Welcome to Pursuit!
Welcome!
So now that Pursuit Images is finally live, I guess it’s time for a introduction; who I am, who Pursuit is, what inspired it’s creation, all of that fun introduction stuff when you finally bring your creation into the world.
So we’ll start with the person who’s tying this blog entry: I’m Emma Wilding, photographer, powerlifting addict, animal lover, and generally an overly ambitious individual. I’ve been in the photography industry for 6 years now (coming up to 7 in January!) and have been running my first business, SkyLimit Photography, in that time, where I focus on horses, dogs, and commercial photography. Horses were always my first love in life, so obviously I had to tie my creative business endeavours with them.
In my teenage years, I started working out at home to the good old Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, as well as running a few days a week. In true Emma fashion, I started to take things to my limits, and pushing beyond them. I evolved from home workouts to tough outdoor bootcamps, and trained for half marathons alongside them. Then, a change of job meant that I wouldn't be able to get to the bootcamps I’d grown to love on time, so I paid for my very first gym membership.
I used the small amount of training knowledge I’d gathered from home workouts and bootcamps to decide on how to train, opting for a 5 day bodybuilding split, but it wasn’t long before I was taken under the wing of one of those sweaty, grunting powerlifters and introduced to the bizarre world of powerlifting. It didn’t take long before I was hooked on it, the realisation of how strong I could actually get became highly addictive and there was no stopping me.
Since then, I’ve had a few minor injuries and various set backs, but through that, I’ve learnt an incredible amount about mobility, programming, form improvements, diet, recovery, and all the other fun stuff that goes into learning how to be the best possible athlete I can be. As an analytical geeky type, this has just been a whole new world of interesting, practical knowledge, that not only benefits me, but gives me the delight of helping others in the gym as well.
I’ve found the gym is the place I feel most at home, and most accepted, just like so many others who fall in love with training. It’s where we find our passion, and our people.
I’m sure you’re getting the idea of how the idea of Pursuit came alive now. I’ve obviously always enjoyed photographing horses, but there’s been this constant thought in the back of my head, that I also wanted to expand into the fitness space. Until 2020, when I started working with a mentor, it continued to be just a thought, an itch that I couldn’t quite figure out how to scratch, so to speak.
But now, armed with the skillset that I knew I would need, that urge got bigger and bigger, until I became sick of hearing myself just talk about it. I needed to take action.
The last few months have been spent shooting various clients, building up a portfolio of work to present the fitness space, building the website your reading this on, planning out branding, thinking through how I wanted to present this business to the world, and doing all the other fiddly little bits that dot the I’s and cross the T’s to bring this creature to life, all alongside running an already established, and incredibly busy business with SLP.
Safe to say, it’s been a LOT of hard work, there’s been unhealthy amounts of stress, a lot of tears, long days, more decision making than you can shake a stick at, and a plan in my head that just wouldn’t quiet itself. But would I change a second of it? No way!!
I wanted to build a business that shares the ethos of so many of you out there, the hardest workers in the room, the ones who will do whatever is required of them to excel in their chosen sport, the ones who keep showing up, day in, day out. You are the people who I want to serve with images that sculpt and freeze all of that hard work in it’s most extraordinary light.
I know you hold yourselves to the highest of standards, so you’ll only want to work with someone who shares those same standards, who recognises everything you’ve put in, and wants to honour that with the same level of continued effort.
I’m so happy to finally bring Pursuit into the world, to share it with all of you, and I’m buzzing with the thought of all the amazing people who I’ll be shooting in the coming months and years, the connections we’ll form, the images we’ll create, and the awesome experiences to come.
If you’re considering getting booked in for a shoot, have a browse at the packages I offer, and fill out an enquiry form, let’s get the ball rolling on something awesome! I’ve only got 1 space left for October, and 2 spaces available for November, so get in quick as these slots won’t hang around for long!
Emma x
