Every photographer comes to cross roads in their career. We try new things, we learn, evolve, and develop a skill set. We work on refining our craft and work on specializing in a niche we love.
To do that means means eliminating the very things that no longer bring us joy or bring us stress.
For the last seven years I have been shooting rodeos and equestrian events, in poor lighting, for long hours and little reward other than watching the steady progress of my shooting skills. I started because it was a challenge, hard, and fun to be around the equines and their owners. But time progressed and I grew in the field, enough that my work was valuable enough for constant theft from the average joe to large companies trying to take something for nothing.
It is stressful to constantly try to find ways to protect your work, and after years of fighting, watermarking in a variety of ways I have reached the point that I need to move on for me and my business.
Equine photographers are slowly becoming a thing of the past and it is largely due to the thought that any image belongs to the rider and horse when it is not true. Photographers see constant theft but it is important to know the photographer owns the image, even if you find it on google there is a good chance it is copy righted and not public domain. Always seek out the own and get the permissions or purchase rights- believe me we appreciate it!
It has been a pleasure shooting equestrian events but unless I specifically sponsor an act or performer I will not be shooting these types of things anymore.
