Inspiration

After the holidays and during the dank, rainy winter months I often fall into a slump. it usually takes something spectacular to get me moving again. Today I went in search of that something to awaken my creative inner being. I had an early morning appointment and a full afternoon, so the early afternoon was the perfect time to do so. It didn’t take me long to find the image that intrigued me. The expression and mood was already there, I just needed to showcase it. This is the result of my exploration.

Moment of Discovery

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Dogs and Cats

For those of you who live in mixed households, you know what a challenge a litter box can be. Dogs just LOVE litter box treats. When my daughter moved back home with her little Lucky, the 3 legged cat, I had four dogs sharing my living space, cats lived in the barn. We had to find a place to put Lucky’s litter box that the dogs couldn’t get to. My solution was to put a chain on the small bathroom door that is in the laundry room. That worked great for awhile… Lucky was a very small cat and the dogs couldn’t squeeze through the small opening. Then Lucky died unexpectedly and we were all very upset. Earlier that year  I had agreed to adopt a cat from a no kill shelter if a Manx came in. It was fate that one came in at that time! I brought home a full grown male tuxedo that we named Pancho. He was a big boy.

It didn’t take long to figure out the door chain had to be adjusted to accommodate his size. Then it didn’t take long for the dogs to figure out they could squeeze into the door and raid the cat food and the litter box. It was back to square one. I tried several solutions to no avail. It wouldn’t take the dogs long to find a way into what was being called the cat room by now. I thought of a pet door, but if it was large enough for Pancho, it was also large enough for the cocker spaniels. Over the holiday I bought a baby gate. It sort of worked but again it didn’t take the dogs long to learn that they could push on it till they knocked it down.  I found a couple of L brackets in the garage that would fit in the doorway with the gate and alas I think I finally have a solution. It’s the combination of the gate, L brackets, and chain!  The chain keeps the door from opening very much, the gate blocks direct access, and the brackets keep the gate in place. The dogs are very inventive, so we’ll see how long this last, but for now peace reigns in the cat room.

 

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Horses of Portugal

We finally cooled down from the summer swealter. It was a very hot July and August. Once it cooled down a tad, life got busy. There was Art in the Barn (which I’ll tell you more about later), horse shows, and farm shoots, so I haven’t had a chance to share more of my experiences in Portugal with you. However my Horses of Portugal calendar is now available to purchase. It would make a great gift for the horse lovers in your life. The photos were shot during the Lusitanos On Focus workshop last spring. It was so hard to decide which images to include in the calender. I felt I could make a dozen of them, there were so many beautiful horses and models.  The slideshow below gives a preview of the images included in the calendar. Horses of Portugal 2012 is available here.

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Aztec Ruins

I have long been fascinated by the ancient cultures of the Southwest, so I was thrilled to have the chance to visit the Aztec Ruins National Monument. I immediately felt this was a very special place. What a fascinating architecture.  Three foot thick walls and tightly woven ceilings, over 900 years old. What is left is  only the bottom floor of what had been 3 or 4 stories high… well it was amazing. The Great Kiva had been restored in the 1930′s, the park service no longer does restoration, but preservation only, so I was glad to be able to see both. It gave me a deeper appreciation of the knowledge of these people. If you’d like to know more about this sacred place visit the park website. http://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm

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Fall Adventures

This is a very busy month for me. Besides the usual get the place ready for winter,  It’s also the time for those last of the year farm shoots and shows. I am on a show/ travel  adventure now. I was second shooter for Cristy Cumberworth at the High Prairie Horse Trials in Parker Colorado last weekend. They ordered PERFECT weather for this event! The highs in the low 80′s the low’s in the 50′s… no rain, no ice, just gorgeous blue skies and fall color. It was just a beautiful place to shoot. After the event we continued down to her home in northern New Mexico stopping along the way to have a busman’s errr photographers holiday? At any rate the fall color was peeking in the mountains and there was so much beautiful scenery I was in sensory overload. Hopefully the weather will continue to hold out for us to see some Indian ruins and the mass accession at the Balloon Fiesta tomorrow morning before I fly out.

Here are a few of the fun things I photographed so far.

