Adventures of a Shuttermonkee ~ Mary Cornelius

With a little imagination

2012-01-19T12:47:00.000-08:00

Quite often when I send a client to their private gallery of proofs from a photo session, there are many images in the crowd that just don't get "seen". Sometimes a gallery of proofs can be over whelming in spite of my efforts to cull and edit down to just the "most interesting" possibilities. If I am not sure what the client's individual taste might be, I am apt to give them more choices which sometimes can lead to more effort having to be put forth to make choices. I would hate to edit out an image that might possibly be the one that captures the horse in just the way that the client was hoping to see them.

The second image is one that the client chose. The first image is an image that appealed to myself so I will call it Photographer's Choice. I liked the bearing of the horse, rather proud, lending some expression to the moment. The light was "okay" but needed to be developed. The background was the typical pasture fencing that we like to avoid. Sometimes the right moment and angle happens at the worst background opportunities. I try not to let those backgrounds bother me, I just call upon my digital art skills. With a painterly quality to the finished images, they look great on a lustre finish photographic paper or as a mounted canvas.

This week I have been working on producing finished images from this photo shoot. These images were shot October 2009 when this horse was a spry 28 years old. His name is Echo, currently, he is still going strong in his 30th year. He is much beloved of his person Tracey Erway. Isn't he beautiful!

Catching up

2011-12-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

So it's December already! I have had some requests for gift certificates, so I have come up with one which can be ordered directly through me. Contact me directly for options and details!

Facebook tends to command more of my communication time to the neglect of my blog. As usual, I have been really busy and that lends itself to short soundbites ala Facebook style versus any thoughtful writing with paragraphs and cohesive thoughts. That said, I still feel some compulsion to make a blog entry before 2011 exits and morphs into 2012.
Where to start.
Elder Horse Project Presentation
In November I gave a presentation of my Elder Horse project at the Oregon Dressage Society Fall Festival. I gave a brief talk and presented a slide show. As many came up to tell me later, there was not a dry eye in the house. That is the nature of the project. Much emotion for our oldsters. While I was traveling and photographing well over 30 horses at the age of 25 or over, I was swept up in schedules and directions to various farms and stables, meeting the horses, listening to the ones that would talk to me, playing with angles and light and getting a feel for who they might be, all very much in the production mode and for the most part, an emotional detachment from the big picture. Then....when it was time to start to put a slideshow together, it started to hit me. I found it very difficult to stay focused, as the images of each horse started to make their emotional impact upon me. It was very hard to put the right music to the slideshow. It wasn't until I was right up against the deadline that I was able to push through it and assemble the chosen images for the 15 minute slideshow. Due to the nature of the project, several elders have passed on since I photographed them.

Most recently we lost one of the horses in the Elder Horse Project, Rawly, Shawnea Hardesty's beautiful elder Morgan horse who gave me a dream photo shoot last year. Whatever he did, it was picture worthy, as if he was a professional model. Posing here, posing there, giving a beautiful trot and canter across the field as well as some artistic poses against the setting sun. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting him and his person.

Good journeys to you Rawly. I feel sad and sad for Shawnea's loss, but so glad to have met you.

NWSHBA Program Cover Contest
I don't usually allow my images to be entered in photo contests by others. The contest rules and conditions are not usually compatible with my copyrights and it is an odd concept for someone else to win a prize off of someone else's work, but when Gayle Atkins asked to submit one of my images of her weanling colt Born on the Bayou in contention for the cover of the NW Sporthorse Breeders Association Breeders Classic program, I reviewed the contest conditions and gave my approval. The photo was taken indoors at the 2011 Oregon Dressage Society's Breeders Showcase. There was no pretty background or lovely light to make this image special, I was sure that there would be many others in contention photographed in far better conditions, so I did a little enhancement by applying a texture for the background and gave it a whirl and...we won!

Exhibit in Portugal
I have a photograph that is part of a traveling show in Portugal. The exhibit just finished up at the famous Golega Horse Fair and will next be seen at the world famous Casa Estudio Relvas.
It is part of a collection of images photographed by our group from Lusitanos On Focus when we attended a workshop in Portugal in the spring of 2011. Many many thanks go to Rita Fernandes and Jorge Magalhaes for all of their work in getting this exhibit to be seen by the public.

My image is titled Luso Landscape. We had generously been invited for lunch by a group of Lusitano breeders. The location was a very old church in a rural setting. On one side of the property outside of the church was a group of 2 mares with foals grazing on the hillside. As I finished my lunch, I walked around the corner and there they were, all arranged just for me! So I took a few shots and very quickly the composition dissolved as the horses wandered off. The image was printed by Canonfoto in Portugal in black and white. I have also printed this image in color on metallic paper for a brilliant effect with a rich depth and dimension. This image is offered for sale, as are most of my images. I can offer the image in color as shown above, or in black and white. I also had a photo spread of a collection of images from Portugal in the August issue of the COTH Chronicle Connection an online branch of the print magazine. The article is titled through the Lens: The Land of the Lusitano.

I've more to write, but this is enough for now. Stay warm!

Art Can Be Fleeting

2011-08-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

I am home this week catching up on orders from the events and private sessions I have been photographing.
I had to share this image, taken at the ISR/OLD Inspection last week. Sepia toned, but not changed in photoshop. Nice of him to put some art on the wall, however fleeting.

