Why We Take Pictures of Horses
“I honestly thank the horse after taking its picture, even if it is too far away to hear me. I feel connected when I wave or say something to a horse. Even more so if it walks over to check me out.”
Dave isn’t Ansel Adams – he is us. He’s drawn by the unselfconscious curiosity of the horses on his farm in Maryland. Dave captures his enchantment with his camera. His pictures expose hearts, minds, instincts, and personality of his own horses – and the random equines that may cross his camera lens.
A bit about Dave. He is an Information Security Identity Architect creating secure solutions in the healthcare industry. Whew! Right brain, right? He enlightened me, “But a lot of imagination is needed to design solutions. I loved the design part because it benefits people in need, and I get to use my creative talents.”
I asked — What motivated you to capture these specific pictures? Below each picture is the motivation behind it:
Bella and Kenilworth King at fence bathed in sunset. “The glowing sunset behind the horses gazing into the distance made me smile and for a moment all was right with the world.”
Wrotten and Bella peeking – looking “guilty.” “My surprise to see them watch me from behind the tree was quickly followed by the thought that they were guilty of something – caught being naughty?”
Bella and Wrotten at living room window. “An unexpected moment of happiness when I saw the girls and I wondered what they thought about me.”
Kenilworth King peeking into the barn. “The curiosity of horses always amuses me. Then again maybe he was just hoping it was dinner time.”
Bella at fence in the snow.“A horse peering intently at something sparks my curiosity and makes me wonder ‘what does she see.’ Often, I will stand next to them to see what the heck they are looking at.”
What motivates you to take pictures in general? “Like a dog sighting a squirrel, the moment something catches my attention, I take a photo. Sometimes my shots are planned. A sunrise/sunset, and specific locations or events. Quality cameras in phones give me the freedom to take lots of impromptu photos.”
Any special technical photo stuff? “I shoot in a format called Raw. The camera does no adjustments to the image. When you take a ‘normal’ format photo, the camera edits it to present better looking photos. It does a decent job. Raw format can seem dull or bland at first look, but allows me complete control over what the photo looks like in the end. I edit using two primary applications — Lightroom for the bulk of the edits and Photoshop when I have something special or complicated to do.”
What do you feel? “Thankful. I honestly thank the horse after taking its picture, even if it is too far away to hear me. I feel connected when I wave or say something to a horse. Even more so if it walks over to check me out. I understand it’s curiosity, but it is still a special connection for me. Even when ‘posed,’ I feel the magic of horses. When they do something mundane or act up in ‘typical horse manner,’ I feel a glimpse into their private lives.”
Horses have a certain magic for many of us. We want them about us. We are amused when we “catch them in the act” of being who they are – naturally. Dave is drawn to capture glimpses of that magic. These pauses in nature enhance his being. We get that, right?
