Capturing grace: Horse photographer transforms equine beauty into art

CATHY WURZER: So now you and I have been friends for a while, right? And you likely know that I love horses. I've had horses. I've trained and shown horses. In that, I join an estimated 38 million equine enthusiasts in this country.

I love these beautiful creatures because they have a wide range of personalities that are unique to each animal. One Minnesotan has devoted her life to capturing the spirit of horses, from clients who want some beauty shots of their four-legged friends to top companies who want to use the power of the horse to convey their messages.

Shelley Paulson is an equine photographer from Buffalo, Minnesota, and she's on the line. Shelley, thanks for taking the time. Hello, Shelley.

SHELLEY PAULSON: Hello. Sorry about that.

CATHY WURZER: It's OK. Not to worry. Say, do you have horses? If so, what's your breed, and what's your discipline? Do you ride?

SHELLEY PAULSON: Yeah. I have three horses right now. I have a three-year-old Morgan filly who I'm just getting started riding soon. And then I have a 15-year-old paint horse that I just bought, and she's just going to be my fun horse.

And then I have a 31-year-old quarter horse that I've had since she was two years old. And I'm currently riding dressage, but I used to ride western, so.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, my goodness. A 31-year-old. Bless you for keeping that horse to that age. So I'm a dressage rider, and I don't have a horse right now, but-- yep. Yep. And I loved watching the Olympics.

So let's talk horses, which is going to be fun. So I know you started out by shooting weddings and events, which is fine, but I'm glad you turned your lens to horses. What do you see, and what captures you as you look at a horse through the camera?

SHELLEY PAULSON: Well, I mean, having been a horse lover from very early childhood, when I got a camera, one of the first things I pointed it at was horses. And I had my 31-year-old at the time, even though it was 20 years ago that I first picked up a camera.

And I'm taken by their beauty and their grace and especially the bonds that we develop with them, being able to hear the emotion and just the love that people have for their horses is such a privilege.

CATHY WURZER: And I'm sure there's really not any bad shot of a horse, I don't think. Although--

SHELLEY PAULSON: Oh, I could show you a few.

CATHY WURZER: But it is hard to get them to look their best, sometimes to get them look at the camera and get their ears to perk up. What's your go-to trick to get them to prick their ears up?

SHELLEY PAULSON: My go-to trick is the sound of horses whinnying because they're like, oh, who's that off in the distance? And then they put their ears up and they look curious. Most of them look curious. Some of them are like, oh, who's that off in the distance? And they're afraid.

But most of them just find it curious, and then they lift their heads up. And their eyes are open, and their ears are forward, and it works almost every time.

CATHY WURZER: I'll have to remember that. So I know you take portraits of horses for clients, but I'm also interested in your work for, say, Farnham, some of the vet companies, some of the horse-related businesses. How did you get started with that?

SHELLEY PAULSON: Yeah. I [INAUDIBLE] all portraits for a long time. And slowly, my work started to get noticed by companies like Nutrena and Farnham. And then say, two or three years ago, I actually mostly shut down the personal portrait business to focus on working for these bigger clients.

And then I also have a stock photo library that's just horses-- over 16,000 images just relating to horses that magazines like Horse Illustrated and Horse and Rider pull from, and also other equine brands.

CATHY WURZER: Wow. Wow, that's quite a business. So mostly portraiture? I mean, headshots, or are you doing action shots?

SHELLEY PAULSON: Oh, all of it. For the brands, it really sometimes turns into more product photography. But almost every shoot, they also want to get some of those images of-- touchy-feely images with horses because that's what we, as horse lovers, like to see.

We're scrolling our social media feed, and we want to see pretty pictures of people with horses. But yeah, I've shot show jumping at some of the highest levels. I have a showjumping client, and I also did-- I was on an assignment last year in Ocala, Florida, with Horse Illustrated, and I got to shoot the Longines League of Nations. And it was-- 18 of the top 20 show jumpers in the world competed that day.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, gosh. See, now the action shots are fantastic there. So one quick question here, because we don't have much time left. What's the one hint you'd give to just amateurs to get their best pet shots, horses are otherwise?

SHELLEY PAULSON: Especially with horses, it's to use a longer lens because they get kind of funky looking, bobblehead looking, if you have a short lens. And this even applies to your cell phone because most cell phones have the super wide, the normal, and then the zoom lens. If you use that zoom lens with horses, you'll make them look a lot better.

CATHY WURZER: See? There you go. Shelley, I wish I had more time with you. Thank you so much. Best of luck.

SHELLEY PAULSON: Yeah, you're so welcome. Thanks for having me on.

CATHY WURZER: Happy riding. Shelley Paulson is an equine photographer based in Buffalo, Minnesota. That's shelleypaulson.com. Thanks for listening to Minnesota Now here on MPR News.