Back to processing and delivering photo orders....

The Photolicious Days of Summer

2011-08-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

It's my busiest time of year when everything happens at rapid succession with the demands of the job coming in all at once. Can't complain, its good to be busy and I do love my job!
The huge Dressage at DevonWood show has been uploaded to my gallery site. What a job it was! Some of my images appeared in the Chronicle of the Horse in an article on the show. Look for a pictorial spread in the next issue of Flying Changes. I am preparing those images for publication now.
The following weekend after DevonWood I was up in the greater Seattle area photographing a series of private photo sessions at various barns. What fun that was, especially with people who were so great at getting in the spirit of the fun side of photo shoots.
After wading through several magazine deadlines, I am now ready to look towards the August events. The ODS Breeders Showcase weekend is coming right up. The following weekend is the ISR/OLD inspection at DevonWood.

Above is an image I took up at River Run Ranch in Carnation, WA. Lynn McGrew's Thunder. What a beautiful subject he is. I just had to play with it a bit.

For my first day of photo sessions, I had arrived at 6:15 AM to catch some of that beautiful early morning light. The whole weekend was predicted to be sunny so I sacrificed part of a full night's sleep and woke up before it was barely light out. As I drove, I caught sight of the valley all draped in fog. suddenly I would have liked that 2 hrs of sleep back. Plan B! I was able to photograph a lovely gray elder horse in the fog (Julie Bennett's Gitano).
Then we waited 2 hours until the fog lifted and started the scheduled photo sessions. By then the sun was up in the sky giving us just the very intense light that I had hoped to avoid. Time to get creative. Luckily there were various forested areas to play in including a wonderful old tree lined drive at the entrance to the property. The Friesian below is Deb Hauck's Layla. Because Layla is black, I ventured back out into the light to photograph her. The backgrounds couldn't have been any better so Layla was framed by a beautiful natural backdrop.

I have images of several more horses and their people but perhaps next blog entry. I really need to get back to my deadline work. Happy "lazy" summer days to ya.

Oh and in case you missed it, I have a pictorial feature photo spread published in COTH The Chronicle Connection Through the Lens: The Land of the Lusitano utilizing several of my images from Portugal.

Dressage at DevonWood

2011-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

What is it about Dressage at DevonWood that makes it so much fun? Party. BIG party. Dressage. LOTS of dressage and beautiful horses. Riders and horses come from far and wide, locally, regionally and internationally, to compete. Vendor row is just one big shopping adventure as the vendors have come from far and wide as well. A world class facility set in a rolling green landscape with 4 competition arenas and 4 warm up arenas, all surrounded by Oregon evergreens and if we're lucky, on a clear day, a snow capped Mt Hood graces the background.

There is a special atmosphere, good sized crowds gather for dressage in the Pacific NW, in fact D@DW is the largest dressage competition of its type in the region. The Rattner family and their dedicated staff each make it their personal mission to create an event that will go smoothly and that everyone will enjoy. They put their heart into it and their personal touches are everywhere. Having been privy to a bit of the behind the scenes organization, I can assure you that it takes countless hours of work and dedication starting months in advance to put this all together.
It could not happen without volunteers. Because I value the volunteers so much, I have donated a framed print for a drawing for one of the winning volunteers. I would like to see more people donate to the volunteers. They deserve a little special attention.

As the official photographer of this event, I work long exhausting hours each day but at the same time, I enjoy every minute of it and I am invigorated by the atmosphere. From the beginning of each day when riders are warming up, horses rim lit with the early morning light, on through the day to the setting sun through the trees in the evening, casting long shadows and warm fading light, the entire scene is full of images swirling all around me, I'm like a kid in a candy store.


Early morning warm up at DevonWood	.

With 4 competition rings to cover, each year I bring in a qualified guest photographer to help me photograph this show. This year my friend Terri Miller will assist me in covering this event. Terri should need no introduction, but if you are not familiar with her work, I can assure you that she knows a thing or two about photographing dressage. Also, my friend Stacie Burgess will be handling the office details, signing up horses to be photographed, answering your questions and managing the downloading of thousands of images into their proper places. When I start to think about stressing about how big this show is, I just remind myself that I have two very capable awesome people helping me and for that I am most grateful.

Photographic services for test rides are by sign up.
You can sign up at our table in the show office starting on Thursday prior to the show, or sign up early online by clicking on this link. We also photograph awards, candids and make a special effort to capture the general flavor of the event. Sign up is not necessary for awards or candid shots.

I am completing my preparations and starting to pack the car to set up my operations in the show office. Its just about SHOW TIME.

Lipizzans and Lusitanos How Much Fun Can a Girl Take

2011-06-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

White Horses, Dramatic Lighting. I am so there. Wearing my editorial photographer's hat, I attended the "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallion show that came to Portland on Saturday June 11th. The show was held at the Rose Garden in the midst of Portland's annual Rose Festival festivities.
These three images are just a sneak peek, the rest of the photos are under wraps until the August issue of Flying Changes magazine which will feature an article and more photos.

