Category Archives: Photoshoot
Outtakes from the Camargue
The time has come to sort my archives. Beautiful archives full of data…terabytes and terabytes. I start with a sentimental batch. The Camargue, where fond memories of falling in love are as vivid as the hues of the southern french skies in some of these pictures. The Camargue horse is mystical and magical to watch, as I think these images show. Shooting at dawn on a late summer’s morning, mosquitoes and gnats and mud and marsh and sprightly spooky herds of horses gave me probably one of the most memorable shoots I have imprinted in my mind…
Featured – The National
Very proud to see this feature in the arts&life section of The National. We did have a wonderful adventure on the farm at Al Asayl, playing with ponies and photographing dawn til dusk. Kelly Eide was a magnificent workshop companion and I very much hope we’ll work together again. As someone who has designed my own career through instinct and passion, it is one of the many delights when you find someone with similar outlook with whom you can create something like this workshop.
We had Hugo and Ravi from The National down for the day, and we hope we showed these two unhorsed lads a good time.
TheNational arts&life feature “A horse’s perspective” – April 2013
Below are two of my (so far) favourite images I have created from the workshop. More will follow.
Workshops in the UAE
It has been an adventure out here in the UAE so far and I am really beginning to get into the swing of things, photographing a wonderful variety of always more-than-beautiful horses. Most recently I was lucky enough to share the weekend with a small group of delightful people who left their worries at home and brought their cameras and creative selves to an exceedingly tranquil setting in Abu Dhabi. Al Asayl farm – hosted by Forta Stud Arabians and Al Asayl Showjumping. I’m getting pretty snappy at spying good locations in amongst the palms, out in the desert, behind shady barn doors, and we juggled the harsh light of day with the glowing sunrise and sunset and multiple beautiful horses in between.
The workshop was a conspiracy between myself and Equus Life Coach Kelly Eide, and so not only were we studying horses through our lenses, but Kelly was arming us with a whole new set of thoughts and skills with which we should approach our work with horses. The balance was perfect, and we observed, observed, observed, as well as took the time to capture striking images that hopefully sum up the special weekend that was had by all eager photographers.
For now I will share a little behind the scenes action and later I might top up the story with a few finished photographs… if I can find the time to stop long enough to sit and process them. Tomorrow, I go off piste into the African World of Wildlife at Al Ain Zoo, and this weekend will be trackside at dawn and ogling at stallions down my lenses. Life is good and I’m so grateful to all those who are enabling all these shoots to take place. Magical.
Photographing the Ocicat
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- Cat napping.
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- Side swipe.
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- Back in the gutter.
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- Jungle kitty.
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- Ocicat spots.
This was a delightful shoot. So many spotty kitties running around my feet…I was truly spoilt for choice. The cats, belonging to Stacey of JumpNSpots Ocicats, were all sprightly and interested and exceptionally cooperative to work with. Definitely one of my favourite shoots so far, especially the shots we did in the virtual jungle. Everything was perfect…although once again I found myself rolling around in the gutter. Such is life at the moment – I thought I was getting down and dirty when I was photographing horses….but then I did dogs and had to get my knees a little muddier…and now my subject matter is even closer to the ground and so I find myself virtually licking carpet most days – but I believe all the gymnastics have been worthwhile!
I write this from Orlando International Airport, where Mickey and Minnie are waving me off from my time here in the USA…
Ha! I got you! The elusive American Wirehair comes into view.
I can’t tell you what a delight it is to say that I have now photographed the American Wirehair cat. I had not realised just how rare it is. That rare, that by the time I reach my bed tonight, I will have had a 22 hour non-stop journey to seek and find it. I had hoped it might be cover shoot material, but I’m currently downloading my pictures and I’m not particularly excited about seeing them. But you never know, sometimes I surprise myself.
Here is the exceedingly friendly kitty “Mattie” who was the primary reason for today’s whirlwind adventures from sunny Florida to grey and soggy North Carolina. 
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A cat is for life, not just for Christmas
Dear Santa…..
Hair, kitty kitty…hair kitty….
Ok so today was my first introduction to the hairless cat. The Sphynx. I was looking forward to meeting one, and finally I did. I met Jack. Jack appeared out of the folds of the duvet and was immediately all over me. Friends….he purred. Lifelong friends. His character made up for his lack of coat and I have to admit there was something rather pleasing about stroking him. Sort of grippy, not greasy, not repulsive, just warm and friendly. Even his pal Bus took a liking to me. Bus was hidden even further within the folds of their luxury bedding, and appeared with a cute tank top. I was actually quite a fan of these remarkable and striking pieces of feline architecture.
The editing process has not really begun on the shoot, but I knew when I took this shot that I wanted to see it. I knew it worked. Last pic of the day is usually a winner. Just when I’m getting my eye in and when the cats are beginning to understand…we call it a wrap. 9 times out of 10 my camera comes back out of the bag when I have packed it away, because most cats think this is the purrrrrfect time to really begin to show me what they are all about.
So, I leave you with Bus.
Singapura ‘sprung’
The springiest and most delightfullest of little breeds. I love this cat.
Welcome to America
My arrival in America has gone somewhat smoothly, although not without its challenges. The flight from London Heathrow into JFK all but empty, I bag four seats all to myself. Good food, good entertainment, some carefree creative editing, a glass of wine, a nap (horizontal, of course). I land, cruise through American Citizen channels with American passport to hand, and collect bag which awaits patiently on the carousel. I collect my hire car (third attempt after realising I had forgotten to print out the rental voucher which tells me which company I had booked with), realise out my Spanish maps are still on my TomTom and therefore proceed to navigate confidently yet somewhat naively through a ton of spaghetti junctions, ending up on freeways heading East to Long Island, West to the Bronx, and finally North to Westchester County on the VanWyck Freeway where I am supposed to be…realising at that point that my black impossible-to-see-in-the-dark Chrysler is even more well-disguised without the beams on. Oops. It’s only 10pm local time but it feels like more than the 3am it is back home.
My first day is broken in gently with a romp through the wilderness on horseback courtesy of my wonderful hostess, Nicki. We get a good gallop through post-hurricane-tree-fallen woodland, and a stomp about in the cold-but-sunny winter’s morn before I head off to meet the Savannah cat. The Savannah cat who gives me a welcome that I will never forget. We take a while to bond…or so I think. Only at the end of the shoot do we realise that the cat had marked its territory and peed not only on my scarf, but also IN my peli case…
Here is the culprit. I shall entitle this top picture “Happy Hour”.
I was looking for a cow
This is Chris and he lives in Alderney. He caught my attention the other evening whilst I was on a mission to find some cows…who had disappeared by the time I reached their field, thanks to the distractions I found in my path. Chris is a sweet natured ex racehorse, who loves to gallop and race around his field, and admire the world going by from his cliffside retreat.
I’m not sure what I’ll do with Chris. I might print him, I might save him. We’ll see. I think he needs to be big, perhaps a big canvas, with a big rustic frame? Any suggestions welcome.
