Almost every week, I am contacted by a photographer who has been asked to bid on a commercial job and feels completely out of their depth. I know the feeling. In 2009, I did my first commercial photoshoot for a major feed brand, and afterward, I decided commercial photography wasn’t for me.
I was just 25 years old when this beautiful quarter-horse mare came into my life. She was only two years old with 60 days of training on her. I had no idea we were starting a journey that would last for over half my life. Maggie Sue is the first
I originally put together a promotional video for Eye Candy Jumpers in 2021. Since then, they’ve gotten involved in some exciting new events, such as Major League Show Jumping. I’ve filmed for them at several events recently, along with their breeding operation, so I thought this would be a
I’ll admit, this endless winter has been a bit exhausting. 😞 But it was also a lot of fun for photography! Playing with these majestic black Percherons from the Ames Percheron Farm at liberty will stand as one of my favorite memories from this season! The goal of this and
Each winter, I end my time in Wellington, Florida, photographing the World Champion Equestrian Triathlon, which raises money for the Neil S. Hirsch Boys & Girls Club of Wellington. This was my 3rd year as the official photographer of the event. The Triathlon is held at Eye Candy Land (home
I met Erica Hatfield of Eye Candy Jumpers in the summer of 2018 at a local jumping clinic. I almost didn’t approach her because I’d never seen her before, but something said, “Go say ‘hi’ and give her your card!” so I did. We followed each other on social media
In June, I spent ten days in Iceland photographing the Icelandic horses in some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever encountered! The trip, organized by fellow photographer Phyllis Burchett, was ten days long. We had six different equine photo shoot setups, along with visiting some beautiful sights such as
I’m still pinching myself that I got to photograph one of the hottest rising stars in Country Music right now, Lainey Wilson! Rewind to how this came about…Tribute Equine Nutrition reached out to me, asking if I would be available for this photo shoot. The primary purpose was to film
I just returned home from the American Horse Publications annual conference, which was held this year in Lexington, Kentucky. It was a memorable week that started with a private photoshoot with this year’s Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (I’ll blog about that later this week). The conference culminates with the
It was a pleasure to work with Haygain last month to photograph sponsored rider and Olympic showjumper McLain Ward, his groom Lee McKeever and young rider Baylee McKeever at Castle Hill Farm in Wellington, FL. Haygain was looking for high-quality images for their website and social media. We worked closely
The thrill of seeing my images published never fades! 🤩 My winter images were recently featured in four spreads of the December 2021 issue of the American Quarter Horse Association Journal. I guess it’s worth the frozen fingers and toes to be able to offer unique seasonal images
It was fun to be a part of this week’s Horses in the Morning / Horse Illustrated podcast! I share some fun stories and a little about how I became an Equine Photographer. Go to www.horseillustrated.com/podcast9 to listen!
I’ve been hard at work over the past few weeks updating my Equine Stock Library. This is one of my biggest updates ever with over 1500 new images added, making the total number of images available to over 10,000! My library offers premium equine stock images, making it easy to
I am SO excited to have one of my images not only as the August image in Western Horseman’s 2022 Cowboy Calendar but also as the cover image!
How cute is this cover?? There’s a good story behind it too… I had promised a winter cover to Young Rider magazine, but we had a weird winter and the snowstorms weren’t lining up with my original models’ availability. It was mid-March, and I still didn’t have my image so
I’m very excited to share that I’ve added a new dream client to my stable – State Line Tack! These two ads have been running in several major equine publications like Horse Illustrated and The Horse.
I enjoyed working with Kentucky Equine Research to create these images of their world-class equine nutrition products! A big thanks to Nicole Salazar for providing a beautiful location and to Emily and Ireen for being world-class models for this project! Do you have an Equine product you would like
I’ve enjoyed a long relationship with Farnam. We’ve done many custom photo shoots together over the years and have developed a strong relationship. Because we have worked together, they felt comfortable sending me product to shoot on my own. This is a great arrangement because they don’t have to fly
One of my favorite things about owning my business is the opportunity to give back to the local equine community that has supported and given so much to me. This year, I worked with Freedom Farm Therapeutic Riding Center to create this video highlighting their “Hope and Healing” program for
Feast your eyes on beautiful horses all year long by getting one of my 2022 calendars! They also make a great gift for that horse lover in your life. Calendars are on sale for the next week! They will start shipping in mid-November. Order Now
I’m so excited to have a photo/article in the October issue of Horse Illustrated on Fox Hunting! The photos are from a hunt with the Long Lake Hounds I photographed last fall during peak fall color season here in Minnesota. The article highlights positive changes to fox hunting (namely, not
Sometimes the weather works with you, sometimes against you, and sometimes both! I had set up a stock photo session at Brian Welman Training Center in River Falls, WI. I am working on adding more western images to my Equine Stock Library (www.shelleypaulsonstock.com) and they are a reining barn with
I just returned home from the American Horse Publications annual conference in Ft. Worth, TX. It was so nice to get to see friends, colleagues, and clients again IN PERSON! The highlight of each year’s conference is the Equine Media Awards dinner and ceremony. Awards are given for media published
I love it when a plan comes together! Denise Alvarez of Stormlily Marketing reached out to me a few weeks ago. I was a guest on her podcast earlier this year and we were both getting ready to attend the American Horse Publications annual conference. She was wondering if