I Took Over 4,000 Photos at an Equestrian Show and Gave Them Away for Free

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 7:15-4:30 and day 2 was Sunday from 7:30-2:00. By Tuesday, every rider had their photos ready to download. So in total:

• ~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 stupid: 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

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 like this was perfect way to start. Two full days of competition meant nonstop action with horses flying over jumps, riders giving it everything they had, and beautiful moments in between rounds. It was the kind of event that reminds me why I love being behind the camera.

What most people do not realize is how much truly goes into this kind of work. Shooting thousands of frames is just the start. First it starts with culling.

The process where you go through every single image and delete the ones that are obviously bad(out of focus, not framed correctly, personal preference etc.) Then you do it again to really pick the best ones. Then you do it AGAIN to get to the best of the best. After the initial first wave, I had deleted around 1,300 images.

After the culling comes organizing. Putting each individual rider in their respected folder; and some more culling.

After all of the organization, I finally got to start 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

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 is why I offered everything for free:

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

• Networking: Every rider who downloaded their photos has to give their email to gain access and, 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 did not want my first event to feel like a sales pitch. Giving the galleries away made it about joy, not just money. I felt like if I went into this job with the mindset of making as much money as I could, the stress and expectations could have clouded my enjoyment and derail this freelance project before it even started.

• Accessibility matters: I know not everyone has the ability to 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

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 the rate they have been, the excitement riders had when I talked to them at the show, and the confidence I gained from this was what I needed. Imposter syndrome is real, so starting this, I thought, "who would want to buy MY pictures?" Now, after this experiment, I've discovered a lot of people would actually.

Capturing memories that riders and families can look back on felt more rewarding than attaching a price tag(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 so much about my style in those 4 days that most photographers probably don't get in 4 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

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 be sharing event galleries, but I will also be offering 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. And 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