RIDING high

From holistic therapy to photography, we talk to Cheshire people who have transformed their love of horses into successful careers in the equine industry

- Bethan Andrews

the PHOTOGRAPHER

Joanne Thibodeau is a Marple-based pet and equine photographer who swapped software development for spending her days taking pictures of people’s beloved animals. She stumbled across the idea of after overhearing someone talking about it in the yard where she kept her own horse. The seed was planted, and she set out, with grit and determination, to carve out a career from her love for horses.

It’s not an easy road creating a thriving photography business, though, and there’s a lot of consideration that goes on behind the scenes to make a success of equine photography as a career. For one thing, you must contend with the British weather.

For Joanne, photographing horses fills her calendar in the summer months, with studio work and dog photography lending itself better to when the days are darker. It’s one of the challenges of equine photography. “The weather plays an important part in outdoor photography, and I can’t work when it rains,” explains Joanne. “In winter, the fields are really muddy, and horse owners generally don’t want sessions when their horses have their winter coats on.”