07/14/2026
𝑰 𝑴𝑨𝑫𝑬 $88 𝑰𝑵 𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹.
Not $88,000.
Not $8,800.
Eighty-eight dollars.
The other day I decided to dig through years of business data and break down every collection, every event, and every year's income.
When I got to 2020, I actually laughed.
That year I made two print sales for a grand total of $88.
As photographers, we hear it all the time...
"You photographers must make a killing at horse shows."
I wish.
The reality is that most people only see us standing ringside with a camera. They don't see the investment behind that camera. The thousands of dollars in equipment. The travel. The insurance. The editing software. The endless hard drives. The 12-hour show days that turn into another 8 hours behind a computer when everyone else has gone to bed.
Back then I was still working full-time at Porsche while trying to build Brooke Louise Creative on the side. Every weekend spent shooting meant sacrificing time off, hoping the business would eventually become something bigger.
Thankfully, it did.
Today, those same reports tell a very different story. But they also reminded me that this industry is built on incredibly thin margins. Even now, while I'm fortunate to work with associations that value professional media and pay a day rate, many photographers are still taking on that same gamble every weekend, showing up with no guaranteed paycheck and relying almost entirely on photo sales.
Here's the uncomfortable truth...
If nobody buys the photos, eventually there won't be photographers at your horse shows.
It's really that simple.
The next time you download a free social media image, stop by the photographer's booth, purchase a print, order a digital, share their work, or recommend them to a friend. Those small decisions are what keep photographers coming back to preserve the memories that everyone loves looking back on.
Because despite what many people think...
Most horse show photographers aren't getting rich.
They're just passionate enough to keep showing up anyway.
www.brookelouisecreative.com
