Join me for the fun story of how I became a horse girl and how that led to me becoming a portrait and horse photographer.
My Story – How I Became a Horse Girl
I have been horse crazy for as long as I can remember. I believe my fourth-grade teacher may have even told my parents at a teacher conference that she was concerned about my horse craziness. I may have made that memory up, but I’m guessing not.
The First Horse
Growing up on a dairy farm, I tried to sit on our cows (dairy farm kid here!) and pretend I could ride them like a horse. My favorite childhood Barbie was a girl dressed in English riding attire with a matching horse. No shock there right!? Then (finally ;)) I got my first horse at age 11. I was in heaven. Her name was Lady Tiazz, Tizz for short.
That horse taught me so much, about horses, about life, about people. She was equal parts stubborn and wouldn’t hurt a fly. The perfect first horse. It didn’t take long and I had convinced my parents to get me allllll the horses, including some minis. At the peak, I had seven horses, eek. What was I thinking?! Nowadays it’s just me and the three. Tizz may have since passed away, but her mark on me will be there forever.
The Photography Connection – How I Became a Portrait & Horse Photographer
Horses quickly became my connection to photography. As a kid, I would convince my mom to let me have some disposable cameras and go out with my cousin (shoutout to Jasmine!) and we would trade off taking pictures of each other with the horses. When digital cameras became a thing, it was the best thing that ever happened to childhood me. I was now chasing the horses around the pasture with nearly unlimited clicks.
In my later teenage years, I discovered the fun of photographing horse shows and various events. Later once I started my business, it was a natural progression to add an equestrian photography specialty! Now with nine years of professional photography experience behind me, I am happy to continue to capture photos of my clients with their horses.
