One of the things I care about in my commercial work is the clients I say yes to. I’m not just looking for brands with a budget. I’m looking for people who put horses first and who genuinely believe in what they’re offering the equine community. Dr. Rachel Mottet of Legacy Equine Nutrition is exactly that kind of client.
Rachel is an equine nutritionist with an MS and PhD, and she brings a science-based, unbiased approach to helping horse owners feed their horses well. I first photographed her in 2020 when she was just launching her consulting business. The images served her well for a few years, but her brand had grown and evolved, and it was time for visuals that reflected who she is now.
Rachel had relocated from Minnesota to Ocala, Florida, and reached out wondering if I’d ever consider traveling for a shoot. As it happened, I had another client needing photos in the Ocala area, plus friends I’d like to see. So I planned the trip. That’s something I do when I travel for work: I reach out to clients I have existing relationships with to see if there’s an opportunity to create for while I’m already there. It keeps travel purposeful and lets me serve people I already know and trust.
We had a great shoot. The day covered personal branding images for Rachel, nutrition-focused content, and video clips of her with her horses. The mix gives her flexibility across her website, social, and educational platforms.
Rachel shared some of the images with her community afterward, and her words meant a lot: “Joy can be hard to capture, but Shelley Paulson Photography nails it every time. I am so in love with the images she captured of me and my herd. These are a few that made me smile this morning. I hope they warm your heart too and lead you to go hug one of your horses, friends, family members, or any creature you own. Instant happiness.”
Legacy Equine Nutrition is the kind of brand I love working with. Smaller, values-driven, doing meaningful work in the horse world. If you’re building something like that and need imagery that reflects it, I’d love to hear from you.
