Photograpic Locations - Dungeness

Equestrian Show Photography

Something rather different today and on the face of it very specific, however there are hopefully many points that will be relevant to others even outside the subject. As some of you possibly know, part of my photographic business involves covering various events especially equestrian shows over the summer season which I have been doing so over the last 12 years. I provide a full service to attendees with not only online sales but I’m the only person left in the South Essex area that regularly provides on-site printing as well.

Recently I have read a number of rather doom laden posts and comments online, by people working in this sector and I thought I’d pitch in with my observations on the subject.

Equestrian Clubs
Ok let’s start by getting the obvious out of the way. There is no doubt that horse shows are not what they used to be. Over the years lots have changed and (especially in the current climate) money and resources are becoming increasingly tighter which has led to a decline in attendance at many venues. Clubs that were once huge have either disappeared completely or are mere shadows of what they used to be. Sometimes it’s due to outside factors such as the loss of a showground, etc.  However (as an outside observer), often the reason for decline appears closer to home and has some factors in common with struggling photographers which we will look at later.

The heart of any equestrian club is the committee (or owner for a business). It’s a thankless task which is usually overlooked by the attendees who often fail to appreciate the hard work and effort that goes into putting a show together. But it requires much more than just that, as beyond the basic love of horses, it increasingly needs a business footing. Things are constantly changing and evolving and currently the most successful clubs are aware of this and are listening and adapting to the needs and wishes of their members. Other clubs seem set in their ways, a case of this is how we’ve always run shows and this is how we’ll continue to, as we disappear beneath the waves.

Another debated factor within committees seems to be the importance of photographers at shows. Obviously I have to admit to having a heavy bias on this! At its best there is something of a symbiotic relationship at work. Whilst the photographer benefits from selling at the shows, the organisers can also get many advantages in the form of support, advertising, etc including most usefully feedback from customers on trends, likes, issues and so forth. I feel privileged to be referred to as an honorary committee member at one club and will be first to be contacted in the event of a date change to make sure it’s suitable for me! Organisers will often discuss and adapt shows to see if they can adjust things to make the photographer's life easier.

The Photographer
So how about the hero of our story, the photographer. Much of the above applies here as well with photographers coming and going over the years. If many of the online posts are to be believed, it is all over in this sector. So what’s the truth? Well I’m not going to pretend things aren’t tough, fewer shows, less attendance makes for challenging times. Since the start I’ve compiled data from every event I’ve covered, it doesn’t take long and gives me invaluable insight into how things progress and change. In recent seasons I have covered fewer shows, however this reduction has not resulted in an equal loss of takings. In other words each show is returning better average profits. Add to this, one show in 2025 returned the biggest sales I have had in the whole time I’ve been covering horse shows! So things aren’t so bad. Over the years I have also taken over several shows that other photographers have dropped as unprofitable, and found them viable.

So what, in my opinion, are the reasons that some photographers appear to struggle?

Mindset & Understanding Customers

I have been taking photographs for almost 50 years and I love doing so. However my personal photography is a totally different beast to my business work. That's not to say I don’t enjoy this work but people need to understand that personal and work photography need to be treated as separate entities. Many people see running a photography business as just turning up and taking pictures, but there is nothing further from the truth! Probably less than 10 percent is the actual taking of the images, and if that’s the only part that’s important to you, with the rest of no interest then, you’re unlikely to succeed.

Demographics

The above leads onto probably the most important aspect of succeeding. It’s all very well working toward producing what you think will be sellable images, but are they? A very important part of any selling is understanding your customer and this is an area that many seem to overlook. Without a strong understanding of your demographic you’re generally just guessing. I know from experience that images I think look great can often not be of any interest to the customer. Hence it’s vital to understand what those people are looking for and provide it. It’s not just a single adjustment but one that I often change subtly depending on show type and/or club. Knowing the demographics of the club also helps you establish the suitability of working with them. It is very tempting to pick up any shows that you can. So many times I’ve seen photographers vacuuming up every event available, covering them for a season (or less) then dump them as not viable!

Staff

Very much linked to the previous point is when you have to employ other photographers. So many times I’ve seen (sometimes desperate) calls for people to help cover shows. Not only do you not know their reliability but you need to teach them all those points you’ve learnt to produce a saleable picture for your customers! Over the years I have been extremely lucky to have built up a small team of photographers that I can call on if required. They are generally extremely reliable but even if something comes up and they have to drop out, it’s not a problem as there are contingency plans to cover it. It’s vital that someone new can work to a brief. In the past I’ve had “equestrian” photographers who’ve seemingly “known better” and totally disregarded what I’ve asked them to provide. They’ve not been invited back! Having such trusted people takes a huge weight off as, should I have conflicting events, I know I can send one of the team on their own and they will represent the company well and return with the shots I can sell.

Customer service
Just as important as knowing what your customer wants, is how you present it to them. On site printing tends to produce very good sales as people love to be able to go home with a memento of the day. It allows face to face interaction with your customer which in turn can provide feedback and data to channel back into your research. Once the show is over things can get more tricky. Interest will fade very quickly so it’s vital to get the images online as soon as possible. I find over 90% of online sales will come within the first two days (sometimes with a bump on payday). Customers don’t care about all the other things that you may have to deal with, they want pictures not excuses!

Anything that makes it harder for customers to view and purchase pictures can obviously negatively affect sales. Online sales revolve around your sales portal so it’s important to use one that is going to suit your needs. I spent a lot of time researching before I settled on one that gave me the flexibility I was looking for. People will often get tired scrolling through trying to find their pictures so for example with dressage shows being able to search for all your pictures using your bridle number is one thing I do to make things easy.

Order fulfilment also needs to be prompt to maintain confidence. Personally I have set it up so that digital purchases can be immediately downloaded by the customer which removes any delays and having to sort out missing emails. Although there is the possibility of using a local lab to drop ship prints, I prefer to sort this out myself so as to maintain a last line of quality control.

There will always be questions via emails etc which should be addressed asap. When more than a couple of enquiries come in on the same subject, that’s something that needs looking at and addressed. 

Workflow

Obviously technical proficiency is a given, but unfortunately I sometimes see results that fall at this first hurdle. Good enough can be a valid option, but badly exposed and composed images do not inspire customer sales.

Most shows follow a similar routine so having a single robust workflow in place should be able to cover most eventualities. Over the years I’ve heard various horror stories of things going wrong but have not really had much experience of them. Perhaps I’m lucky but I like to think that I’m prepared for most eventualities. Cameras, cards, lenses etc all have backups (some show’s we have more equipment than a small Curries), and we have robust procedures that make it very difficult to lose data. Occasionally some pictures will end up in the wrong class, however over the years I believe there have only been a few times a rider or part of a class have been missed. We pride ourselves on (hopefully) capturing everything, including requests outside the rings and shots the committee asks for. We have also never missed a booking.

Final Thoughts
So it would seem that equestrian show photography is alive and well. Things are not what they used to be and are constantly evolving. There are fewer (and smaller) shows but also less photographic competition. There will always be people who own a camera and see this as an easy way to make money, but they generally fall by the wayside. Remaining viable requires an awful lot more than just turning up and taking photographs. Having just a love of horses is not enough (nor even necessary!). There are lots of hints, tips and stuff to learn, most of which will be specific to yourself and your business. Experience will also expand your knowledge base as long as you make sure you learn the lessons.

This work is not exactly rocket science and most of it is just common sense. I do however still see photographers making strange decisions that I know will cost them sales. Hopefully this deep dive will give some insight to what I personally feel is important to maintain a position in what can be a financially and emotionally rewarding niche.  

Best wishes in your endeavour.