Conversations with Rebecca Tolman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Tolman. 

Hi Rebecca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have loved horses for as long as I can remember and have always had a love for art as well. So, my passion for equestrian photography was a natural fit. When I had bridle photos taken, I wanted to incorporate my horse, and sadly they turned out pretty awful. The photographer did the best she could, but without a working knowledge of horse behavior or horses in general I made her job pretty difficult. It was at this point I recognized there was a need for photographers that specialized in capturing the bond of horse and owner. I bought my first camera that December and never went to the barn without it. 15 years later I have found a career I am passionate about. I love my clients and their horses. It’s a work that fulfills me in so many ways and give me the opportunity to give back as well. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning and developing as an equine photographer has come quite naturally. I love connecting with my clients, I love to be around the horses, and I LOVE capturing the relationships through the photography. To imagine something and then be able to create it in real life is so special. was so eager to learn and grow that it was fun! My biggest challenges are on the business side. I was diagnosed with dyslexia and disgraphia as a child and later in life with ADHD. While I believe these challenges add to my creativity, they can make things like organization, task management, and writing for blogs and social media difficult. My passion for the photography keeps me working through those challenges, but I know I have room to improve in order to serve my clients better. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an equine photographer. Most often I capture people with their horses, but I also photograph Equine events like horse shows and riding clinics. He as horse owners we put a lot of time, money, and energy into our horses and so being able to have pictures to look back on that time is priceless! The work I am most proud of is representing underrepresented riders through media. I work with a nonprofit called equestrians of color, where we work to represent the diversity in our sport. For a long time, equestrianism has been predominantly represented in media, with images of mainly white equestrians. I am passionate about capturing riders who have a unique position in the sport and can teach us lessons about love, acceptance, and determination. One of my most proud publication covers was for Young Rider magazine this last summer spotlighting a Utah rider Jayne, who has Down syndrome and has worked so hard and accomplished so much in her spot of jumping! 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Equine photography has been gaining popularity in the last several years, and I see it only continuing to grow. Canon even recently released a camera that has a horse tracker built into it. I look forward to continuing in this work and supporting other photographers who want to learn more and work in the equine field. 

Contact Info:

• Website: Impulsionimages.com
• Instagram: Impulsionimages
• Facebook: Impulsion Images