Portrait Photography for Cowgirls.
This page serves as both an archive of the On High Ground equine photography brand and the documentation of my continuing portrait work with cowgirls.
This body of work is inspired by the spirit of the “high” ground, from the magical dust of the desert floor to the legends of the sky – and all the saddles in between.
Selected Works
I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one.
– Calamity Jane
“This brought tears to my eyes…Olivia has been through so much health-wise the last few years…There was a point when…we did not know if she was going to make it. Olivia is a true legend. Thank you for the amazing shot.”
— Robin, Mom
High Desert Renegades
Drill Team of Central Oregon / Scenes from team photos and rodeos.
Central District OHSET:
Sport as Art.
In July of 2021, it was suggested to me by a local parent of young equestrians that I look into photographing the Central District OHSET (Oregon High School Equestrian Teams) meets. It took me a full year (July 2022) to gather the courage to make my inquiry.
I had never photographed an event like the OHSET meets. I had never photographed an event, period.
I’m also not an equestrian.
Upon entering the arena for the first time in March 2023, my knowledge base for the exact how and what to capture in each event was whatever information I could gather on the internet. And that was very, very little. I think…I found some articles on how to photograph jumping?
Quickly, I would learn the basics of what I needed to capture down on the ground in the arena, as well as in the culling and post processing of 25,000 images.
See the events here.
About
If there is one thing I’ve learned on this wild journey of life, it’s this: don’t let the world break you. May your spirit run forever free!
The OHG Origin Story:
In 2016, On High Ground (OHG) was started as an experimental Instagram account where I posted visual snippets of my life, the landscape, and gardening at 8700’ in the Colorado Rockies. I lived there part, and eventually full, time from 2010-2021. In 2021, I moved to Central Oregon and began photographing high school cowgirls. OHG became a branch of my portrait work capturing the spirit of these young women.
Mission:
The values upholding the work at OHG are courage, self-respect, personal growth, leadership, and the commitment to delivering experiences that foster strong self-esteem. The intention for all work under the OHG umbrella is to create spaces, experiences, and products that reflect the beauty, grit, and resilience of the cowgirl spirit.
Giving Back:
According to the CDC, 57% of U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, up from the 36% a decade before. That’s over half of the population of young women surveyed, and this number doesn’t even account for those that weren’t. At OHG, it is a priority to both build and share a foundation of tools and resources that support strong and stable mental health. Therefore, OHG/Jacquelyn Tierney pledges to contribute 2% of all profit from horse and rider photographic session fees and sales to organizations that support mental health through the use of equine therapy.
Did you know, OHG also stands for “Oregon Horse Girl”?
In 2021, I moved to Oregon and started photographing horse girls in the high desert. I don’t think it was a coincidence that I already had a mini brand developed with the same initials.
Since the OHG brand aesthetic leans into the vibes of 1970’s rock album covers, I decided to start showcasing horse + rider session photo albums in the style of similar vintage layouts and create a curated playlist for the cowgirls of On High Ground to listen to while browsing the session galleries and preparing for their own photo shoots.
Listen to the 2023 Summer playlist.
See some of the photo albums below.
Small lookbooks with high school cowgirls.
Serving Oregon and the West Coast.
To book a private horse and rider portrait session for yourself, your family, or your team, please email: onhighgroundequine@gmail.com
Session pricing begins at 1500. Print and digital image collections are included.
