Evening Shoot

Last Sunday was too beautiful an evening to pass up for a photo shoot, even though I had just arrived home from a clinic.
I made quick arrangements with a girl I had been trying to get together with, and 15 minutes later I was out the door to her farm.
Healthy, shiny horses, beautiful sunny evening, and a very nice property as a backdrop are, for me, the ingredients to a great shoot, not to mention an amiable owner who puts up with my short attention span ("shiny object syndrome" my friend Judi calls it).

Happy Mother's Day!

As I look out my window on this Mother's Day I see a beautiful spring day; blue sky, young bright green leaves cover our maple trees, and the lawns are healthy and green. Unfortunately the temperature doesn't match this day as it's only around 8c...brrrr! I will take this day as a gift though, as we were supposed to have rain and possibly thunderstorms! I am thankful for our guest from California on his last day here that at least he gets one more day of sunshine for his visit.

So enjoy this day, and to my Mom in P.E.I., Happy Mother's Day! Miss you, love you, and thanks for having me ;o)

March is still Winter Apparently

I think I have photographed more horses this winter than ever before! I know we are all looking forward to spring but as a photographer you have to make the best of the seasons. So please enjoy this photo selection of "fuzzy" horses from a recent visit to Fina Vista Paso Finos. Thanks Camilla! ;o)

"30 Days Hath September..."

Yes I still have to say that rhyme in my head to know whether this is the last day of the month or not. Where, oh where did summer go?! I don't know for sure but as always it was quickly swallowed up by September, which, btw, is my favourite month.

The bugs mostly go away, the cool nights make it heavenly to sleep with the bedroom window open. The kids go back to school and sports, and a routine is set up once more. This is all well and good but the icing on the September cake for me is the changing colour of the leaves. The brilliant reds, oranges and yellows against a vibrant blue September sky never cease to leave me wonderstruck!! Seriously....picture me, standing in my driveway, staring up towards the top of one the big maple trees in my yard, on a clear bright day, with a huge smile glued to my face....yup, that's how September is for me.

Gosh...I didn't even mention horses did I!? Ok I'll say this, I am starting to book shoots for the upcoming weeks. The official "I have to get my horse photographed with a backdrop of the beautiful fall colours" rush is on folks! Don't wait! Or the colour will be gone in the blink of an eye!

Happy Fall!

Catching Up

Spring is racing onwards and as I haven't posted in awhile I will catch you up on my photography wanderings over the past few weeks.

When the snow was still on the ground I was back at Fina Vista Paso Finos, though it was a more social visit, a pot luck with new and old friends. I must admit that the delicious food was just an appetizer, the main course for me being a walk about the farm to meet and greet with the horses and other animals. It was not a pleasant day weather wise, with mud and poop squishing up around my not quite waterproof boots...ugh! But snapping a few pictures of some of my favourite Pasos; Mercy, Finola, Mango, Pia, Querica, Zahara and Rosanna to name a few, made it all worth while.

CanAm 2008 ~ Part 2

I just wanted to share a few more photos from CanAm. Some from the breed demo:
Friesian in harness...gotta love those manes...



















Friesian under saddle:















A beautiful Gypsy Vanner in harness (note to any GV owners out there looking for photography services...call me, let's make a deal ;o) )



















A nice black Percheron in harness. That breed has such lovely movement:



















...and from the extravaganza:
"Bash" is a 19+ hh Belgian that holds the record for the tallest trick horse in the world. His rider/trainer sounded like an introverted Dolly Parton. Love that accent ;o)


































The Canadian Cowgirls are always a big hit. Some day our own North River Riders Demo Team will give them a run for their money... right girls ;o) !?

Can Am

My sister and I headed to London, Ontario on the 16th of March to attend a couple of days of the horse expo, Can Am, as we did last year.

We saw lots of old friends and made some new. I saw several people from Orillia there including Lori, Carol and Sarah as well as Carol and Todd. Also some past clients from the Meadows in Uxbridge, nice to see you all again!

Lots of the Paso Fino group were there and my photos were on display at the ECPFHA booth. The beautiful Paso Fino stallion, Cavalier QC from Ambleside was there representing this wonderful breed.

I also got a chance to meet the some of the people behind Equine Wellness Magazine and they were even giving away free copies of the latest issue with my photo of Monty on the cover (my second cover with this magazine!).

The Friday night Extravaganza was wonderful again and despite my backbreaking seat in the bleachers, I managed to take quite a few photos of it.

Well the only downside to the weekend was my back failing me, and the hellish night at the Hilton on their soft beds. Thanks to my sister for being my crutch and putting up with my whining and tears.