Introduction
Ten years ago, Phyllis Burchett joined the Equine Photographers Podcast to talk about her path from more than 30 years in the horse industry to building a career centered around fine art equine photography.
Now, a decade later, Phyllis returns for the 10 Years Later series to look at what has changed — in her photography, her business, the industry, and the way she thinks about the work she creates.
IN THIS EPISODE
Phyllis and I revisit where she was when we first talked in 2015 and where the last ten years have taken her. We talk about finding your place in an industry that continues to change, how experience shapes the work you choose to pursue, and why the definition of success can look very different after another decade behind the camera.
We also get into the realities of building a photography business over the long term, the changes Phyllis has made along the way, what she would approach differently today, and the changes that were forced on photographers when COVID disrupted both the horse industry and photography businesses.
As with every conversation in the 10 Years Later series, we also look beyond photography itself: sustainability, knowing when something no longer fits, thinking about an eventual exit from the business, and the question I have been asking everyone in this series — knowing everything you know now, would you choose photography again?
And, because this is a conversation between two people who have spent a very long time around horses and photography, we wander off topic a few times too.
Key Takeaway
Finding your place isn’t necessarily something you do once at the beginning of a career.
The work changes. The industry changes. Clients change. Opportunities change. And, perhaps most importantly, you change.
A sustainable career sometimes requires being willing to reconsider where you fit rather than continuing to build a business around decisions you made five, ten, or twenty years ago.
Why This Matters
Photography careers are often discussed as though there is a finish line: establish your style, build your clientele, figure out your pricing, and eventually you have a successful business.
Real careers rarely work that way.
Phyllis’s perspective comes from decades spent in the horse industry as well as years behind the camera. That long view makes this conversation particularly valuable because it isn’t about how to start a photography business. It is about what happens after you have been doing it long enough to see markets shift, technology change, opportunities appear and disappear, and your own priorities evolve.
The Bigger Context
The 10 Years Later series isn’t really about comparing 2015 to 2026. It is about what happens between those two points.
When I went back to photographers I interviewed roughly a decade ago, I wanted to know what the original conversations couldn’t possibly tell us: which plans actually worked, which assumptions turned out to be wrong, what unexpected changes shaped their businesses, and what experience taught them that couldn’t have been learned any other way.
Phyllis’s story adds another important perspective to that conversation — the process of continuing to find where your work, experience, interests, and life fit together.
Final Thought
Ten years is long enough to stop looking at a photography career as a straight line.
Sometimes growth means doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more selective. Sometimes it means changing direction entirely. And sometimes the thing that once defined your business simply isn’t where you belong anymore.
The important part isn’t staying exactly where you started.
It is recognizing when your place has changed — and being willing to change with i
About the Equine Photographers Podcast
The Equine Photographers Podcast features conversations, interviews, and Field Notes exploring the business, craft, and future of equine photography. From workflow and pricing to industry trends and marketing, each episode is designed to help photographers build stronger, more sustainable businesses.
🎙️ Browse all episodes: Equine Photographers Podcast
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