We recently connected with Emma Stewart and have shared our conversation below.

Emma, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

If there’s one thing I’d change about the American Education system, it’s placing less emphasis on a strictly-college education and more emphasis on learning marketable skillsets. I remember being in high school and being told by guidance counselors that I was “too smart to not go to college.” By that point, I’d already chosen to enter the workforce immediately after high school by enrolling in a machinist apprenticeship. At 19 years old, only a year later, I was fully supporting myself financially AND was able to start a photography business BECAUSE of that blue collar job that my guidance counselors said was a “waste of potential” for me. I’m also currently working on my associates degree – and my “waste” of a job is fully paying for it. So many kids are pushed towards college at age 17/18, and they’re never told that there are other options out there.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I know being a mechanic and an equine photographer seem like two wildly different career fields, but they’re both industries that I’ve spent my entire life being a part of. I grew up on a small farm – mostly raising cattle and hogs – and spent most of my teenage years doing 4-H. I’ve been around the agriculture industry since about age 12, and have been deeply involved in it since then. My mom actually even raised designer chicken breeds at one point.

As for the mechanical side, I’m the child of a Jeep / Truck / Motorcycle / anything-that-has-an-engine guy. I basically came out of the womb with a wrench in my hand. I’ve always had dirt bikes, so I don’t think anyone was all that surprised when I bought a bike for a hundred bucks on Facebook marketplace with the intention of a full rebuild.

I started Denim Jacket Media in 2017, and actually started out as an automotive photographer. I worked countless car shows and managed to build my portfolio pretty quickly – until Covid happened and killed all the car meets where I would connect with future clients. My business definitely suffered, and I didn’t start fully rebuilding until 2023. With the rebuild came a major shift in what kind of photography I was focusing on – I did my first equine photoshoot in May of 2023, my first rodeo in June of the same year, and I’ve been doing my thing ever since then. When I graduated high school and aged out of stockshows (4-h), it really felt like a part of me was missing. Photography has sort of become my way of staying connected to my roots in agriculture

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The biggest thing that a lot of people struggle to understand about my particular situation is how many sacrifices I have to make in order to keep Denim Jacket Media running. There are a lot of weekends where I could be working on the project bike that I’m working horse shows or picking up last-minute clients instead. I’ve had countless weekends where I’m getting off of work at my machinist job at midnight, editing photos until 2 in the morning, and then waking up at 6am to make it to a rodeo. I miss a lot of time with friends for the sake of keeping my social media income up & keeping my photography business running – there have been a few months where the only people I saw were coworkers & clients. It sounds insane when you really think about it, but I’ve poured my soul into photography and I don’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Other photographers. Two specific ones that come to mind are Rebecca Beatty (Rebecca Beatty Equine Photography) and Charlotte Camp (Dimension Photography). Both of them have been an amazing resource in so many different ways-Rebecca has answered countless questions from me about rodeo photography, and Charlotte let me shoot at some of her events when I was still trying to build my portfolio. Anna Tenne is another photographer who creates amazing crash courses & how-to videos and she’s taught me a TON about photography – things I didn’t even know that I didn’t know. I was TERRIFIED of asking other photographers for help when I was just starting out, but since then I’ve realized that a majority of us just want to see each other winning.

(All photos of me in this article were taken by Sweet Trade Photography – she’s who I personally use for my own photos)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://denimjacketmedia.pixieset.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramblinbirdie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093231105507&mibextid=LQQJ4d