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When
I decided to make horse photography my career, my initial goal
was for one my photos to be featured on the cover of the Arabian
Horse World Magazine. Ten years and five covers later, with great
satisfaction, that first goal has been achieved. Early on, I learned
that a cover shot for AHW requires a special horse, experienced
help, excellent timing and a little luck. It is proof to me that
hard work, studying your subject, dedication, time, and patience
will help you achieve your goals.
I
started out photographing local Hunter/Jumper schooling shows
and eventually moved up to rated shows. With Arabians still as
my goal, I took photos of some Arabian horses at a local farm
just to have something for my portfolio. Interested in Dressage,
I photographed some horses at a show that photographer/videographer,
Mary Phelps was working. Mary was kind enough to take a look at
some of my work of Dressage horses and gave me some positive reinforcement.
Not long after our meeting, Mary hired me to work alongside her
for several years focusing on Dressage and 3-Day Events. It was
a great experience for business purposes and for sharpening my
Dressage photography skills.
After
that time my business had grown to 30-35 horse shows a year including:
QH’s, Hunter/Jumper, Peruvian Pasos, TN Walkers and anything
else that came along. My eye for timing and artistry was really
starting to develop, and my desire to be a top Nationally known
photographer and graphic artist was intensifying.
After
assembling and framing my collection of photographs of local Arabian
horses, I approached the show manager of the AHAF Thankgiving
show in Tampa, FL with a request to set up a display. He especially
liked my photographs of sport horses and offered me a free booth
if I agreed to photograph the dressage and jumper portion of the
show. All my hard work and studies of the different breeds and
disciplines finally opened the door to a career in the world of
Arabian photography.
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Before
long, I was shooting nearly all the Arabian Shows in FL and other
parts of the Southeast. The exposure was terrific, but I still
wasn't getting the farm shoots that would get me that AHW cover.
That would require attention from the most prestigious farms in
the Southeast, the ones that advertise regularly.... that is farms
more likely to have an AHW cover opportunity. Not until John Rannenberg,
trainer at Rohara Arabians, took notice of the quality show photos
the farm was receiving after every show. At his urging, Roxann
Hart, owner of Rohara, hired me to create a "whole new look"
for their next forty page spread. With John R's guidance, I was
able to translate Roxanne's vision of Rohara into a beautiful
spread for their next 40 page spread in the Arabian Horse Times
and their annual farm brochure. The publication received rave
reviews and a lot of attention from other desired clients.
With
Rohara’s advertising and talk of an easy to work with photographer
who delivers top quality pictures as promised, my clientele broadened
quickly and brought me much closer to acheiving my goal. Impressed
by my work for Rohara, Rojo Arabians commissioned me to photograph
their premier stallion, Versace. As a result, I was approached
by Southwind Arabians to help them achieve marketing, advertising,
and promotion of their farm through my photographs. And so the
snowball effect was in motion.
My
career goal was finally attained with my photo of Rohara Arabians
JK Amadeus on the cover of the November 1999 Arabian Horse World
Issue . This publication was followed by AHW Quarterly cover,
Bey Fireesha, National Champion mare owned by Rojo Arabians, followed
by the stallion, Versace, also owned by Rojo Arabians, followed
by the stallion, Desperado V, photographed at and owned by Varian
Arabians, and then followed by an artsy photo of an Arab and it’s
owners in the fog. A sixth AHW cover featuring National Champion
Mare, Siena Psyche, just published in Sept. 2001.
If
you asked me if the path I took to develop and refine my career
was planned, or would I have changed my journey in anyway, I would
answer no. I feel so fortunate to have a career for which I feel
a true passion , but to keep that fire burning inside, you must
continue to reach higher and set new goals for yourself.
Now, with many of my goals achieved, I ask myself, " what’s
next"? I'm thinking a European cover would be nice.
Suzanne
Sturgill
Equine
Photography by Suzanne, Inc.
EquiExpressWear
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