Portugal Travels I was so busy that I neglected to post anything about my trip to Portugal and it's not that it wasn't fabulous, it was, perhaps too fabulous which took a long time to digest what all had happened to me and how I felt about it, not to mention the thousands of images to go through will be an ongoing process. In a nutshell, I really enjoyed Portugal and would love to go back. It is just that kind of country. As a small point, I didn't so much care for driving as the otherwise peaceful and kind people get very impatient once behind the wheel of their cars. The motorways and roads and frequent roundabouts with a variety of choices always seemed to come so fast and our GPS was very slow on the pace. In fact, the GPS was fired. Don't let that deter you from driving on your own visit, we had a full schedule and were relying on GPS co-ordinates instead of old fashioned American directions. The architecture is fabulous, from a lowly little garden house to a grand castle each had its own charm. Staircases, walls, trees, gardens, typical homes all so full of antiquity and beautiful design. The exterior siding of some homes was all tile with the vast majority being red roof with white stucco siding, very beautiful to see a whole town that way. So many castelos and palacios that I now know where Disney land got their inspiration for their famous fairytale castle look. Not built on fantasy, but someplace very real. Adding to the scenery were orange, lemon, olive, cork and eucalyptus trees growing amidst the rolling green hills of springtime.

Imagine being able to photograph a horse and rider performing levade, piaffe and passage in the gardens of a historic palace with, of course, the palace in the background. Some may not believe that my images are not photoshopped. There is no need, it was all there in front of my lens.
Photographing Lusitano Stallions, Mares and foals in typical Portuguese landscapes. Bull fighting horses at liberty (migosh they are athletic in that uphill proud, expressive kinda way) and under saddle. Being ridden by (and in) a lagoon, and by the sea. The list goes on and on.

I traveled over the course of 10 days to Portugal, in April/May, traveling with a group of horse photographers,amateurs and professionals from 11 different countries, all of us attending a workshop called Lusitanos on Focus with international equine photographer Paula da Silva. I stayed in historic castles, toured and photographed several breeding farms and classical training facilities, arrived by boat to an island where young Lusitano, Arabian and very rare Sorraia colts all run free to mature in a herd situation. Everywhere we went, we were treated to a long table set with wine, olives and good eats for our daily lunches. The best food by far was that offered by the farms vs the hotels. I came home with several gifts, tokens of kindness and generosity of the people we met. One evening was spent at the historic farm of Nuno Oliviera. We watched a couple of horses being ridden and then were treated to a fine dinner, some rather potent wine and a special treat of live Fado music. It all made for a memorable evening. I just wish I wasn't so tired at the time. Jet lag and a blistering schedule were catching up with me or I would have enjoyed doing some night photography at the farm and begging for just one more song.
Some of our access to incredible photographic opportunities were by government permit only, which took several months for the workshop givers to process. So they were a rare opportunity for some wonderful experiences and imagery.

One such visit was to a Portuguese army base at Mafra where we were able to photograph them working their Lusitano horses under saddle and in long reins. The horses are used in exhibitions. With the current economic crisis in Portugal, the future of the Lusitanos in the Army is in question. it would be a shame to lose them, they are a living historical treasure.

I continue to work with several of my images and will be offering them as fine art prints once I get my collection together. Inquiries are welcome.

I have made a couple of slideshows of 3 of the places I visited while in Portugal.
Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, The National Palace, Queluz
A morning at Quinta da Lagoalva Farm in Portugal

Some of the images from the workshop participants will appear in a Canon Colorfoto Exhibition in Portugal. Exhibiting elsewhere in Europe, South America and the USA is also in the works.

Editorial Work - Wild Turkey Farm Article

2011-04-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

When Lauren Baker and I first started planning our article on Wild Turkey Farm, a major new breeding and training facility out side of Portland, Oregon I envisioned shiny horses grazing on green spring grass and the beautifully designed barns nestled so appealingly into the landscape all bathed in sunlight and awash in spring renewal. I had been planning interior barn shots, with warm light streaming in through the windows high up near the cathedral ceilings. Blue sky, puffy clouds, great expansive wide angle shots.... oh yes, I had it all planned out in my head. Instead, we arrived at the farm during one of February's most blustery, wet and gray days where the wind whispered the chill of potential snow.
This turn of events called for plan B. Faster lenses, and very little time spent outside. Entering the main training barn gave me a quick adjustment of my mindset. I decided that I would have plenty to photograph inside, as the interiors of the barns are beautiful and worthy of a visit from Architectural Digest. With so much to see, I was kept on the move to keep up with "the tour". No time for a well studied setup of camera on tripod, which would have been my fussy preference for maximum quality in low light. It was shoot and go editorial style. Perhaps you have driven past the farm on Wilsonville Road and wondered just what goes on behind those gates, you can Read the article here.

A Little Tweak of the Landscape

2011-04-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

A new fisheye lens found its way into my camera bag this past week. Now I can bend and distort to my heart's content. I'll let the photographs speak for themselves but hopefully you can see how much fun this lens is. I took these images around my neighborhood. Dottie my trusty Staffordshire Bull Terriorist accompanied me for the night shots. The "Gentle Leader" on her nose is necessary for holding a camera steady while a pup might have other ideas.
My upcoming trip to Portugal with its wonderful array of architecture was the impetus behind finally following through with this latest and long coveted lens addition.

Sharing inspirations with a pony and a painter

2011-03-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

I don't make it general practice to allow artists to paint from my photographs, but when one of my favorite artists Kimry Jelen asked, I couldn't say no. She did a great job, don't you think? Congratulations to Sheryl Rudolph, CEO and founder of FITS on this addition to your home.

