Other People's Ponies

I love to photograph horses. I only have one. Horse, that is.


After taking ten hundred thousand pictures of him, they all start looking the same. I really think I can focus in on the exact same strand of ear fuzz I did last week. And somehow, those shots of him eating grass just aren't getting any different. The grass is still green. And he's still eating.



Luckily, I know other people with horses. Paint Girl has a couple of ponies I can take pictures of. And the stable my mom boards her gelding at has a plethora of horses turned out in fields on a daily basis.

They are like magnets to my Nikon.


And if I didn't have said equines at my disposal, I'd probably drive around and sneak out of the car and take pictures of ponies in pastures from the side of the road. And drive away really fast when people got suspicious.

I'm kidding. Maybe.


There is only one small, tiny problem. I am short. Let me rephrase that. I am petite. Five-foot-almost-three-inches, to be exact. Therefore, since these horses are not mine and I do not handle them or go into their pastures, I capture their images over, between, or through fence rails or wire. Like it or not, it becomes part of the photo.


I find beauty in each individual horse. They are so different than my own. Often, it's not until I download the photos of a horse I don't know that I see the expression I've captured. Then it's like wow. Look at that horse's eye. Look at her ears! That horse is scared. That horse is so curious.



I hoped to take photos of my mom and auntie's horses for them over the holidays. In the frenzy of company and holiday festivities, it didn't happen. I think we'll wait until the weather cheers up a bit.

Besides, it's hard to get all of the parties involved motivated to wander outside for a photo shoot when it is 34 degrees and raining.


Here are my three favorite things about photographing horses:


1. Eyes and ears. They say it all. End of story.



2. Good hair! A long forelock and mane. Especially when it is ungroomed and has a little movement to it. Also, I don't mind photographing a horse with a winter coat. It captures the light and has a softness and glow to it. It gives an organic look to the photo.

Did I really just use the word organic, and not in reference to pesticide-free food? Help me.


3. Movement. This one is hard. Most of the time, horses in their natural environment are at the fence to see if you have any treats. Or they are just staring curiously at that black thing in front of your face. Although that works in my favor- I get good ears. They rarely want to strut their stuff for you!


Unless you're Paint Girl. Now she can make 'em move!