Onwards and Upwards

At the start of December 2022 I had a stark realisation, since the pandemic reared its ugly head back in 2020, I’ve been in pure survival mode, and for the last 2 years, I haven’t actually sat down and decided what I want or where I’m going for the year ahead. I’d stopped dreaming and getting excited, stopped setting goals, and I was just living for the week ahead, never really looking further.

So in that moment I took myself, my laptop, and a notebook, to my local starbucks and sat down with the aim of goal setting, dreaming, and getting clear on where I wanted to go in 2023 with SLP.

And in this month’s blog, I wanted to talk through what I’m planning for the year ahead, looking back at moments in 2022 which helped me get clear on where I’m heading, teaching me the lessons of what needs to change in order to move forwards.

During 2022, I really paid attention to the work that was bringing me the most joy, the work that lit me up more than anything else, and time and time again, I found the portrait shoots were my favourite thing to shoot.

I love the simplicity of portraits, the impact a singular subject has on an image. I honestly feel like I’m my most creative when it’s just the horse in my images. I get to see their character in it’s purest form, and then direct my lighting so specifically, without having to worry about accommodating another subject, to create what feels like a truly unique artistic vision.

So with that in mind, the biggest change coming in to 2023, will be the phasing out of the Horse & Rider shoot. I’m not sure at exactly what point I will stop offering that package (that’s a job for this month whilst business is quieter), but I will make sure to announce it so that anyone who has been wanting to book in for this shoot has the chance to do so.

And with stepping into pure portrait work, I’ll be experimenting with so much more when it comes down to the set up.
There’s going to be a greater variety of backdrops, you won’t be constrained to just black backgrounds on these portraits, and I’ll be doing some model calls throughout the year to expand this portfolio of new work, with different styles, points of inspiration from traditional artists, and the incorporation of new elements into the portraits.

I want to offer something that just isn’t out there on the equine market, something that you can’t get from any other photographer.

So that’s the big change that’s coming for this year, and in that same vein, I’m also looking at doing more portrait days at various yards. This consists of me setting up at a yard for a day, having advertised for slots to be pre booked, and offering portrait shoots at a discounted rate. This gives those who can’t always afford it the chance to have beautiful portraits of their beloved horse.
Although I can’t bring my prices down overall, I still want to be able to offer something to those with a smaller budget. I believe everyone deserves the chance to have quality photos, to have their lives touched by this beautiful art form.
If you might be interested in having a portrait day at your yard, please do get in touch so we can look at booking something in. The only requirements are that I need an indoor space at least 14ft wide with enough room for horses to move around in comfortably (Please note, I cannot shoot in a stable, there needs to be an open front, large wash boxes can work though), and a minimum of 4 people interested to make it viable.

I’m also taking the time to review all of the systems that I have in place for clients, from viewing styles, to booking software. Over the course of 2022 there was a common theme, people were busier than ever. No one had enough time in the day, and it became evident how precious time is to us all (I do find it ironic about how we came to appreciate the importance of having time to do the things we loved during the lockdowns, and now we’re busier than ever - myself included!).
I’m looking at this from the perspective of streamlining everything, I want to make booking in a much quicker process, and create a virtual viewing experience that is more accessible to my busy clients.

Towards the end of 2022, I began to make a shift in how I present myself to my clients and online, anyone who knows me well would have noticed this shift, but those who don’t perhaps didn’t spot it.
Over the years of running SLP I’ve very much been trying to figure out how I show up as a service provider, from the way I dress, to the things I say. For a number of years I’ve felt like I had to crush myself into a specific personality, to present in a certain way so people would want to work with me. I had a very narrow idea of what people wanted from me, so I dress a specific way, I don’t allow myself to talk about a number of topics, hiding my other passions in life because they don’t fit the mainstream equestrian ideals, and I’ve refrained from talking like myself. I’ve hidden my true self.

But in doing this, I felt like I was killing myself, I even considered moving away from equine photography entirely because I worried I would never "“fit” as my real self and I couldn’t go on like this.
However, I’ve made the decision to ignore the narrowminded advice I’ve received, ignore the idea that I have to be a specific way to succeed in the equine world, and allow my true self to come to the surface, so you’ll be seeing a lot more of this over the course of the year.

I’m exceptionally weird, I have a bizarre sense of humour, a deep love for the alternative, and unique tastes that confuse some people. But all of my eccentricity makes me a very talented photographer (Oh my god, did I actually just admit I’m good at what I do? How dare I!). If it weren’t for the peculiar wiring of my wacky brain, I wouldn’t be creating the images I do!

I’m so sick of feeling like we have to look and behave a certain way to fit in in the equestrian world, in doing so, we make ourselves into clones, losing all sense of originality. The equine world should be a place of acceptance and diversity, and I will happily allow my differences to show if it means more of us feel like we can show up as ourselves in the horse world too.

That’s just a little glimpse into what 2023 is holding for me and SLP, I’m actually excited for this year, something I haven’t felt for the last 2 years about the coming months. Instead of feeling like I have to do things a certain way because that’s all I’ve been told, I’m listening to my gut and following my heart, and I cannot wait to show you what comes of it.