From Horse-Mad Child to Equine Photographer of the Year Finalist

Some news I’ve been incredibly excited to share…

I have been named a finalist for Equine Photographer of the Year 2026 at the Equestrian Business Awards!

Even writing those words feels surreal!

This year saw more than 16,000 nominations across all award categories, so to be recognised amongst so many talented individuals within the equestrian industry is something I am immensely proud of. Being nominated was an honour in itself, but to reach the finalist stage is truly special.

I think what makes this achievement even more meaningful is the journey I’ve had to come to this point both with business and my personal life.

Long before I ever picked up a professional camera, I was a little girl who was completely and utterly obsessed with horses. From the age of five, horses were everything to me. Like so many horse-mad children, I spent countless hours dreaming about horses, drawing them in school books, reading every horse magazine I could get my hands on and imagining a future that somehow involved these incredible animals. I dreamt about them, pretended I had an imaginary one in the back garden and wished on every birthday candle, dandelion clock , or eyelash wish for my very own.

I dont come from a “horsey” family so having riding lessons was the closest I was ever going to get to being part of that world. My Grandad paid for my lessons for years and truly believed I would become the first female jockey to win the Grand National, but with my second hand jodpurhs, and no one to help me find a door into the equestrian world, that dream grew further away from me as I got older. When my grandad died when I was in my early teens, so did my riding lessons. Cold hard reality hit and horses were placed in a treasure box somewhere in the back of my mind.

Life, as it often does, took me on a slightly different path.

Photography became my career, and while I loved what I did, that childhood passion for horses never disappeared. Then one day, my eldest child asked to try riding lessons. I was suddenly plunged back into the equestrian world. The memories, the smells, the freedom of cantering at full speed, the feeling of burying your head in a mane, the love, all of it, none of it had ever left me it was just sat dormant waiting for me to find it again. Horses had found their way back into my life and everything changed for the better. Suddenly, two of my greatest loves—horses and photography—came together in a way I could never have imagined.

What started as photographing my own horse and helping friends quickly became something much bigger. I began bringing the creativity and storytelling I had developed through portrait photography into the equestrian world, creating images that celebrated not just the beauty of the horse, but the unique bond between horse and human. Slowly the equine side of my photography business took over, and after COVID finished off my studio, switching to equine photography was a no brainer.

Today, Angelfire Photography allows me to do what younger me could only have dreamed about.

I spend my days working with horses, travelling across the UK and beyond, meeting incredible people, capturing unforgettable moments and telling stories through my images. It is a career I am endlessly grateful for. I’ve worked with huge commercial clients and brands, famous equestrian influencers, and many wonderful clients and their horses from the UK all the way to Dubai!

But what makes this nomination especially meaningful is what it represents.

From the very beginning, connection has been at the heart of everything I do.

Whether I’m photographing horses and their owners, creating fine art portraits, or teaching photographers through my workshops, connection is always the thing I am searching for. Cameras, lenses and technical skills all matter, but they’re only tools. The real magic happens when a photograph makes someone feel something.

A photograph can take you back to a moment you thought you had forgotten. It can remind you of a horse who changed your life. It can make you smile, cry, laugh, or simply pause for a moment. Being able to summon emotion from a single image feels a little bit like a magic power, and it’s one of the reasons I love this job so much.

In a world increasingly filled with artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery, I believe human connection is what sets photography apart. The relationship between a horse and their owner, the trust between photographer and subject, the emotion hidden within a glance, a touch, or a quiet moment—those things are real. They can’t be manufactured.

That connection is what I pride my business on. It’s what I hope every client sees in their photographs and what I encourage every photographer I teach to look for in their own work. Because when we capture genuine emotion, we’re creating something far more powerful than a photograph—we’re preserving a feeling.

That’s why this finalist nomination means so much to me.

Of course, I am proud of the images. I am proud of the long days, the early mornings, the miles travelled, the workshops, the editing, the learning and the determination it has taken to build this business. No one sees the blood, sweat and tears that goes into what I do. People think what I do is easy and glamerous becuase I enjoy my job, they dont see the 90 hour weeks and sleepless nights that happen either side of the finished oridyct

But more than anything, I am proud because this recognition feels like a reminder of how far that little horse-loving girl has come.

I dont think I would ever have believed that one day I’d be photographing horses for a living, travelling the country with a camera in hand, helping others learn photography, and being named a finalist for Equine Photographer of the Year.

Whatever happens next, I already feel incredibly lucky.

Thank you to every client who has trusted me with their memories, every workshop attendee who has supported my education events, every horse who has stood patiently in front of my lens, and every single person who has followed and supported my journey. None of this would be possible without you.

Being named a finalist is something I will treasure forever, and I cannot wait to celebrate alongside so many talented people within the equestrian industry.

I wish my 5 year old self could see just what we manage to achieve in the future!

I will keep you all posted!!!!