I sat a very wise man’s funeral recently listening to the poem that his son was reading out so passionately and I could hear his words coming through. ‘Give everything a go, you don’t know unless you try’ and that really resonated with me.
We agonise over whether to take the plunge, whether we’re brave enough, what will everyone think, are we doing the right thing, making the right choice etc... When really what’s the worst that can happen? Yes we might make the wrong choice but rarely is it not reversible. If we leap down the wrong path, surely we can hastely walk back and take a different path if we decide we chose wrong. Sometimes the wrong path often leads to the right path after all.
Surely it’s worse not to try, not to take a chance.
Galloping on their path, Harriet Edmonds & Hallowberry Rocket, Oasby 2 Horse Trials October 2019
I’m a believer in there not being a wrong path, each path teaches us something- ‘you live or you learn’ right?!
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed” Theodore Roosevelt
So in that vein, I’ve agonised over my own decisions this ‘off-season’ - I’ve been extremely lucky to have done what I have for the last three seasons, experiencing life as an equestrian photographer with Eventing Worldwide. It’s been a blast. Jess and the team are very supportive and it’s been great to be out on the circuit experiencing briefs, deadlines and getting my first taste of needing to be in multiple places at once during a high profile event.
But I had always planned on it being a stepping stone - the publication has started off many pro’s careers and I wanted a slice of that. Yet last season I had got comfy on that stone, not being brave enough to jump onto the next. For fear of was I good enough, could I progress, was I ready to progress on my own little ‘freelance’ path?
To Jess and all the team at Eventing Worldwide: thank you; I have loved and appreciated the opportunities that EWW has given me. It’s been great fun, a fantastic learning experience and has taken me to some amazing places. I will be forever grateful to Jess for the opportunity to be part of the EWW team and I wish the whole team all the best for the future.
Charlotte Rowe & Eventing Worldwide’s Redbarn Lux Ury Biscuit on their way to be placed at Hartpury
So I’ve finally found my brave pants, they needed a dusting-off and although somewhat snug, they still just about fit so here goes....
A giant leap into the world of a freelance photographer.....what’s coming next? Who knows, a few ideas are brewing but the blank page ahead is hugely exciting, sprinkled with a few nerves - just the way I like it. Time for new adventures and new opportunities.
So if your a brand/event/publication and looking for an Eventing Photographer, please do get in touch, I’d love to chat....
The rest of you won’t escape that easily, I’ll still be out on the circuit and will be sharing plenty of photos with you all.
But with change must also come stability - which is sadly coming in the shape of the weather forecast charts. Rain, rain, rain. Seriously when will it go away and come back another day. Mud has become my staple fashion accessory these past few weeks and I need that to change too but it’s not getting the hint. Three stormy weekends in a row doesn’t bode well for the start of the BE Eventing season. Hopefully the big man upstairs will realise we’ve been watered aplenty and it’s time to get out Eventing. (Although tentatively as I sit here and scribble this there is a big yellow thing in the clear blue sky this morning, so fingers crossed, it decides to stick around).
I am sure it will stop eventually, there can’t be much more rain available to fall surely?! Every year we pray for the winter to loosen it’s grip as fast as it can, so that Spring comes along, we dust off the boots and all get back out Eventing again. This sport has made addicts of us all, let’s hope we can get our first fix of Eventing very soon!
Next stop.... Oasby (weather permitting!)
Yasmin Ingham & Banzai du Lior, Oasby 2 Horse Trials, October 2019