I'm happy to have been part of the inspiration for this lovely work capturing Sheryl's equine partner Monty. The original image that inspired Kimry was photographed during a dressage test at Devonwood in the indoor arena. The photograph had captivated Sheryl so it was no surprise that she is thrilled with having an inspired larger than life version of Monty in the form of a beautiful painting.
photo courtesy of Sheryl Rudolph.

Studio Sessions Can Be Fun

2011-02-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

This winter I started working on some indoor lighting portraiture for horses. A long delayed exploration but my curiosity got the better of me and I started collecting lights, determined to overcome my hangups about it all and just do it. I have been curious about how I would interpret horses under fixed lighting. I have always been a natural light photographer. Horses should be bathed in sunlight I always say.
I like to move around and play with the light from the sun from different angles. It's kind of a dance and I am most comfortable doing that dance.
Studio style lighting was a different ballgame. As I got into the experimental sessions, I started to enjoy a different kind of creativity and challenge. I dropped my silly fear of light meters and settings and precise measurements and all manner of assumed advanced mathematical calculations which never seem to come up anyway.   If any of you studio photographers weren't laughing before, surely you are now.

Just like when my dad made me first learn to drive on a standard transmission before I got to drive the automatic, I made myself first try out the lighting thing with a bay and a black horse. I didn't allow myself the "easy" white horse that you see here until a few sessions later.   They each require a bit of a different set up, more intense lighting for the dark horses, softer and more subtle for the white horse.

Rain and gray overcast conditions are a way of life in the Oregon-Washington I-5 corridor, and many photo sessions, even in summer, end up being postponed so often due to weather. My farm call scheduling can often be a lesson in frustration. The studio lighting is one more trick in my arsenal to bring out when the shoot has to happen and the weather is not cooperating.

Stacie Burgess' beautiful Andalusian mare Nadia E is the subject of this, my latest works in studio style equine photography .
Stacie and I had a lot of fun turning the hay room where she boards Nadia into an impromptu photo studio.   Nadia was such a good sport about it all, we were able to do some dress up with her as well. As you can see, she looks great in red!

A bit more fine art style, below is a little tribal fetish style feather & gem jewelry which Nadia wore with panache. Many more images from this session just need more time to go over them!

Winter is for Recharging

2010-12-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Best Wishes for a warm and enjoyable holiday season! I am home for awhile, eager to settle in a bit for winter and catch up with some personal projects as well as home life, aka all that "I'll do it later" deep house cleaning and re-organizing, as 2010 was my busiest year yet in photography and travels. I truly love my work, but it is great to have some time off and chillax as they say. It recharges the creative juices and affords the opportunity to do some study and experimentation to improve my photography and image post processing skills. That said, I am already looking forward to what 2011 will bring. A trip to Portugal is in the works for Spring, I have most of the usual competitive events that I photograph and have some farm calls on the schedule for spring and summer.

My Elder Horse Project had a terrific response and really kept me busy scheduling photo shoots on top of my usual work. I will be continuing work on the project in 2011. It will be a 2 year project as I continue to collect the images and stories on those wonderful elder horses.

A little update on my latest published work. On the cover of the January 2011 Practical Horseman is my image of Navigator, the German Riding Pony, imported by Marla Eden of Narnia Farms. I photographed "Nick" with a bit of outside overcast light on the right, and some lighting I had brought set up and also hand held on the left. It made for a nice warm glow, lighting up his handsome pony face on an otherwise gray day. He looks just a bit concerned about the idea of being cloned don't you think. The image is the lead in for a very interesting article on where we are with cloning and competition. If you don't subscribe to PH, look for it at your local tack shop. You can't miss it with Nick's cheery face on the cover.

Next is a sneak preview of the 2011 FITS Autumn Catalog....cover! I can't show you what is inside until the Fall line is made public, but there is some really attractive and functional riding wear that I think will be a big hit. Shown below, on the cover is my photograph of 2 FITS sponsored horses and riders taken during their honor round. These aren't just any horses, they are Welsh Cobs, the well known stallion North Forks Brenin Cardi, ridden by Jessica Wisdom, and Toandos Mountain Man ridden by Bernadine Diers. They beat out the big boys for the right to wear the championship sashes at the Dressage at Devonwood July show this past year. Go Pony Power!

Art for the Holidays

2010-12-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

The December 2010 issue of Flying Changes magazine is on its way to subscribers and features one of my latest artworks on the cover entitled Danza de la Luz.
I also once again am privileged to have been included in their annual Equine Artists "Inspired Gifts" article.

This image is just one of several recent works that I have made available for purchase on mugs, cards and prints at my gallery website. Check them out for holiday gift giving or if you just want to treat yourself. I have revamped my gifts section and added several new image offerings with a mind to gift giving. Special requests are also available. If there is something you have been hoping to find, drop me a line, I might have it in my archives consisting of 10's of thousands of images. Orders can be accepted until December 14th to arrive in time for Christmas.

I also have this cover image available printed on aluminum metal plate, with a float mount for hanging. Really pretty! Contact me directly if you would like to purchase this artwork on metal. I have one in my possession that can be sent right out.

