A Horse A Day

Burning

I love watching bonfires. They're so much more wild than, say, a fire in a fireplace. Bonfires remind me of the Pacific ocean. They both posses this sort of unbridled power. It reminds me of the feeling I get when I'm galloping on a horse.

"Paitence." I like how abstract this looks because of the proximity of the camera to the subject. I feel as if the viewer can almost feel the texture of the leather, the sheepskin, and Beaner's hair.

Is it better in color or black and white? I think that black and white gives it a different feel, but maybe the color version is more powerful, has more texture.

Dreams

I find dreaming one of the most fascinating experiences. Things that would never plausibly happen in real life are possible in dreams.

"Waterstrider."

External Harddrives

My external harddrive is a source of comfort in my life. It ensures me that if my computer does crash (which it has done twice before, along with being stolen once as well) all of my files are tucked safely away somewhere where whatever issue my computer decides to have can't corrupt them.

I haven't done any black and white images lately, so I photoedited the colors of this one to make it black and white. It's somewhat influenced by Keith Carter's work with equine subject matter (see his book, Ezekiel's Horse.)

Black And White

A friend of mine commented that he would like to see today's photo in black and white. 

This would have worked better if Thunder's blaze hadn't been as washed out in the original exposure. I also wish the lighting had been such that his eye would have been more defined by contrast.

Portraiture

Portraiture is one of the things I love most. Trying to freeze the essence of someone in a photograph is a challenging endeavor. 

I think these photos accurately display each horse's respective personality. Taken during a break in a jumping lesson, the first photograph, of Amber, displays her quiet anticipation. The second photography, of Spotless, displays her ability to sleep through a lesson. The third photo, of Jessie, is attentive and relaxed. The lighting of both of these photos is perfect - natural and overcast.

Memories Of Summer

This cold weather is making me nostalgic for sunburns. One of my favorite sunburn memories is from a horse show in August, where I went out without sunblock on for an afternoon coursewalk, and looked like a lobster on all skin that had remained exposed that day.

These are a couple of photos that I took of my friends Aly and Mallory with their horses Bailey and Sicily at a horse show a couple summers ago. I love watching (and photographing) people with their horses, especially when they think no one is looking.

Old Barns

When I think about where I'll be in fifteen years, I hope that I'll be walking down a clean barn aisle in a light, airy barn with padded stalls and a heated tack room and office. But in reality, the cost of a new and state-of-the-are facility is not something I will be able to achieve that quickly.

However, weathered wood photographs really well.

Manual Labor

There is a part of me that misses working in the darkroom. There is something inherently satisfying about watching your own film become a photo on paper in the chemicals in the red semi-darkness.

Again, both of these photos are photos of the black and white originals (one of the curses of living in a dorm; no scanner.) The first photo is interesting, because the sunlight casts shadows of Thunder's forelock on his face. I don't particularly enjoy the effect, but I still love the softness of his expression. I like the angle in the second photo, because it takes a moment for the viewer to figure out what's going on. The mood is very playful, and reminds me very much of him.

Midnight Sun

I managed to waste most of my day reading the partial copy of Stephenie Meyer's newest book, Midnight Sun. It is the story of Twilight, but from Edward's perspective. I was captivated.

"Ash's Eye." The quality is poor because this is a photo of a photo. This is from my junior year photography class and was entered in a art competition called "Zone of Focus."

Giving Birth

I'd just like to thank my mother for giving birth to me. Today in my development class we watched a video of labor and birth. I am very thankful for what my mother went through so that I can be here.

I like both of these photos for their focus on the eyes, and their short depth of focus.