Dear First name / Friend,

I hope you are well and that March is coming in like a lamb in your area. We had some very pretty snow over the weekend, but it's going to be in the 40s all week, so I'm guessing a lot of it will melt by next weekend. 

This is the earliest photo of me on a horse that I was able to find in my family archive (I'm in the pink shirt with ruffles, a style you wouldn't catch me dead in nowadays!). My love for horses started even before this when a babysitter gave my sister and I Breyer model horses (which many of you know are a “gateway drug” to real horses! 😆). 

I still have all my Breyer horses and most are just packed away in boxes. I was awake in the middle of the night last night brainstorming how to get them out of their boxes and into some kind of shrine in my home. Have any of my fellow Breyer collectors come up with a creative solution for this? If so, hit reply and tell me about it!

While my heart was breaking for Texas during the winter storm a few weeks ago, I also found joy in seeing many of my equine photographer friends in southern states get the rare opportunity to photograph horses in the snow! I thought I would share this quick tip about how I edit snow photos to retain the most dynamic range possible.

One of the difficult things about exposing photos of horses in snow-covered landscapes is how bright the snow is on the ground, especially if the sun shining. Exposing for the horse might cause you to overexpose the snow to the point where there is no texture left and it's just pure white. 

What I generally try to do is make sure the snow is properly exposed in-camera so there is no texture loss (or “blinkies,” if you have your highlight alert or warning on). Then when I'm editing in Lightroom, I bring up exposure of the whole image until the subject looks right and then use an adjustment gradient on the snow that has Highlights set to -75 (adjust this number as needed). This allows me to have a full range of tones from shadow to highlight.

WHAT I'M READING

It's been awhile since I read a book I've highlighted more than Seth Godin's new book “The Practice: Shipping Creative Work.” It's about creating a practice and a path for getting your creative work out into the world.

“Creative work doesn't come with a guarantee. But there is a pattern to who succeeds and who doesn't. And engaging in the consistent practice of its pursuit is the best way forward.”

This book affirmed a lot of my beliefs about creativity and current practice of getting my creative work done and out into the world, but also inspired me to shift my motivation from being just about the work, to also about seeing it as a generous gift to a world that needs to experience it. 

“When you choose to produce creative work, you’re solving a problem. Not just for you, but for those who will encounter what you’ve made. By putting yourself on the hook, you’re performing a generous act. You are sharing insight and love and magic. And the more it spreads, the more it’s worth to all of those who are lucky enough to experience your contribution. 
Art is something we get to do for other people.”

Isn't that a powerful statement?

If you are doing any kind of creative work, I highly recommend this book! What I also enjoyed about it is it's made up of lots of short sections, so it can be read even when you just have a few minutes. 

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

I think I've found something I like more than podcasts and it's called Clubhouse! It's a drop-in audio chat app (only available on iPhone right now) where you can listen in and participate in discussions on just about any topic. Some of the top photographers in the industry are on there, generously sharing knowledge and expertise for FREE! 

Some of my favorite chats happen in the Equestrian Connect club and the Behind the Lens club. Once you are in, if you follow these clubs, you'll be notified of upcoming chats. I hope to co-host one with a friend soon, so make sure you follow me as well!

Here's a quick overview of Clubhouse.

I'm starting the last month of the Wings Mentorship and am so excited about the growth I'm seeing in the photographers going through the program! I've been so proud of the students for keeping up with the homework assignments and going out to take photos, even in the middle of a polar vortex! Applying what they've learned in the summer season will feel easy by comparison. 😉

The Pegasus Mentorship for advanced photographers will open for applications in mid-March! I will send out a separate email when I'm have all the details organized and applications are open, so watch for that soon!

If a mentorship doesn't fit for you right now, keep in mind I always offer 1:1 video mentoring to anyone who would like help with their photography or business. 

If you’re interested in learning more about my mentoring and educational opportunities, visit www.shelleypaulson.com/education