This is why I love this job! Every time I try shooting a new type of subject, I fall in love. This session was no different! I was pretty nervous about this session. Marie wanted to shoot with her horse, Nina, and she had some pretty solid ideas about what she wanted. I, on the other hand, had never shot photos with an animal (save for some snapshots of our family pooch), let alone an animal as grand and beautiful as Nina. What if I couldn't get Nina into the frame properly? What if we couldn't find good light? What if I was getting in over my head?
Well, I was worried for nothing, because Marie and Nina were amazing. They were so great together, worked so well side by side, that all I needed to do was to let them be them, and I just followed along! Marie was awesome. She had such poise with Nina, and knew just what to do to get Nina in the best light, in the exact spot, at the exact time. It was like they were extensions of each other.
But it was more than just a horse and her master. These two girls were friends. Best friends. It was so sweet to watch Nina actually tease Marie, to have Marie talk sweetly to Nina, and see Nina respond with such ease and comfort. I commented later on to Marie about this, and she told me that indeed, there was a very strong bond between them, and that Marie had once nursed Nina back from a serious injury which almost ended her career, and her life.
I admit I know nothing about horses, but anyone could have seen the bond these two shared. It was precious.
And so I shot. And I shot. And Marie led. And Nina followed. And they were fabulous. In the end, the hardest part of the job was choosing among all the gorgeous images. Here are just a few of the many:
Spending time with Marie and Nina was wonderful, and not just because of the images it produced. It seemed obvious to me that horses are Marie's passion, that she has a gift and she is living it in an awesome way. We all should be so lucky to find our passion and live it like this. Marie and Nina, thank you so much for the session. You may be getting some special images, but I'm pretty sure I got something special out of this session too!
1 comment:
I would love to share Marie's story about Nina's brush with death. In her own words...
In early April, my trainer found Nina lying in her stall unable to get up and obviously in pain. Nina had, "coliced," which is basically a major stomach ache. Along with colicing, there was a blockage in her intestines. Horses that have a blockage are not allowed to eat because that would just make the blockage bigger. Horses also can not vomit which made it even scarier because if the colic occurred because of her eating something poisonous she would need surgery immediately. The first day was the scariest after the vet told us that Nina might need to be trailered to Quakertown Veterinarian Hospital to go into surgery if the blockage didn’t pass soon. Horses generally do not respond well to anesthesia so the fear of her dying in surgery or the enormous amount of time she would need to recover after was overwhelming. Thankfully, Nina hung in there and after three days of not eating and having the vet come out multiple times to put her on an iv drip the blockage passed.
Just two weeks after her ordeal, we took Nina to the first show of the season. Fully recovered, Nina went on to win grand champion in her division. Nina has an attitude unlike any horse I have ever been around. Judges comment all the time on her remarkable personality and often times ask if she is for sale. Being only four, Nina is the youngest horse in all of her classes but has the talent and personality to blow the competition away. Currently ranked #1 in all three of the divisions she and I compete in Nina is a show horse like none other.
Post a Comment