Meet Katarzyna Okrzesik-Mikołajek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katarzyna Okrzesik-Mikołajek.

Katarzyna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Horses have been my passion since I can remember. I am fascinated by their natural beauty. For me, they are magical creatures which can be interpreted in many ways. They are full of majesty, expression, and mystery. They arouse strong emotions in me and thanks to photography, I have found my own link with these amazing animals.

12 year ago, I decided to dedicate my life to equine photography. I am a self-taught photographer and continue to improve my skills through new experiences and new challenges. Year by year, I have broadened my horizons through traveling the world as part of my passion for equine photography.

With over 12 years of experience, I visited many countries where I hosted together over 35 photography workshops. I am also a multi-award winner in photography contest (2016 Winner in National Geographic photography contest). 
Horse photography is my lifetime passion and work.

Every year my photos are published in many calendars, books and equestrian magazines across the world. Through my work, I would like to introduce you to the world of horses as seen by me. I invite you to step into my world, where horses and photography merge together to form my greatest passion.

Has it been a smooth road?
Horse photography is not an easy business. In Poland, where I came from, it only happened to three people who can base their full-time job on horse photography.

Now when horse photography started to be more and more popular, and every “kid’ can buy camera and became a “photographer” it is not easy to stay on the market. Your mind has to stay open, and you have to be able to get new ideas all the time. But what makes you the most recognizable in this field is your style!

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Equine photography itself has many unique categories. There are photographers who work in diverse fields, such as equestrian shows and competitions, reportage, portrait or studio sessions, and horses at liberty, which is what I specialize in. 
When photographing horses, one almost needs the skills of a wildlife/nature photographer who knows his or her subject from years of observation.

One must be patient yet ready to respond quickly for the perfect action shot, just like a sports photographer. One must also have an artistic vision in order to understand the play of light, composition, harmony, and attention to details. 
Shooting in studio, including horse and rider or advertising photo sessions, are easier in a sense because they are usually in an enclosed area where the rider or handler helps with positioning and controlling the horse; therefore preventing the risk of an escape.

Working with horses at liberty in an open and natural environment, especially in motion, is definitely trickier and presents many unique challenges for everyone involved. A good equine photographer requires a thorough knowledge of the horse’s nature and psychology. He also needs to know how to trigger a planned action/reaction, such as having the horse look, turn or move with interest in a specific direction.

I find that photographing horses at liberty is more challenging because it requires the ability to drive them in a safe way without frightening, over-exerting or causing them unnecessary stress.
 In my opinion, to become a successful equine photographer one must first become a horseman, able to read a horse’s subtle body language and expressions, all while being acutely aware of the environment.

I am known mostly in the world of equine photographers from gathering people (other photographers) when now everything is based on competing (unfortunately). I organize in my country of origin (Poland) the biggest outdoor event for equine photographers where together during all weekend we photograph together, get to know each other, party together and do some interesting activity.

Besides that, since 2013, I organize workshops where I teach young photographers how to create the right setups for equine photos, how to work with equine models and how to post-process their photos. I also lead tours for more experienced photographers. These tours take places in different countries, where for eight-ten days we travel together, I organize places, sessions which I lead.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Well, my business is not settled in one place. I base my work on worldwide travels – my work goes where people want me to come – Canada, Poland, Spain, Germany, England, Portugal, France, Italy, Austria, Egypt, etc.

Pricing:

• Photo session offers starts from 200$ (per horse)
• Workshop price starts from 1000$ (depending on the number of days and participants)
• Tour prices 2500$-4500$ (depending visited country)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.photo-equine.com
• Phone: +48693662204
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katarzyna_photo_equine
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katarzyna.photo.equine

Image Credit:
Paulina Wierzgacz, Tobiasz Depczynski, Malgorzata Makosa, Katarzyna Lichnowska, Krzysztof Mikolajek

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.