Event Photography

By no means am I an expert in photographing horse shows, but attending a horse event (clinic, trade show, expo, horse show, etc) can be a wonderful way to network with equestrians and practice your timing of photographing horses in motion. 

If you’re thinking of attending a horse event with your camera in tow, I have a few suggestions! 

Start with searching for events near you, be it a barrel race, rodeo, horse show, clinic, or some other event gathering equestrians together. It might be best to begin looking within your own network: tag along with a friend who is attending so that you know someone there!

If the event is large, it may have a website or Facebook page. The first item you want to look for is a media policy. If the event has a media policy, it should specify exactly what you need to do if you want to be a photographer in attendance. You may have to pay a vendor fee, or work for a credentialed media outlet in order to have your camera at the event. 

If there is no media policy available publicly, then you will want to reach out to the event organizer to ask if there is an official photographer for the event. 

If there is an official photographer, they may or may not have exclusive rights to the grounds. You can approach them stating your intentions (for example, you can ask if you may practice your photography in the warm up pens if you don’t sell or distribute the images, or ask if you can photograph horses you own in the event) and ask for their permission. Get a clear idea of what you can and cannot take photos of, and which images you can or cannot distribute to exhibitors. Please always be respectful of the official photographers and their requests.

If there is no official photographer, you can ask event management if you could be allowed to take pictures at their event. They might let you take images for free, they might let you sell them to exhibitors, you might be able to trade photos to their organization, etc. 

If you love photographing equine events, I recommend assisting your favorite official photographers at their horse shows to gain more experience! Most photographers are looking to hire interns or assistants either at the booth or shooting candids.