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Land of the Lusitano

This past May I traveled to Portugal to attend a workshop headed by world renowned equine photographer and journalist, Paula da Silva with the aide of Luisa Lima, Rita Fernandez and Joao Salbany. There were amateur and professional photographers from 9 countries. We were there to photograph and study Portugal’s Lusitano breed.

It was a jam-packed schedule. Over 4 days we photographed the Lusitano in many situations and uses. I’ve always admired the breed, but have a deeper understanding of their tractable personalities and versatility. There were quadrilles at the military facility CMEFD, levades and caprioles performed by the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in the Palace Gardens of Queluz, mares and foals on the beach, carriages and combined driving at Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima, a herd raised in a natural setting on the island, vaulting in the gardens of Sintra, falcons with horses at the castle in Obidos, a centuries old chapel dedicated to the blessing of the horses atop a mountain, bloodless bullfighting, flamenco dancers, a cobra de éguas presentation, campinos at Coudelaria Vinhas.

We were presented with unique opportunities at many facilities, treated to gracious meals, wine and entertainment as well. I will share my experiences through my lens with you through each days activities in the weeks to come. So stay tuned for more.

A sampling of things to come

Spring

Spring is here and things are busy. I traveled to Florida to shoot the Palm Beach Derby, the World Dressage Masters, and then the Challenge of the Americas. I worked hard, but had fun too. The weather was typical Florida, windy, sunny and did I mention windy? The wind was blowing so hard my big lens was like a sail, catching the wind and pulling the camera focus off the horse. But at least it wasn’t a COLD with  SNOW or ICE!

At home, the local show spring show season got under way. I was happy to see friends, see the changes in both horses and riders as their hard work was coming together, polishing their rides and moving up the levels.

Mary Alice Edwards and Fortoula

The new foals are starting to fill the stalls with their soft as silk muzzles and lanky legs. I love foals! I miss that part of breeding, the anticipation of waiting for the new foals, nights spent on foal watch and those first nickers. Good luck to all my friends who are waiting for their foals to arrive.

The other rite of spring is also under way, baseball season! The kiddos have started the weekly games and tournaments. Watching those games can be stressful!  How many errors can 8 year olds make??? A LOT, but when they get it right, it’s so much more fun.

Hoping for a homerun.

Steffen Peters wins Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix

Steffen Peters and Ravel winning the Grand Prix at the World Dressage Masters, Palm Beach, Florida 2011

WOW! Steffen and Ravel do it again! What a beautiful ride! It was smooth as silk! The pair just get better and better..what a treat to photograph them. Not only did Steffen and Ravel come in first with a score of 89.872 percent Tina Konyot on Calecto V were second with a score of 72.213 percent, giving the U.S. the top two spots. Tinne Vilhemson-Silfve on Favourit are in third with a score of 71.340.

Inspiration

The excitement of the Holidays is over, the gifts opened, the decorations put away and now the winter blah’s set in. This year we are having a “real” winter, meaning it’s actually below freezing many nights and windy gray days. I was invited to join a group of photographers who have challenged themselves to take a photo every day in 2011. I made the challenge a fun thing for myself, giving myself “permission” to just take a fun photograph of whatever I see around me. No agenda other than to have fun with it. I have to say it’s been inspiring so far to see what everyone is posting. It gives me something to look forward to perusing over my coffee in the morning and a little nudge to get out of my box and try something “different”

Ho Ho Ho… Merry Christmas!

It’s that time of year again…. the lights are on the tree, the streets are full of red and green decorations. It’s so festive and brings back childhood memories. I remember making paper chains and stringing popcorn to put on our tree. We had those bubble lights that fascinated me, and shiny glass ornaments and lots of icicles… it was the prettiest tree in the whole world. It was also the hugest thing I’d ever seen…always, of course we lived in an ordinary house with 8 foot ceilings, so it was probably no larger than 6.5 feet. My mother believed in the 12 days of Christmas, and we followed that as close as she could manage. We’d have a blast decorating the tree, singing Christmas carols and drinking.. hot chocolate for us.. something stronger for the adults (wink). My Dad in his very best Dean Martin crooner voice, singing White Christmas.

I remember very little of the gifts I received, but I have a trove of wonderful memories of the people and rituals of Christmas.

So slow down, take the time to decorate that tree with loved ones. Sing a Christmas carol, have a cup of good cheer and spread the greatest gift of all… love.