Growing up on a farm, my earliest memories are filled with the sounds, smells, and noises of many, many boar goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, and yes eventually ponies and horses. As a young girl, I was gifted what every little girl dreams of—a pony. This marked the beginning of a lifelong love affair with horses. Over the years, I immersed myself in the equestrian world, participating in shows and forging deep connections with these amazing animals and their owners.
I loved being a horse girl, but life happens and for me that came in the form of an unexpected leg injury during a show which lead me to step away from competitve horse girl lifestyle I was part of and that my family actively encouraged. But horses were not my life, because I was also very passionate about art and literature. I would devote a lot of time to teaching myself to be a fine artist drawing and painting — yes many of my subjects were horses.
Eventually, my love of art would put a camera in my hands were I indirectly learned of a hidden talent. Oh, I loved drawing and painting but it was a lot of work on my end because I did not possess a natural talent for fine art but I did have a natural talent for making art with a camera.
My journey in photography started with senior pictures of classmates for the purpose of portrait drawing and eventually grew to candid shots of my sister with her horse and of them performing at shows. It would be years however before equine photography would be my niche and what I spend all my time on.
Initially, I focused on portrait photography, aiming to create studio-quality images on a college student artists budget—so free and natural light resources. I was a lucky photographer, I caught breaks and gained notice which presented me opportunities that allowed me to grow as an artist, as a photographer and eventually lead me back to the equine world.
My sister was a huge part of what brought me back, she would haul me to shows with her and hang around until the end even when she had a bad day and wasn’t going to leave with a check but knew I liked to photograph every rider. She always made sure to make me aware of shows and offer to take me with her, and she was the first to ask for images and keep me on editing task. Without her I probably wouldn’t have meant the vast number of supportive equestrians I have locally.
See my sister has been willing to be my guinea pig every time there was something new I wanted to try with a camera, every style out there she let me experiment with her and her family. But ultimately it was the joy of being in the barn with her and the horses, spending long days at horse shows and in the truck traveling that made me realize my true niche lay in equine photography. This realization wasn't immediate; it took years and various photography subjects to discover but today I couldn’t be more thrilled to see my equine family every weekend and watch them do what they love with their four legged partners.
Over the past nearly 14 years, my journey has been one of growth and self-discovery. From capturing the dynamic energy of barrel racing to the serene moments between horse and rider, each photograph tells a story. Reflecting on this path, I can confidently say that I've accomplished every goal I've set for myself, and in doing so, I've found my true calling.
For those interested in exploring more about my work or booking a session, feel free to visit Exposure One Studios.