Editorial Work My photos of some of our Pacific Northwest horses and riders appeared in the December issue of Practical Horseman. They illustrated the article "Time for a Change" discussing the new USEF dressage tests. Those with sharp eyes will be able to see my photo credit on the first page for the images throughout the article. It was nice to have such good examples to submit for this article. If you don't subscribe, pick it up at your local tack shop. And speaking of Practical Horseman, one of my images will grace the cover of the January 2011 edition. See if you can recognize who it is!

Bringing Light to the Dark
Due to the rainy gray weather, and in the spirit of bringing light into our darkest days, I have been doing some indoor portraiture lately with the aid of some basic lighting. As a huge fan of natural light, I have long shied away from flash and studio lighting. Oh so scary! But I am finally having some fun with creating my own light and breaking lots of basic lighting rules along the way. These images are part of some experimental sessions. Just seeing what can be done, especially with black horses. I am hoping to get back to my Elder Horse Project soon, rain or shine.
On the right is Marla Eden's Audi taken at Narnia Farms. We photographed on a gray day combining available outdoor light with a hand held light that I had brought. The idea was to set the horse against a dark background and "pop" her out with outside light.
Below on the left is Jessica Rattner's Partouche taken recently at Devonwood on a very chilly day in the high 20's with snow on the ground so we darkened the barn and I used some new lighting that I had brought as our primary light. This is a much warmer light, belying the fact that it was sooo chilly!
I want to thank Stacie Burgess for being my lovely lighting assistant on these sessions. A big help! Best wishes to all for a happy warm and safe holiday season.
I hope you enjoy my new holiday gift giving galleries.

The Heart of a Warrior

2010-11-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

Last spring when I was in Spain attending a photography seminar, we had the opportunity to photograph the horses at the Rancho el Rocio near Seville. At this ranch are bullfighting horses and bulls and two legendary brothers Angel and Rafael Peralta who are known as "the lords of rejoneo", the bullfighting on horseback. On one day, we were welcomed to their wonderful ranch, and were able to tour the extensive well maintained grounds and photograph their horses.

One horse in particular stayed in my mind, one that has been added to my Elder Horse Project. The 30 year old Brujo, (translation: Wizard) winner of 500 bullfights, a remarkable horse, said to be able to know his rider's thoughts in the bullfighting ring as if by magic. He was more than a good horse, he was a great horse. This month, Brujo passed away. A long life, a spectacular life a life well loved and admired by his people.

Back in May, when he was brought out for us to photograph, an old warrior, long in the tooth, his body aged but his mind still vibrant, he winnied his stallion challenge, and stood with a look in his eyes that showed that the spirit was still willing to take on whatever may come his way. I thought about his courage, perhaps even his audacity in all of those fights. I am not a fan of bullfighting, indeed, of any blood sport, but I am definitely a fan of the heart of the bullfighting horse.

So I tip my glass to you Brujo, the heart of a warrior. Good journeys to you.

"An agile, flexible, artist, of an extraordinary expression, Brujo united all the optimal qualities that a rejoneo horse must have." quote from the Rancho el Rocio blog.
Enjoy the video below of Brujo in his prime. His wonderful body and agile moves. The video stirs emotion about so many things that make me love horses deeply, then the last scene makes me laugh. Audacity, indeed.

A Youtube video of Brujo in his prime.

Art, Angels, Elvis and BBQ!

2010-11-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

Mid October found me in Louisville Kentucky driving with fellow photographer Marie Cobb to Jonesboro Arkansas to visit our friend Kim Vickrey. I have never driven so many miles with the landscape changing so very little. Miles and miles of cotton fields and other agriculture, deciduous forests and of course a few kudzu covered wonderlands.

We wanted to time our visit to coincide with Kim's art opening of images from the trip to Spain that we all had shared last Spring. Kim outdid her self with a beautiful show, many images printed on metallic papers, topped off by a book that she had designed featuring the images, all printed on a gorgeous metallic pearl paper. Yummy. Art openings are fun. Wandering among the art on the wall, glass of wine in hand... wait, back up. One thing we discovered on this, my first visit to the south, was that we were in a dry county. Punch anyone? It was such a dry county that we had to have our punch and snacks out in the lobby. We got along just fine, getting our buzzz from the images instead while recalling our time in Spain through Kim's images and marveling at what she had done with them.

The following days were filled with a trip to Graceland in Memphis Tennessee (not really an Elvis fan shh! but I felt I just HAD to see it) besides, Kim had promised that trip about 7 years ago when we had first met at a workshop in Arizona. It really wasn't as over the top and tacky as I had envisioned. I wonder why I thought it would be. Perhaps all those velvet Elvis paintings I had seen at garage sales through the years. And no, not a single velvet painting on the premises. But there sure were some neat cars. Our visit to Graceland was followed by dinner at a great BBQ place in downtown Memphis. Bliss! Then towards the weekend, Kim stuffed her Expedtion to the roof with all kinds of props, bought a Fog Machine and gathered some models for some fun at a couple of beautiful nearby properties with very generous hosts.

It is amazing what a fog machine can do to the light conditions during a colorful sunset. The models wait for some direction from off to the right while I, seeing the light just right and knowing the fog would soon disappear, I just couldn't let it slip by. Always chasing the light.

