Horse Portraits / Equine Photography / Horse Photography
Sometimes you just need to make something happen!
I’ve had this image in my head for some time now. An image of a magnificent horse with a thick, long, and WILD mane. Yes, the key here, WILD. No prim and proper manes. Time to go Oh-Natural.
Plus, I wanted to update my Equine photos on my all new website (hehe, check it out here). So I put out a call on Facebook, looking for Horses with Wild Manes. And I was in luck, there where some out there. Ah go figure…I live in Grey Bruce…we have lots of stables around here.
I spoke with lots of people who had horses with wild manes and in the end, chose three families that were just as excited as I was to have their horses photographed.
First up, Jen and her amazing Clydesdale horses!
It was a very cold…no extremely cold day…it was like -30 degrees Celcius. As I was driving up to Jen’s home, I secretly prayed that my camera equipment would NOT stop working due to the cold. Even though I have professional equipment, extreme weather conditions can easily make any mechanical tool freeze and not perform. Luckily I brought a backup camera…and a backup for my backup. And lots of extra batteries. You can never be too prepared.
Then, I wondered…would my hands and fingers last. They to don’t like the cold. LOL…they did. But I have to be honest. They were cold and by the end of the photoshoot they were very very cold. But it was well worth it.
I knocked on Jen’s door and she greeted me with a big smile. I met her husband and two adorable girls. We were going to involve the girls in the photo shoot but because it was so cold we decided we would have a session with the girls when the temperature was much warmer. (-30 degrees Celsius was just to cold for two young toddlers).
Jen, her three dogs, and I walked down to where the horses where. It was so cute, the dogs followed us, bouncing and playing with each other, all the way to the paddock.
When we neared the horses, I stopped in my tracks. I could see the majestic Clydesdales and I was in awe. They were beautiful. AND oh-my-goodness, one was beyond amazing. His mane, his appearance, gentle behaviour, and curiosity was exactly what I wanted to photograph.
The vision in my head was coming to life.
For the next 30ish minutes…I would have stayed longer if it wasn’t so darn cold…I photographed the horses, individually, in a group, and them socializing with the family dogs. I felt comfortable in their presence…even though they towered over me. I giggled as they nudged me with their nose, smiled as they walked in and out of my image…you really cannot tell a Clydesdale horse to stop and pose for the camera. Eeek, this was one photo session I will never forget.
I plan to head back to Jen’s home and photograph her two little girls with the family pony (which was at another stable during this photoshoot) in the summer. In the mean time, here are some images of 3 magnificent horses.
