BEHIND WILD HORSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographing wild horses requires patience and persistence. Patience to wait...and wait, just to wait some more and see nothing happen. Persistence to come back on the next day, the next week, the next month and do the same. Shampoo, rinse, repeat on steroids.
When out in the wild, a photographer has no control over anything - the light, the subject, the weather. We are at nature's mercy. The alarm goes off as early as 3:30am. Often there is a one hour plus drive to the range just to find a very small band or a lone wild horse. Beautiful light, no horse or 200 horses under midday sun - nothing is predictable.
So I bring up the necessary element to wild horse photography - love. The heart has to be in it. The love for the horse has to be the driver and just being there has to be enough.
Watching American mustangs run free, seeing new foals and young bachelors form their first bands and witnessing the old teach the young is my motivation to go back. The need to spread the word about the issues they currently face fuels this desire even more so.
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Every moment captured in the wild is a gift not taken for granted.
My collectors always express to me how much an image means to them. It never fails - it's deep, emotional and they can relate to it on a personal level.
Somehow what I feel when capturing a moment bleeds into someone else's heart - in their own way, even though they were not there to witness it.
So I do it again. Shampoo, rinse, repeat.
With Gratitude -
Maria
An equestrian for most of her life, Maria combines her passion for horses with her art and the desire to bring public awareness to the American wild horses. Maria Marriott Photography is a proud supporter of several non-profit organizations that tirelessly work to ensure the well-being of the American mustangs.
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