Shaking up the top of the World of Equestrian Sport

2010-10-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

I am on the road this week in Kentucky and Arkansas visiting with fellow V18C members Marie Cobb and Kim Vickrey. Kim has an art show opening this week featuring her images from our trip to Spain this past spring. I just had to get over to support her and see her images "in the flesh" on the wall. It is one thing to see images on a computer monitor, and a whole nuther thing to see them in a tangible reality on the wall.
During this travel time, I was sad to hear of the sudden passing of Kingston, the wonderful and powerful stallion that represented the United States in Dressage in several competitions. I had the privilege of photographing him at 2 World Cups and at the Aachen CHIO in Germany in 2005 and his big powerful movement had made him a favorite of mine.
Further details can be found at eurodressage.

No sooner had the dressage world absorbed this bit of news, but the next shock would be the sale of the super horse Totilas from Holland to Germany. I offer these links to eurodressage as the always savvy Astrid Appels provides us with some of the best equestrian news from abroad. My thoughts about taking a super horse that has gone so well with one rider with such exceptional ability is that there is that chance that we will never see the horse go to that level of excellence, or at least with that same feeling of harmony, again. It remains to be seen, but I have seen Edward Gal take other horses and ride them as no one else. The partnership went deep and it is him that I feel the most for at this point in time.

Tonight is the art opening, tomorrow we have a photo shoot with models and costumes. I sense a Halloween theme comin' on in Arkansas, where a beautiful Fall is unfolding.

My Bev Dolittle Photo Session

2010-10-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I photographed Tory Kelly's elder horse Shadow the Appaloosa. Shadow kept us on the run with a tour of the property. Every time I would find a spot with the beautiful sunset backlighting him, remove the halter, he would take off for other parts. The only place he was content to stay was under the apple tree. But one can only take so many photos of a horse under an apple tree. I did like the effect of him hidden in the branches as it reminded me of some of the works of artist Bev Dolittle.

Image below: Pretty light... Place horse. Horse: Exit stage right.....

The sun lowered itself in the sky, the dust rising from the nearby farmers fields making the scene spectacularly golden orange. Everywhere we put Shadow was a beautiful light in the background. Tory's farm, with its old gnarled trees made a wonderful backdrop for scenes with a horse and a sunset, but alas, Shadow had other things on his mind. I found it hard to believe that he is 29 yrs old, as spry and round and fit looking as he is. As the light was fading fast, he kept me on the move, shooting off frames as quickly as I could while he was in the light and zoom off he would go again. Towards the end of the light, the sky was a fantastic red as if a forest on fire, but Shadow decided that grazing behind a dark hedge was just the thing. I enjoyed this session for the challenges it gave with the light fading fast, a very cute, if a bit over active elder horse and some great scenery. Oh, and a nice visit with Tory. Thanks for the evening Tory!

Rolling into Autumn

2010-09-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Horse show season is over for me. I am left with the aftermath of the orders from the shows and the brief but intense frenzy of farm and stable photo sessions before the weather turns all to mud.

The horse in my Blog header is Polly, a 31 year old Morgan mare owned by Linda Fink. As the grass turns golden and the leaves start to change into the look of Autumn, the flies become more desperate and annoying. I caught Polly objecting to a fly on her side and just had to appreciate the curving, flowing lines that she had made with her body from nose to tail. Polly was not that into me. Not like some of the elders that I have photographed, where I could practically swear were talking to me and knew why I was there. No, she gave me a look of exasperation at my intrusion. She was much more concerned about being separated from her love, Mr Smith, a Morgan gelding. Her world is her horse family it would seem and I must be the cause of this disruption.

A few weeks ago I photographed 24 horses at a variety of stables up in Washington state. Almost half of those horses were elders. The concentrated time with the elders and reviewing the images had more impact on me than previously when I had been photographing them one at a time with longer periods of time between . There is no escaping the fact that it is an emotional project. I continue to be led by this project and, as anything that one starts to invest their time and attention in, I see my vision growing and changing. As I gather the images, what to do with them is also starting to take shape. Stay tuned on that.

Some people think that a pasture of yellow grass is ugly and bemoan the fact that I might not be photographing their horses in a field of green. But for me, I love the yellow grass and it photographs so well and contrasts beautifully with the various colors of horses' coats. It provides a warm glow that takes very little light to bring out, a perfect setting for horse imagery.

I head back up to Washington state next week for more farm visits for photo sessions. The big question now is how much longer will the weather hold in this rain valley. Here's hoping for some fall color and that yummy golden light that makes a photographer so HAPPY.

Servano - Elder Horse

2010-08-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

My most recent elder horse is Conversano II Pirouette. A Lipizzaner horse that I have photographed over the course of his competition life. Ever since he was starting out in dressage with Brooke Voldbaek his trainer and current owner.   I swear Brooke and Servano grew up together.
Servano is now 24 yrs old and with his joints growing stiff, he is looking towards his well earned retirement in Central Oregon. On this day, he wasn't looking like a horse ready to retire as he performed for my camera giving up some classic Lipizzan style movements. Levade, courbette and a fascinating repertoire of facile lip movements that had us all laughing .

Very social and always a character, Servano performed for us in the field as the last rays of warm August sunlight were fading over the hill. I enjoyed my visit with him and he seemed to enjoy all of the attention.

