thanked his wife Stacy for bringing him into this business. Stacy explains what she enjoys. It is extremely rewarding to see little girls grow up and working their way up to grand prix events. Our customers are always so excited to see us. The joy we get to have with this very large extension of our family with both our customers and our employees as well is wonderful, says Stacy. P.S. What is the new GoPro product that is becoming very popular? An

    47 min

  8. 04/14/2016

    Winning Saddle Horse Show Photography: Techniques & Mindset — with Jon McCarthy

    I contacted Jon because I saw some of his farm call images. As I explored his website, I found out that his main gig is Saddle Horse Shows from all over the country. I’ve been wanting to have some interviews with show photographers, so I was delighted when Jon was willing to come on the podcast and tell us about his history with horses and his equine photography business. What makes a great horse show photographer? How do you learn to run a horse show business? These are some of the questions that we answered in today’s podcast with Jon McCarthy of Jon McCarthy Photography. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.jonmccarthyphoto.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Jon-McCarthy-Photography John started college as a pre-med major, then discovered horses. Shortly he transferred to William Woods University for an Equine education. It was there that he started to experiment with photography. Jon got the photography bug in College after getting the horse bug He had lots of subject available to photography. Then he started shooting some of the lessons, people working with their horses, etc. This started him on the path toward horse show photography. Learning what was expected from various breeds and disciplines is important This is also when he was able to learn about various breeds and what was needed and expected for “best images” for the breed or discipline. He graduated with a degree in equestrian science with the intention of being a trainer. He got a job at a large Morgan operation. Finding a mentor in the show world He went to show and introduced himself to the top name in Morgan horse show photography. In talking to him, it became clear that this is the direction that he wanted to go in. He was invited to help out with an upcoming show. He was able to work for him on some shows and still to this day he is Jon’s go to person for learning and building his business. Jon started booking some larger shows that were coming in from this mentor when he was unable to take them due to prior bookings etc.,  he would pass them along to Jon. Jon does about 26 shows a year at this time. Ideal shows are 100 head or more. Shows used to be huge, but now many shows are multi-breed formats in order to bring in enough horses. Where before there might be hundreds of Morgans, now there might be 60 head Morgans, 30 Saddlebred, and then additional horses of various other breeds. Reflecting back, his first year he didn’t feel the quality of his images (getting the right shots and timing) was very good. After working with his mentor and shooting at those shows and getting trained and feedback from this great mentor, he improved greatly and was able to get out on his own much better. He still has shows that he does with this mentor every year. They talk business and images and work together to get the best possible products (best images out there) for their show participants. Jon McCarthy Photography is set up for people to make selections at the shows, but he does not do actual printing at most of the shows he works. There is just too much work getting the images and preparing them so people can make selections. He does all the printing and culling and post production himself. His trailer has selection stations (computers) and he has someone there to help in the process of placing orders while he is out shooting. Between classes, they upload and prepare the images for viewing. Why does Jon LOVE doing horse show photography? What makes horse show photography a fun business for you , Jon?  He loves the relationships he develops with people all over the country. He loves traveling across the country and exploring. He gets to see so much of the country because of his business and they go on excursions to beautiful places when they have time. He discusses what it takes to make a living at horse show photography. We talk about his prices and what consumers are purchasing. We discussed publications and dealing with deadlines which is a major part of Saddle horse show photography. Recent changes with the popularity of Facebook were discussed along with meeting the needs and desires of his customers. Digital files for ad requests are uploaded directly to the advertising department of the publications in most cases. We are constantly battling the clock to get adjust and upload the images needed for promotional advertising from these shows, he explains. SALES Jon McCarthy Photography has print packages, digital uploads for advertising, and Facebook image digital low resolution web files which are very popular right now. He tries to maintain a 4 week turn around on print production and people who want the Facebook files, of course want them ASAP. Jon also works with his customers who have quick turn-around deadlines that have to be met to satisfy their urgent needs. He does not like to send things off for printing or sub things out and because he wants to see everything before it goes out and he likes having the control. He mentioned that in some cases he may print an image two or three times before it is perfect for his customer and it can be shipped out. The print packages include Facebook files, but many now just buy the Facebook prepped digital files because the love to SHARE from their recent show participation. Social media is substantial and is a significant part of his mix of services and products. We had a discussion about the people shooting over the rail and how it affects the OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER at shows these days. How do you tell a parent they cannot take pictures of their kid riding in a show? He explained that although he knows some show photographers who have been hit hard with lower sales and they attribute this to over the rail shooters, in his business with publication deadlines and other quick turn needs, he still does well with his shows. Prints account for 30% of what he sells at the shows. 45% of the sales are high res files for publications and commercial use and the rest are low resolution digital files for sharing on social media. Farm Call Sessions Jon tells us about his farm call sessions. He puts out his schedule and people will call and fill in his schedule from time to time with farm sessions in transit or between show commitments. He has a six-horse minimum, but if he is in the area there is no trip charge and travel expenses associated with the farm session. What would you tell someone who wants to do horse show photography? Jon recommends that you go out and find someone to who will allow you to work for them. Learn your timing and the ins and outs of the business from someone who is successfully doing the business. Learn the specifics of shooting various breeds and disciplines . It’s important to meet or beat your customer expectations and each breed and discipline has different expectations. 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 19 : Jon McCarthy — Saddle Horse Show Photography & Learning From the Best appeared first on Equine Photographers Podcast.

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About

Learn how today’s professional equine photographers got to where they are and how their niche’ works

Information

  • Creator
    Suzanne Sylvester - Interviews with equine photographers and other industry professionals to discover their love for horses and how they use their cameras to show the beauty of the horse and to make a living in the niche' of equine photography.
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Equine Photographers Podcast
  • Show Website
    Equine Photographers Podcast