Favourite Photos...I have a couple...
I seldom tell people how many photos I have taken - they would be shocked and I used to think I shot a lot until I met someone who had a million photos in his catalog so I guess I still have a few shots to take.
Some shots stand out though. They may not be the ‘best’ but they have personal meaning and bring back some great memories.
Here are a few photos that are some of my favourites…
Sante Fe, New Mexico
This was taken at a workshop in New Mexico with Tony Stromberg.
I’ve loved horses all of my life and reluctantly moved on from being a crazy horse owner in my mid thirties. I basically stopped riding although occasionally would go to a riding stable just to get my fix of the sights (and smells) of a barn and the horses. When I retired it would be my photography that would bring me back to horses.
My personal favourite horse is a Quarter horse and I was beyond ecstatic to arrive at a ranch during one of Tony Stromberg’s New Mexico photography workshops. Tony is considered the number one horse photographer in the world so it was already amazing that I was there and then a quarter horse ranch? Yikes!
This is my favourite shot of the many that were taken. There is just something about this colt that caught my eye. Maybe it is the many shiny coats of the horses milling around him or maybe it is just the idea that it only takes a moment before it passes. Love what photography can capture!
Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada
Muskoka calls every fall. I used to live in North Bay and it seems rather ironic that after I moved to Toronto, I made more trips north to Algonquin Park that I ever did when I lived in North Bay. I lived in the beauty of Northern Ontario for so many years growing up and guess I missed that forest feeling so off to Algonquin I went.
Travelling to Muskoka is a favourite activity - love early morning shoots - well, except for the getting up part. A misty refection on a small pond.
This shot was taken on a pretty misty morning and I decided the reflection was the way to go. I love how the photo sort of makes you step back and wonder what it is. I was happy to see that this pic won an honourable mention at the Toronto Camera Club in the nature category - it was more of an abstract so I was pleased it was noticed.
Six Nations Grand Pow Wow, Ontario, Canada
I love colour and motion and I think this has to be one of my favourite photographs. I think what pleases me the most about this shot that I took a risk when shooting this.
The dancers at the Grand River Pow Wow near Hamilton, Ontario (http://www.grpowwow.ca) were breathtaking - the colour and the patterns of the native costumes were mesmerizing as they danced to the drums and chanted. Sharp photos would have shown that but I wanted something different and thought I would try motion blurs. So I sat there and made blurry photos!! I kept thinking is this a mistake and then I saw the swirls of colour on the back of my camera and got even more excited!
This print is now hanging on my wall in my new home - it captures everything about my new life in a new city - full of colour and optimism!!
Sable Island, Canada
If you live in Canada, you may be aware of a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia where there are wild horses.
I travelled with Adventure Canada to Sable Island and was fortunate enough to miss the fog and be able to go ashore on all planned excursions. Every day we found different horses.
When I was younger, I had visions of seeing these horses and as I got older, I realized that seeing them was going to be a bit more complicated than just getting in a boat and heading over! Very limited number of visits are allowed as they are monitoring the island to make sure that the horses stay wild and that visitors have minimal environmental impact.
When I went, it was with Adventure Canada and they made sure that we arrived safely in our zodiacs and that we kept our distance from the herds that we saw. Fog can be a problem and we were lucky enough to have had four days to travel back and forth from the ship each morning and afternoon and have a chance to photograph these incredible animals.
And still finding more favourites…stay tuned…