A horse girl at heart, I am always up for a trip to the barn to inhale the balm-for-the-soul horse smell and soak in the scent of a well-loved tack room. There is something incredibly grounding about being around horses.

Lately, I have been thinking about expanding my photography portfolio to include equine photography in the metro Atlanta area and surroundings. When my friend Sarah, a fellow dog business owner and animal lover, invited me out to her barn, it felt like the perfect opportunity to give it a try. The plan was to test out some action shots of the barrel racers.

Before I even picked up my camera, Sarah gave me a heads-up: Barrel racers want all the photos. Not just the polished and pretty ones, but the wild ones too. The bucking, the rearing, and the dirt flying. Horses locked into their job, focused on getting around those barrels as fast as possible.

She was not wrong.

Photographing barrel racing is fast and unpredictable. Every run tells a different story. Some moments are powerful and intense, others are chaotic and even a little funny, and all of them are real. That honesty is what I loved most about this test run. Capturing horses exactly as they are, doing what they love.

This was such a fun morning with the horse girls and their trusty steeds, and who knows what the new year might bring. You may see me popping up at a few rodeos here and there.

If you have a horse in the Atlanta area and have been wanting to capture the connection between the two of you, I would love to help make that happen. This does not have to involve fast action or barrel racing. Quiet moments, soft light, grooming sessions, and simply spending time together are just as meaningful and just as worthy of being documented.

If this sounds like something you have been thinking about, please reach out and let’s make it happen.