Why photograph horses?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently as it became incredibly obvious when spending a week at a dude ranch that I’m not a horsewoman. I didn’t grow up around horses. I didn’t obsess about them as a child. My only real experience with horses was going up to see my cousin’s horse, Danny, in the Dublin Mountains once or twice.
Truth be told…..they scare the living daylight out of me sometimes. So much so that I’ve been volunteering once a week at We Can Ride so I can get more comfortable just being around them. It seems odd then that I’m fearless standing out in the open photographing horses running towards me, but I’m good with it as long as there is a camera in my hand.
So why?
The Australian poet Pam Brown may have captured it best when she declared, “A horse is the projection of people’s dreams about themselves — strong, powerful, beautiful — and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence.”
When I photograph a horse (or horses) I’m aware of their power and feel that anything is possible—that my life is free from any and all restrictions. I haven’t always felt this way and know that it has something to do with the passing of my father. So it’s only in the last several years that I have explored why I’m so drawn to these intrinsically and stoically beautiful animals. It’s something about their gracious spirit that strikes a purely emotional nerve deep in my psyche.
Of course they are mystical, magical and iconic—and have been depicted in artwork throughout history starting with the cave dwelling of megalithic times. The myth of the Centaur—a half-human and half-horse creature was inspired by early man on horseback—shows man as being one with these magnificent creatures.
My artwork is created by making several under-paintings and slowly building up to the surface of the substrate. I get lost in creating work that reveals itself the more you look at it. I find that reality is overrated. It’s what you make of it, how you interpret it through the creative eye that counts. When photographing and working with horse images I realize that my passion, emotion, and personality are allowed to shine through in a myriad of ways. Each image I make then becomes a self-portrait.
If you photograph horses I would love to hear your comments below as to what draws you to photograph them.
Be well….be creative,
Well said Clare – thank you for sharing your insights! Artists, if they’re doing it “right” (& I use that term losely lol), follow their creative spirit to what speaks to them. I’m very much drawn to individual organic things such as flowers & leaves. I love their vivid colors & unending complexity – so vibrant! After reading your entry here I now have a clue as to why. I’m an independent spirit & love to bring the colorful, unique parts of myself into the world thru my art. Thanks for helping me connect to that :).
Wow Barb, it’s comments like this that remind me why I teach and write this blog post. Thank you, thank you, thank you…..for sharing your insights, for helping me to be grateful, and bringing your art into the world.
At the ranch you taught us certain things to look for when photographing horses. (e.g. ears forward, running up hill, mane flowing, etc.) When looking at wild horses through the viewfinder of my camera I see power, might, fearlessness, and excitement. My heart rhythm increases when I see them break into a gallop. It is very humbling to realize the God who created horses also created me. Job 39:19-25 is a great description of the attributes of wild horses.
Yes, yes, yes……I too know that feeling when the heart rhythm increases…..so amazing. Thanks for sharing Job 39:19-25. Love it.
Hi Claire,
I am a photographer and do a lot of equine photography and also a horsewoman. I have a horse I keep here in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. I frequently go west in the US to shoot the wild horses in the wild and in sanctuaries as their perilous story inspires me. I think the fact that horses are graceful, powerful, mysterious and absolutely beautiful make them a fascinating subject. Once you understand how they communicate with us and with each other in a herd there is another more subtle but very powerful fascination there for me, a spiritual connection. That you have to be truly present around them is another draw. I can go be with my horse and be in a world we used to be in more often but our modern lives prevent us from slowing down to be in that space. Horses reflect back to us what is going on inside of us, so they force us to be present. they are fantastic teachers. Photographing them can be a challenge and a delight, as you cannot plan too much, you have to let things happen and be happy with serendipity. Another aspect I love about working with them.
On a side note you could come work with informally with me and my horse if you want to learn more about connecting with them one on one. My nephew teaches natural horsemanship communication techniques on the ground. It is a very rewarding and insightful. We are just west of Mpls about 25-30 mins.
tori.gagne@gmail.com
Thanks for your comment Tori…..and yes, I’m sending you an email right now!
Lovely post! If you had not told me I would never have known you weren’t a “horsewoman”. You never seemed afraid, even when you were surrounded!
You’re sweet. You didn’t see the horror on my face as I was walking through the crowded paddock as 200 horses were trying to get at your bag and the horse cakes you had hidden!
I have loved horses ever since I was a little girl. Ten years ago my husband and I rescued our first horse, and at the time had NO clue what we were getting into. McGyver was emaciated when we brought him home, but he was still SO much bigger than I was. He tested me at every turn. I was scared to death of him back in the beginning. Expeditiously during the time I spent with him, I realized how much we thought alike. I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks from PTS since I was 18. The more I hung out with him and then the other horses we aquired (can’t have just one…lol), the more I learned about them and the more relaxed I became. They turned out to be the best therapist I had ever spent time with! There is something so powerful about a horse, and I am not talking about their own power/strength, I am talking about what they ignite within us, within our souls. They are such a big, strong animal but incredibly sensitive. They move with grace and fierceness at the same time. The have such large personalities and are so expressive… I started photographing horses a couple years after becoming a horse owner (on a professional level that is…I have a MILLION photos taken with my ‘snap and shoot’ camera from those early days, lol). I had come across a horse print in a store that blew me away and it inspired me to combine two of my favorite things, horses, and photography. I knew as much about photography back then as I did horses when I brought McGyver home, but just like with horses, I stuck with it and everyday is a learning experience.
Thanks for your comment Lesa Ann. Your horse images are beautiful. And I’m excited that you are going to be joining the online class. Can’t wait to see what where the images and beeswax will take you.
Hi Claire,
Horses. This post had me thinking. My reasons for signing up for your online course i thought had nothing to do with horses. I photograph everything but horses. I was at a block with my photography. Tempted to go back to painting but not wanting to leave behind where my photography had brought me. So the way you combine photography and wax really appealed and inspired me. The textures and opportunity to work with my hands in the studio instead of more screen time. But the interesting thing is that although I now have nothing to do with horses that hasn’t always been true. Horses and ponies were my whole life from the age of 9 to 17. I drew them incessantly. I cried until i got a pony at 9. Then I rode. Jumped, galloped, cattle work, pony club, cross country, dressage. I cant express enough how important they were to me during that stage of my life. The horse as muse. Yes maybe so true.
Denise T.
Hi Denise, looking forward to working with you and possibly seeing some of your horse images as you go.
Clare – May I include a link to this blog post in my upcoming email newsletter? I like to encourage others to explore their own creativity, and of course that includes recognizing what inspires them & what they connect to – as you have so wonderfully pointed out 🙂
Absolutely, I’m honored.
I would like to thank everyone who spoke so eloquently in these replies as well as Clare for the deep and revealing blog itself. I’ve learned from every sentence.
Clare,I know I just have a short time left before it starts but I am thinking of taking the online course because of your beautiful work and my obsession and love of encaustic medium.
Thank you!
Hi Ann, thanks for your comment….and yes, I do hope you join us in the class. It’s always a great collective of artists learning and sharing their work.