One more show to photograph (ODS Championships) as my event schedule starts to draw down for the season I can get back into high gear for the farm and stable sessions. I have several more elder horses and not so elder horses to visit and photograph before the rains come.   As we roll on into September, the light gets soft with a wonderful warm glow and with any luck at all, we will have some lovely Fall color to frame my subjects in their portraits.
For those of you that have inquired about farm calls and elder horse sessions, I will be contacting you soon to nail down some dates!

While in the Whirl

2010-08-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

While in the whirl of photographing and producing work from horse shows and portrait sessions, I offer this wild stallion series photographed on the South Steens, Oregon June 2010. Keep the wild horses in your thoughts. They are undergoing a lot these days at the hands of our government.

Back to work!

Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

2010-08-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I always slack off on my blog updates this time of year not only because they are doomed to be incredibly boring but also because any time I take to write one means that I am slacking on that pile of work on my desk. Traditionally July-August-September are my busiest months because I am photographing horse shows, breed inspections and photo sessions at farms and stables.
I have several new Elder horse images that are waiting in the wings until things settle down with my schedule. Proofs from my events can always be found on my gallery site.

With the addition of my Elder Horse Project, my dance card is sending me all over Oregon and Washington. The response has been super. Who would have thought that there were so many of our elder horses tucked into the nooks and crannies of our horse community. A testament to the advancement of good veterinary care, feeding and management, not to mention the dedication to giving horses forever homes as our companions instead of being just a livestock commodity. In addition to my elder horse photo shoots, several people tend to ask "as long as I am there" can I also photograph other horses in the barn that do not meet the elder horse criteria.. So I have been scheduling these horses in with the elders at a nice session discount. So yes I can do it and happy to since it saves people money and helps to keep this project afloat!
Dressage at Devonwood produced a record number of sign ups and kept my staff and I hopping. We had a blast and were so thankful for the moderately warm weather. Thank you to Sharon Fibelkorn and Jenn Hogan for all your help and thank you to everyone that signed up. Additionally, it is always so much fun to see our Canadian friends come down to add an international flavor to the show.
I just finished up a photo shoot for Practical Horseman at Oz Inc with Shelley Campf. Finally! It had been delayed by all the rainy weather we experienced a few months back and then by busy schedules.

I had elected to split up my responsibilities as Official Photographer for the AIM Sport Horse Classic & AHA Region IV Sport Horse Championships this year. I photographed the dressage portion and had Cyndie Planck and Sibbea Browning photograph the rest of the show. The proofs are in process and I link will soon be found on my proof galleries for Cyndie and Sibbea's proof galleries of the AIM show.

This weekend is the ODS Breeders Shows and the following week is the ISR/OLD Inspection at Oakhurst Farm. Looking forward to it! I love photographing for the sport horse breeders in our region.
Rolling on into September is the ODS Championship and Open show. My last competition to photograph for the season. As always, early sign up is available for photographic services online.
The ODS Ch Show is one of the qualifying shows for my Love My Loyal Customer Reward. Sign up for 3 qualifying shows and get 20% off on prints until December 31, 2010.

If you have read this far, Bless You! Pretty boring blog update. :) I
I probably should have just said Workin! Talk to ya later! I never was succinct.
I leave you with this little bit of excitement. This horse went flying back to his stall sans rider at the AIM SH Classic at Devonwood and the horse performing his dressage test in the arena just yards away never batted an eyelash.
addendum: alright, it is fitting to note that the horse galloping past is a boarder's horse (non arab) and the horse in the arena that just kept doing his job was an Ay-rab. Thanks Lisa Kolke for making it okay for me to say that.

Elder Horse Ideal

2010-07-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Experimental studio lit photo session was in progress at the Ultimate Piaffe the evening of July 20th. I am a natural light photographer, prefering my subjects bathed in sunlight, but the long rainy gray seasons in the Willamette Valley have convinced me to be a bit more versatile and less dependent upon the right weather conditions to photograph in.
So with the generous loan of some studio lights from photographer Barbara Parker, and with Sharon Fibelkorn up from California to help me set the lights, we commenced with the experiment of studio lighting for our latest elder horse subject, the Oldenburg stallion Ideal. (who also happens to be a Breyer horse) My thanks to the Ives/Purdy family for allowing us to experiment on Ideal. He took it all in stride. At first a bit surprised by the umbrella on a stand in his arena as he arrived on the scene, he settled down and ignored the flashes of the lights and I had a blast playing with him and the lighting. I learned a lot and have ideas for refinements and adjustments in equipment and positioning for "next time".

Ideal was born in 1985 making him 25 years old on the day these photographs were taken.
It is hard to believe that Ideal is now an elder horse both in the fact that so much time has taken place since I first photographed him and that he is still spry and energetic and up for entertaining us.

Wishing I had that third light....

Wishing I had that third light....

Photography at Dressage at Devonwood

2010-07-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Mary Cornelius Photography is the official photographer of Dressage at Devonwood. Photographic Services are by sign up.
You can sign up for photographs to be taken of your test rides online in advance of the show by clicking on this link.
Save $5 by signing up in advance online. Early sign ups must be to us by Wednesday July 21, 2010. As always, you can sign up at our table in the show office starting Thursday afternoon July 22 through the course of the show.
Early sign ups are appreciated.

Sign up fee is $25 per horse for the duration of the show. Read about our sign up policies here:

Our staff Mary Cornelius, Sharon Fibelkorn and Jennifer Hogan look forward to seeing you at the show. Lovely rides and good times to you all!

