By Bonnie Swenson
They graze and pay me no mind. I move among them, and capture their
straightforward beauty and power with my camera. This is what I love to
do; frame a moment with light and color and capture it for eternity on a
glossy page.
I first became interested in photography when I was 15. My main
interest at the time was Black and White Photography, and some how I
believe it will always hold a special place in my portfolio. I entered my
high school photography program and three years later, became
President of the Photo Club. I minored in Photography in college, and
made sure that through every quarter, every year, I was in a photo class
that gave me access to the darkroom.
In 1994 I met a vibrant family that owned Icelandic Horses, and a small
horse business called Alfasaga Farms. In 1996 Karen Brotzman
(owner of Alfasaga Farms) asked me to photograph many of her horses
for documentation. This was my first introduction to the beauty of the
Icelandic Horse, and I was hooked. I couldn’t help but apply an artistic
eye to the “documentation” photography I was asked to do, and the
result caught the eye of some people hired to produce advertising for
Alfasaga, and everything snowballed from there.
I’ve always thought that photography is an art that relies on timing. Not
just the timing of your shutter, but being in the right place at the right
time. If this means waiting all day for the right moment, so be it, but it’s
still that “right place at the right time” component that makes it work.
Opportunities present themselves, and it’s up to me as a photographer
to capture them. Certainly the right equiptment, film, lighting,
composition and artistic skill lend a hand, but the photo would absolutely
not come into being if the moment had not presented itself in the first
place. Sunsets happen every night, and they’re beautiful, but if you do
not caputre them with film, they’re gone forever.
Timing is a major aspect of any field photography, and that holds true
with horses as well. That one 5-second moment when a horse lifts its
head from grazing to determine if you are friend or foe, is the moment
that must be captured on film. In that moment the horse is alert, usually
standing square with its head up and ears forward. Once the horse has
determined that you are boring, it returns to grazing and it becomes
difficult to regain its interest. I will often take several photos of a horse
before the perfect moment, when the horse turns in a favorable way, or
the light hits it just right. I never consider this a waste of film, as this first
shot may be the best I get all day, and end up a surprisingly brilliant
photo.
In my experience, the best photos I’ve taken of horses are on sunny
days, out in the field where horses are themselves. In my daily work, I
find myself roaming 640 acres of rolling hills with natural grass and
alfalfa, multiple ponds, small forests, and clusters of wild birds nesting in
the underbrush. This horse haven allows the horses to relax, be
themselves, and enjoy a natural herd mentality. Moving among them
has taught me their natural reactions to gestures, noises, and people. I
try to be unobtrusive and keep a low profile within the herd. Usually this
is not a problem, as I’ve realized that most of the horses find me less
exciting than grazing.
Horses are honest and curious creatures. Working with them gives me
a great feeling of emotional reward, as the work is not tedious, difficult
or frustrating. I’ve learned to be lighthearted and easygoing with them,
and they reflect that feeling back to me. Horses don’t argue with you,
they show you how they feel; they want to trust you and they’re curious
to inspect you. Too many times I find myself wishing that the horses
knew the word, “stay.” I sometimes think that they view me as a giant
salt lick.
Foals are by far the most playful and beautiful horses to photograph.
They lend themselves to artistic interpretation so easily, and their lack
of fear and inhibitions make for the most honest and shockingly
refreshing photos. I love catching a baby scratching its nose with its
rear hoof for the first time, or snoozing in the dirt beneath its mother’s
legs. These are the most rewarding photos, and they strike a cord with
every horse owner.
The bonds formed between horses are strong and sometimes subtle. A
photographer can take advantage of these bonds, and capture some
incredible moments between horses. Communication between horses
begins the first day of life. Two foals released from being weaned in the
barn on the same day are found grazing together even four months
later, still the best of friends. I often find one horse babysitting for
another and the bond between the two lasts for years. They take on
mothering responsibilities for foals which are not their own, and learn to
protect, respect, and enjoy their young.
The foals I’ve photographed over the years have provided me with my
best loved and most popular prints. Following horses with my camera
as they grow has been a rewarding experience far greater than I ever
anticipated.
Here are a few tips I have to offer to people who want to take photos of
their horses for documentation, advertisement, or artistic interest (some
may seem like common sense, but just keep them in mind next time you’
re pointing a camera at a noble steed).
1) Look at your background. Try to clear the background of distractions
like fences, buildings and other horses. We want to focus on the horse,
and only the horse. Try to place them in a natural setting; beautiful but
not distracting.
2) For documentation, stand perpendicular to the horse. For instance,
if the horse is facing south, you should be standing east of the horse,
looking west. This angle will better display the horse’s conformation.
3) Get the horse’s attention (clap, kiss, or use a friend to get their
attention while you focus). Try to have them alert to you, with their ears
forward and their head up. If you decide to use a halter, make sure it is
clean, and that the lead rope matches the halter in color, and has lots of
slack, you don’t want it to look like you’re forcing the horse to do
something it doesn’t want to do.
4) Use the wind. The wind is a favorite artistic tool of mine. It can catch
a mane and tail and make any horse into a model. Icelandics have such
great hair; it’s really a shame not to use it as a focal point. Try to face
the horse into the wind so it catches the mane and pulls it away from the
face. But really, with wind, you can hardly ever go wrong.
5) Put the sun behind you. Photos taken into the sun often have lens
flares (spots), or turn out looking like a sillouette. If you want to be
artistic, allow the sun to hit the horse at a 35 to 85 degree angle. Too
dramatic of lighting can leave half the horse completely in shaddow. My
advice would be to play with your photo skills and take photos from
many angles so you can see what you like.
(From an article in The Icelandic Horse Quarterly Issue 2, 2003)
