My Journey as a Freelance Photographer: Capturing the Elegance of Equestrian Events

This past weekend, I covered my first big event as a freelance photographer: a two-day horse show at The Four Winds Equestrian Facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. Day 1 was Saturday from 7:15 AM to 4:30 PM, and Day 2 was Sunday from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM. By Tuesday, every rider had their photos ready to download. So, in total, I spent:

• ~16 hours on site

• Over 4,000 images that were cut to ~1,119 and edited

• 1 overall event gallery

• 55 individual rider galleries

  
  

Then, I did something unusual—or perhaps a bit foolish: I gave everyone free access to their photos. Full quality, no watermarks, no paywall. Why would a photographer give away that much work and effort for free? Let me explain.

The Event: A Dream Come True

I have always loved photography, but this was my first time putting myself out there at a large-scale event like this. Being the only photographer at an equestrian show was the perfect way to start. Two full days of competition meant nonstop action. Horses flew over jumps, riders gave it everything they had, and beautiful moments unfolded in between rounds. It was the kind of event that reminded me why I love being behind the camera.

What most people don’t realize is how much truly goes into this kind of work. Shooting thousands of frames is just the beginning. It all starts with culling. This is the process where you go through every single image and delete the ones that are obviously bad—out of focus, poorly framed, or just not up to par. Then, you do it again to really pick the best ones. After the initial wave, I had deleted around 1,300 images.

After culling comes organizing. I put each individual rider in their respective folder, followed by more culling. Finally, I got to the fun part: editing my final 1,119 images. Scale, rotate, adjust the x and y axis, exposure, contrast, curves, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, masks, noise reduction, saturation, temperature; repeat.

Why I Gave It All Away: A Personal Choice

Most event and sports photographers charge for downloads, prints, or packages, and for good reason; it is a lot of work. But going into this event, I made the decision to treat it differently. Here’s why I offered everything for free:

• Building a Portfolio: In just one weekend, I captured enough strong images to build my entire equestrian photography portfolio. That is something you can't buy with ads.

• Networking: Every rider who downloaded their photos had to provide their email to gain access. Although they aren't required to, they can tag my images on social media. That kind of organic reach is invaluable for a new photographer.

• Passion First: Photography started as a hobby I love. I didn’t want my first event to feel like a sales pitch. Giving the galleries away made it about joy, not just money. I felt that if I approached this job with the mindset of making as much money as possible, the stress and expectations could cloud my enjoyment and derail this freelance project before it even started.

• Accessibility Matters: I know not everyone can pay for pictures. I wanted every rider, every parent, and every kid to have access to their memories from this weekend without worrying about cost.

  
  

What I Learned: A Journey of Growth

There is no sugarcoating it; this was a ton of work, and I’m exhausted. Sorting 4,000 images into 1,100 usable ones across dozens of folders is not something I will repeat for free. But seeing my photos downloaded at such a rapid rate, the excitement riders had when I talked to them at the show, and the confidence I gained from this experience was invaluable.

Imposter syndrome is real. At the start, I thought, "Who would want to buy MY pictures?" Now, after this experiment, I’ve discovered that many people actually would. Capturing memories that riders and families can look back on felt more rewarding than attaching a price tag to my work this time.

Also, do you know how much practice you get editing 1,119 photos? The answer is a lot! I've gained so much insight and learned about my style in those four days that most photographers probably don’t get in four years.

Still, I learned something important: giving away your best work without limits is not sustainable. This strategy worked perfectly for my launch, but moving forward, I will be structuring things differently.

What’s Next: Looking Ahead

This event at The Four Winds Equestrian Facility was my gift to the equestrian community, a way to introduce myself and say thank you for letting me capture such a special weekend. Going forward, I will still share event galleries, but I will also offer options for:

• High-resolution digital downloads

• Private equestrian and horse and rider portrait sessions

• Coverage of future horse shows and barn events

  
  

If you were at the event and downloaded your photos, thank you for your support! Please tag me, @by_griffin, on Instagram, and continue to share my work. If you are looking for a Colorado equestrian photographer for your next show, portraits, or barn session, I would love to connect.

If you would like to see the images from this weekend, CLICK HERE