Why The Official Photographer is a Dying Breed

Imagine winning your first check, but not having any high-quality photos from that special run.

I love what I do, but official horse show photographers are a dying breed, and here's my take on why.

Theft of show photos.

This is the number one reason I see other great photographers leaving the business.

I'm one of the few that are very outspoken about theft and refuse to be silent about it. But think about the last time you were able to scroll through a Facebook sale group without seeing watermarked photos posted by people with no remorse. This is an issue for anyone who photographs horse shows.

I have 4 different disclaimers on my website as well as the terms if you screenshot an image clearly written out on my watermark. Some photographers require a pre-purchase deposit to view photos and some only offer onsite viewing meaning you either buy at the show or don't buy at all. We all are trying to adapt to best serve our clients while still protecting our businesses.

From personal experience, it is both heartbreaking and so infuriating to see your work being stolen and posted online with a giant watermarking quite literally saying "this photo is stolen". My team works 12+ hour days, three days in a row to make sure we photograph and video every single rider. We usually get less than 6 hours of sleep for three days straight to ensure photos were sorted into name folders, online, and ready for viewing.

To wake up from that show and see a post on my Instagram feed with an unpurchased photos soured every single good moment that show had to offer. Even if I had such a great time with everyone at the show, now it will forever be tainted with the memory of waking up Monday morning to those images and the multiple days of arguing with the person who chose to not take accountability for their actions.

Other photographers showing up and poaching shows.

I have a whole post on this here, but long story short, free images at horse shows kill sales, which deeply hurts your official photographer. I refuse to work for any management company that allows other photographers to even pull out a camera at a show I'm contracted for. Free photos will always beat quality, I've seen it firsthand.

No. The official or management did not "scare" or "chase" off your friend with a camera. They were most likely very nicely asked to put their camera in their car and enjoy the show without it. I know I personally explain WHY they can't photograph the show, and ask kindly for them to put the camera away. I know my management does too. How that person chooses to portray that interaction online is up to them, but do not mix their descriptive words with the truth.

Protecting someone's job is not the same as "being afraid of competition".

cost.

Horses are expensive. Horse shows of any type are also expensive. You know what's also expensive? Being at a horse show as a photographer. 90% of the time, horse show photographers are not paid to be at the show.

Let me say that again.

We. Are. Not. Paid. To. Be. At. The. Show.

With the higher and higher demands for high-quality photos, video coverage, candids and different angles, it requires more staff. I have to cover housing, food, water, equipment, etc for all that staff before I even make a profit. The only money I make is from selling, and past show profit is what determines how much staff I bring in or what I offer at each show the following year.

For full transparency, the only exception I have to being paid to attend a show is the sponsorship with MADRINAS. They cover the cost of hiring/housing a candid photographer, I cover the hiring/management/editing/posting/storage of all candid photos taken.

I know that sounds like complaining, but it's not. There's an unrealistic idea out there that as official photographers, we are paid to attend events and are just money hungry by charging even more on top of what we "are getting paid". I'm trying to break that stereotype by speaking truth about show photography.

Show Photographers deserve to make money from shows. This is our job. I promise you, I am not getting rich from this. I do it because I truly, deeply, LOVE what I do.