It’s a new year and we kick off the Member of the Week with the amazingly talented Adam Mooshian of Adam Mooshian Photography : www.adammoosh.com .

His work is breathtaking, and I asked him how he got started photographing horses. He replied, “ It all began in 2003 when a horse named Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby and I thought he was just the coolest. I followed racing for many years before finally in 2008, I picked up a and decided I was going to start taking pictures of horses… knowing absolutely nothing about either. I showed up at our local race track and began taking “pictures.” After about three weeks of arguing with the , I began to figure out what I was doing. From there, I just kept learning what not to do to get the images I actually wanted!”

He has found his niche with photographing animals especially horses at the racetracks. This is where he gets his inspiration from..the horses themselves. He said, “They are such amazing animals with so much to offer. They are like humans, they have their own personalities and quirks. Some are goofy, some are shy, some love the , some love to stir up trouble. I mainly photograph thoroughbred racehorses. I often tell people I go to photograph the races but leave with a lesson. Some horses appear defeated, only to come back to win more determined than ever. Some appear so far out of it they have no shot only to win by a nose at the finish, and some are hard knocking and try hard but never get any credit or recognition. You can take a life lesson from them, if only you open yourself up to the idea of relating yourself to them!”

I asked him if he could give himself one piece of advice to himself when he was just starting out.. what would it be? He replied, “If I could give myself one piece of advice it would be not to get so down on myself about missing a shot or failing to capture it the way I wanted. At the time, it is a terrible feeling, but from it you learn how not to make the same mistake again. For every amazing shot you feel you may miss, think of the shot that you will get as a result of it. Failure is only true if you believe it!”

So Adam, What’s in your bag? He answered, “My camera bag has too much stuff in it. I often abandon it the first chance I get and travel around like a wild man with things hanging off of me. I have the standard, boring things that every photographer carries and a few little mementos that people have given me along the way. I carry a Koala Bear with a boomerang and take his picture wherever I go (a photographer I met from, you guessed it, Australia gave it to me. He is a traveling Koloa Bear!) I also have the first credential I was ever given three years ago to remind myself of where I came from. Hmm, what else… oh, cant forget the most important one… chocolate! When all else fails, chocolate is always the answer, don’t leave home without it. Yeah, I clearly have my priorities in order.”

Thank you Adam, your work is amazing and beautiful. You can see more of his work on his website www.adammoosh.com. (BTW if you are wondering, yes this young gun is only 25-years-old!)

Our Member of the Week comes to us from the West Coast – it’s Sean Hoyt from Seattle, Washington. Sean is no stranger to Adoramapix, he has already purchased more than 80 of our photo books and continues to impress us with his work.

Sean has been professionally photographing since 2005 and just recently picked up THE KNOT award for the Best of Weddings 2011.   Before he turned professional shutterbug, he was a graduate research assistant in electrical engineering working on robotics and circuit design.  He entered the field because of the technical challenges mixed with the psychological and artistic components. He says it’s the best of all worlds.

I asked Sean what his favorite subject to photograph was and he replied, “I enjoy photographing people and love. This could be two people  “in love” or family bonds. I use photography to express those connections.”

So Sean, knowing what you know today, if you could go back in time and give yourself some advice, what would it be?  He answered, “I would join more groups to learn from other peoples’ mistakes and triumphs. Peers also challenge and inspire me to innovate and be more creative. I’ve never been secretive about how I do my business. I think the artistry, personality and mastery of equipment is what distinguishes good from the not-so-good photographers.”

I was curious to know where Sean receives his inspiration from, he said, “Facebook is becoming huge and I follow a ton of photographers’ daily postings. I also take inspiration directly from my clients as they each have a unique story to tell. They’ve also likely done a bunch of fieldwork and bring ideas to the table. One of my favorite photographs from my portfolio is of a brial party in blue store windows. We did a bunch of prep work and bounced ideas off each other before the wedding so we could go into it and have fun. It worked out really well.”

When Sean first started out, he was toting around a D70 with a 70-200mm 2.8 lens. I asked him what he’s toting around today , he replied, “Nikon D3s, D3, D200 bodies. Nikon 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 50mm 1.4 and Tamron 11-18 DX lens that I use on the FX D3s. …I use SB-800s with Pocket Wizards and a portable beauty dish for engagement and family sessions, but have 500Ws Bowens monolights with batteries for bigger groups. Also, I  have 128GB of CF memory and a cool Custom Brackets C rotating bracket. It all goes in my ThinkTank Urban Disguise 70V2.0 bag which can hold a pro body and a telephoto lens upright in the center column. Best. Bag.  Ever.”

So what’s in the future for Sean, besides the Nikon D4? He said, “I am  actively transitioning into a hybrid “fusion” market where I will deliver both photographs and highlight films to my clients. If you thought stills photography was a challenge, try doing film. It’s immensely more difficult and rewarding.”

Thank you Sean for sharing, your work is both breath-taking and inspirational.  So if you would like to see more of his work on facebook you can click HERE.  If is your thing, feel free to follow him HERE.