2024 - Year in Reflection




For Better and For Worst
How do I begin to describe this year. In short, 2024 has been a bittersweet year full of big ups and big downs. It has been my best year in business but my hardest in my equestrian life due to the passing of my beloved horse Wasabi. I’ve met so many amazing clients and other photographers this year. I’ve worked hard for the opportunities I have been presented this year and towards the future! Some of my biggest wins this year from my perspective were learning the ropes of Hunter/Jumper photography working for a recognized Official Photographer (OP), continuing to pursue my love of fine art and painted background editing, continuing to work for other recognized photographers, and working for the OP of US Dressage Nationals!
Aside from continuing to photograph portraits and fine art photography year round, I worked for Alison Hartwell Photography for the first time. I learned the ropes of Hunter/Jumper photography and gained experience photographing a higher volume of jumping-based events. While I realized that Hunter/Jumper photography was not my true passion, I met some amazing people and enjoyed being at Lamplight Equestrian Center. I gained confidence in my timing and within a few weeks I was able to double shoot two rings side-by-side (I was not working not consecutive days mostly). Aside from Alison, I met Alexis Malin of Unbridled Media who was the one who took Wasabi and my final professional portraits together and I cannot be more thankful. We had bonded over shared experiences as equine photographers, and I photographed her and her young Oldenburg gelding Enzo in the fall. I met many other great photographers while dipping my toes in the HJ world, but plan to stick mostly to dressage photography. I will continue to still enjoy the occasional HJ show, eventing, or really any other discipline to add some variety to my viewfinder.
This year has been a great year of networking and meeting people in all disciplines, especially dressage. I continue to enjoy working for some of my previous connections Josa Comstock Photography and John Borys Photography, who have led me to some new opportunities and experiences and I will continue to do so in the future. However, my arguably most notable dressage photography accomplishment was working for the OP of US Dressage Finals. After Wasabi passed, I struggled to stay motivated and process my loss (and I still haven't processed fully), but two weeks after I went to Lexington, KY, to work for Susan J Stickle Photography. This was my first time working for her and I had a wonderful time being at Kentucky Horse Park photographing amazing horses and riders. I joined a team of great photographers and am currently featured on their team page. It was energizing to be part of a new team and start to accomplish my goals in the world of dressage photography, but I had always pictured the horse who inspired by photography to be here to witness my success.
Outside of equine photography, I have photographed the most weddings this year and am looking forward to exploring that side of photography more in 2025! While my main passion is equine photography, weddings have brought me great joy in being a part of couples' special days! I've photographed some impressive graduation sessions, pet sessions, and irreplaceable family sessions as well. A friend of mine's mother passed away this year from cancer and I had the honor of photographing family portraits less than two weeks before she passed. I didn't realize the true extent of her illness due to how positive and vibrant she was for her complementary session and I am so glad I thought to offer her and her family this gift. This year has challenged me so much, but I am grateful for the opportunities I have worked hard for and what I have achieved so far.



Losing My Muse
It was my also most challenging year when I made the choice to euthanize my heart horse Wasabi in October. I plan to explore these thoughts and what I’ve learned further over the winter as I have time to reset and through my Blog. But in short, my horse Wasabi shaped so much of my life trajectory and day-to-day encounters. While it was definitely the right time, he took up a huge part of my life and thoughts and that absence is huge. He inspired my business and art, he led me to my appreciation of dressage and non-ridden work, and his personality was big enough to share with many. He taught me a lot that I can bring to future horses and I can hope to create a horse as special as him. I have enjoyed re-watching videos and creating little TikToks of him as the year wraps up. There’s so many things I wish I had videos of to remember and share.
It has been difficult finding the time to process this loss during the busy season of photography, but as winter approaches I am struggling to deal with the absence of my beloved horse. Every time I get a new idea for a fun or unique photo idea, I sigh realizing the horse in my mind that would be perfect for it is no longer with me. A few years ago I made a goal to do at least one fine art session and one portrait session with Wasabi per year, and I am so glad I stuck to this goal. This year I was able to plan out Wasabi's end-of-life and was able to capture a portion of what I hoped to, but there was so much I never did that I recommend anyone else in my position to do. I plan to write about my experiences and advice I've learned through my time with Wasabi that I think will be worth a read.
I wrote briefly about sessions I recommend looking into at least once with your horse which you can read HERE. But I never had any professional or photos taken with a camera of me riding Wasabi because I didn't compete and never thought to prioritize it. I was always waiting for that perfect moment, or when he was trained to a certain level or jumping a certain height, or when I felt like there was a special occasion. I always thought there would be more time. But we don't always get that with our horses. He was only 15 years old when he passed and I never got enough time. My advice to fellow horse owners is to never wait too long and to let reading this be your sign to pick up your phone or a camera and take some photos. Of course I recommend hiring a professional or buying those show photos, but even capturing memories yourself will be irreplaceable in the event of an unexpected loss.
After Wasabi passed, I struggled to stay motivated and process my loss (and I still haven't processed fully), but two weeks after I went to Lexington, KY, to work for Susan J Stickle Photography. This was my first time working for her and I had a wonderful time being at US Dressage Nationals and photographing amazing horses and riders. I met a team of great photographers (along with some connections I already had). It was energizing to be part of a new team and start to accomplish my goals in the world of dressage photography, but I had always pictured the horse who inspired by photography to be here to witness my success. It may be cheesy since he was a horse and didn't know what I would even be talking about, but he was always that calming presence I knew I could come home to. (Though... those who knew him, knew he was not typically regarded for his calm or sweet demeanor.)



Acknowledgements and Plans for the Future
While I’m thrilled to be living my dream, but I am saddened by the fact that the horse I thought would be with me to experience this part of my journey would be here a lot longer. I’m hoping for a brighter 2025! I am energized and motivated by the art I have been able to create this year and humbled by the number of horses’ final stories I’ve been a part of by capturing Celebration of Life images and creating Memorial Edits. It was a pleasure and honor to capture each and every client this year, and I look forward to even more!
I’ve got lots of ideas and projects in motion for next year and I am looking forward to what I can accomplish! For starters, I hope to combine my love of Fine Art and show photography even more in the coming year, create more versatile wall art, and photograph some more unique horses and non-traditional beauties. I wish to photograph at more recognized shows for myself but mostly for other photographers and really hone in on dressage photography, but plan to continue to pursue some other disciplines and be the best I can for each. I plan to do more Retouching work for other photographers and begin offering mentorships or one-on-one editing meetings. A longer term goal is to do more travel for fine art sessions and be able to bring some of my more unique offerings to other states. I want to really lean into wall art and statement pieces, so keep an eye out for a few deals and ideas I plan to offer especially early in the year and the spring.
Lastly, my goal is to write more regular Blog posts ranging from photography tips, personal equestrian lifestyle stories, and more! I am aiming for two posts a month minimum for the winter months at least. Please feel free to interact with my social medias (Facebook or Instagram) if you have any specific topics you'd like me to cover on the Blog!
Happy New Year to all! May 2025 be the year we achieve our goals!
- Julia



