Meet The Photographer

Buckle up, we are diving into all the things that have made jamie pankow the photographer she is today.

Do you ever just stop and ask yourself what molded Jamie Pankow into the photographer you know and see today? I don’t blame you, I would want to know everything that went into the creation of a photographer running a business like mine too.

Don’t you worry, I am here to answer all of those questions keeping you up at night. Maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but I have made absolutely zero effort into my blogging game which means you get to read straight from the heart.

Here we go.

Hi, My Name is Jamie.

I come from an amazing dairy family in a Western New York county that has an official census of more cows than people. My childhood on the farm played a huge part in my being an avid animal lover, from baby birds falling out of nests, to barn cats, dogs, cows and of course horses.

We lived on a rural road made up almost entirely of family members in some way, shape or form. My aunt and uncle lived down the road one direction and my grandparents in the other. Both of them had at least a horse or miniature horse at all times during my childhood which led to the horse girl era I’m still in today.

I showed in 4H as soon as I turned 8 and began leasing my 4H leader’s horse Dixie. The following year I received the greatest gift a little horse obsessed girl could ask for, a horse of her own.

And thus, the journey began.

December 25th, 2005 - Tucker

I think it is safe to say that I will forever be in debt to my family for making a little girl’s dream come true.

It was Christmas morning and when prompted to look out the window I saw Santa Claus himself walking down the road and turning into my driveway with a horse lead in his hand. There was a horse attached to that lead and his name was Tucker. Our neighbor, Sean Quigley, was kind enough to hide this perfect gift in his barn until the big day came and took it one step further by dressing as Santa and making a core memory for me on his Christmas morning. For that, I have forever been grateful.

In the 15 years I had with Tucker we made loads of memories, mistakes and achievements. I learned everything with him whether it was how to ride a buck or two, practicing showmanship, or learning to become a horsewoman. We spent countless hours down at my aunt’s house almost everyday riding with my cousins. We put in miles on the trails while I sang to him, raced the other horses, encountered bears and traveled in silence.

Tucker was my happy place.

I went through the trials of middle school, high school, college and beyond. I shared everything with him, the barn was the place I could go when I was happy, sad or upset. I felt like I could be my most authentic self when I was with Tucker and that feeling was priceless for a young girl who was constantly trying to figure out who she wanted to be.

I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s talk about how I got into photography before we dive into the origin story of my equine photography.

It was in 2009 that I picked up my mom’s Nikon digital camera, hopped on the four-wheeler and drove around the farm taking pictures. I came home, uploaded my photos and switched the family computer screen to a photo I took of a pond on the farm. When my mom came home, she asked who changed the photo and expressed how amazing it was, to this day I’m convinced she was trying to make me feel good. Regardless, my mom felt like I had something going with this camera and she started to encourage me.

In time, I would start taking a camera to my family events and small gatherings with my friends, always being that girl with the camera. Later, my mom would get me my first DSLR, a Canon Rebel T2i.

I started out shooting free sessions, my ‘clients’ would bring their own SD card and I would take their photos and hand over the card, no editing, nothing. I know, I can’t believe I did it either.

I tried to photograph anything and anyone willing to let me practice but always gravitated back to capturing my horse, the family pets or my cousin’s and their horses. There was something that always felt right when I was photographing horses, dogs and their people.

I began photographing my friends at our local fair and once that built traction, I started offering those services to all of the riders. That grew into covering other open shows and I eventually made connections with other horse girls wanting their photos taken with their horses.

Fun Fact: For a short while in high school, I thought I wanted to work for Rolling Stone Magazine as a photojournalist. I was convinced that I would have an opportunity to meet Orlando Bloom and he’d fall in love with me. Ultimately after visiting the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, I realized that the path to Rolling Stone just wasn’t one I felt a calling to.

It took many many…many years of continuous practice working with different people, horses and pets before I truly felt like I had something genuine to offer. In that time, I had discovered an entire community of equine photographers. I made connections with photographers all across the country and eventually the world. Their support and knowledge led me down the path I am currently on today, and I often wonder where I’d be had I not stumbled across their community.

For a while, I worked another job to support myself while I continued building my photography and business skills. I signed up for different classes, worked with different mentors and started to specialize in the equine and pet portrait world. Every decision I made started revolving around what I wanted myself and my business to stand for, the authentic equestrians. I was finally working with people and their heart horses while producing work that evoked the emotions only a horse girl can understand.

I fell in love with the idea of holding a physical print in my hand rather than the many CDs, SD cards and online storage subscriptions full of photos I’d never look at again. If it were not for Brody Wheeler, the first professional photographer to take an honest moment to show me the world of photography and printing, I would not be where I am today. Everything about wall art, albums and finished prints just made sense to me. To this day if you visit my home you will find intentional wall art and albums in my home because that is what fills my cup.

You have probably heard me say this before, but the most valuable item I own is a 16x24 metal print of Tucker and I from a session I scheduled with Katie Karssen. I have moved more than I would like to admit and that portrait was the first thing I hung every single time because I wanted to make sure I could see him and I within that moment every single day.

Unfortunately as many animal lovers know, our time with our furry friends never lasts forever. In 2020, after a long time battling health problems, I had to say goodbye to my best friend.

That first year adjusting to a world where I didn’t have a horse was dark and difficult. It took a lot of soul searching to pull myself out of the funk I was in, but as I began to work things out I knew one thing, my photography business stood for so much more than just a pretty photo.

It existed for that person who will forever be in their horse girl era. For the ones who felt like they didn’t fit in. The ones who had a safe space in their time spent with their horse or pet.

I am forever grateful to have that portrait of Tucker and I, honestly my only regret is not printing it larger. It offers me the opportunity to look back on that day and remember what I did to get ready, who was there, what we laughed about and the moments with Tucker that kept me honest. It means so much more to me than just a screensaver on a phone or an image to post on social media when I want to share something about him. It has become the first heirloom piece of artwork that will represent me and the life I love.

As the years have gone by, I haven’t forgotten where I came from or why I built this experience. Tucker has and always will be the driving force in what I work towards each and every day. Nobody warns you about the overwhelming emotions that come with taking a step back after years of hard work and recognizing that you have created something special in honor of that lost young girl and the horse who carried her through.

Today, well as of 2025, I feel so incredibly fulfilled in what I am creating with my business. I have had the ability to go on a bucket list trip to the Pryor Mountains of Montana to photograph the wild horses, photograph my dream horse and dog breeds, make lifelong friends through my clients and make an honest impact on the lives of those I meet.

I have pride in every piece of art that I produce and am humbled to now provide my clients with that special heirloom piece of artwork that encompasses everything the love most in life.

After a few years away from owning a horse, I finally found my heart and soul ready to search for my next partner in crime. And that is when Baron appeared, similar to that scene from Lilo & Stitch where Stitch lands on Earth, that’s how Baron entered mine.

And I couldn’t imagine a different horse if my life depended on it.

Welcoming a new horse after losing your heart horse is an experience that requires an entirely different blog.

So how did Jamie Pankow become Jamie Pankow Photography?

It’s not just one single moment. It’s every single exchange big or small with my family, significant others, friends, strangers, coworkers, clients, educators, artists and of course, my horse Tucker.

Now that you have had a chance to read through this completely unprompted blog, I hope you have walked away feeling like you have something to take away from it.

Thank you for taking to time to read the ramblings of a horse crazed girl who happens to be your photographer.

Don’t ever forget to love yourself.

| The Authentic Equestrian |