Elder Horse Project - Jada, Charlie and Bill

2010-07-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

The very wet spring delayed my ability to get out and visit my elder horse participants, but I have finally been able to start making some more photo shoot appointments. I have several more to schedule and I can tell that this is going to be quite an adventure for me. I continue to let this project lead me down a path to where, I do not know. It is already turning out to be one that touches the heart. I am traveling to places I have never been before. Not that they are that far away, but I just haven't had a reason to get off of the highway that would ordinarily take me right past without a glance. Some lovely farms maintained by devoted people and then there are the horses. Each one with a story to discover. What I write here is just a brief excerpt.

Jada (photos above) Recently I photographed "Jada" an amazing 39 yr old half arab gelding. Jada was born April 29, 1971. Think about it. Back during the Viet Nam war. In the days of flower power, free love and anti war protests Jada was growing up. When I arrived he was turned loose out of his paddock to join his two friends in a field below. He took an indirect route through a patch of daisies, stopped and turned to look at us as if to say "here is where I would like my portrait". I walked down below him and took some shots with him standing tall against the clouds, then he made his way down a short section of a steep hill and off to graze with his companions. He moved rather fluidly, was bright and alert and enjoying life. A very engaging horse to have a chat with. Jada has been in the same family all of his life. Bred by his owner's grandmother, Jada was Mary Gordon's FFA project horse and may yet be HER daughter's FFA project. Meeting Jada was a very special time for me.

Charlie. 25 years old. Born April 17, 1985. A bright chestnut quarter horse. A BIG boy. I took one look at him and thought roping horse and indeed he was. But his story is not a cheerful one for most of his life. Charlie was a rescue after years of abuse as a ranch horse in Nebraska. Charlie was beaten into doing man's bidding. That was his life. He is very fearful of men. Half of his tongue is missing, a souvenir of his sad life. He was rescued at age 20 where the long rehabilitation began by slowly establishing the bonds of trust. Today he lives on a peaceful arabian farm and is doted on by his owner Roxanna and her toddler daughter Lane. He looks great, is well cared for and finally loved and appears to enjoy the company of his "girls" when they come to visit him.

Bill Born in Pennsylvania 25 years
ago, also known as Starstruck, Bill is of Danish warmblood breeding. Bill is super sized and mellow in temperament. One of those big cuddly types.
He was content to wander about during his liberty session, walk and trot were his gaits despite encouragement for a canter. Figuring he was well schooled on the lunge, I asked for the canter by name and he dutifully picked it up...for four strides. They were big and in slow motion, very easy to catch with the camera before he went back to his moseying. Bill was trained through FEI dressage and schooling Grand Prix when he was diagnosed with EPM. Now recovered, he is still in work, with a few other manageable health ailments. He is still teaching his person John Craven and is going better than ever. John chalks it up to his better riding and regards Bill as his horse of a lifetime. I thought he was pretty cool too.

Born Into an Uncertain Freedom

2010-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

On this Independence day I present this image of a foal born to parents in the wild. I hope that he lives on in freedom, admired but not touched by human hands. That would be a bit of freedom for us all.

Wild Horses.....Again

2010-07-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of them. They teach me, they inspire me. Yeah, I like them and spending time out in the wide open spaces is good for you. Memorial Day weekend and on into the first week of June found me on a wonderful trip out visiting and photographing the wild horse herds of SE Oregon and S Idaho. Accompanying me on this trip was Kimerlee Curyl, who's lovely work some of you may have seen through Return To Freedom foundation.

photo above: wild horse country SE Oregon with a bit of weather.

With all of the wet weather we have had of late I was worried that we wouldn't have very good shooting conditions, but we both had this time mapped out on our calendars and we were committed. We loaded up the Expedition with necessaries, including all our camera gear and my trusty Staffordshire Bull Terrier Dottie and off we went. The trip turned into a dodge the rains contest. We arrived in Burns and drove east to look for a favorite herd of mine at Stinking Water Creek. But they were no where to be found in their usual area. I became concerned that I had missed a gathering date and they were gone. An early morning visit to chat with Ramona at the Burns BLM office gave us the scoop. The horses had moved on up the hill towards the pass which at this time, was accessible by a dirt road, now mud from all of the rains and more rain in sight. As much as I wanted to get up there, I just wasn't feelin the adventure in getting stuck 10 miles off the highway and out of cell service. So we reluctantly passed this herd up and went to what is probably the most photographed wild horse herd in Oregon, the South Steens herd. We drove up one of the BLM gravel roads where I was used to being able to spot them from. The road got treacherous from the rains and heavy use, as we started to fish tail in 4 wheel drive, I elected to turn around and head back towards the highway and from that vantage point we could see them off to the right wayyyyy over "there". They were quite a hike from the car on that day, but at least we could see them on the other side of a ravine. We reached them under overcast conditions. Storm clouds all around, but a break in the clouds brought the most yummy silvery yet warm light. We photographed for quite awhile and then, we saw the dark clouds looming. As the light faded, we headed back to the car that we could jusssst see a few rises over, parked on the edge of a gravel road. It became our beacon disappearing and reappearing as the terrain took us up and down. As the rains hit and we made our way as quickly as we could through the sagebrush and watched the many lovely little spring desert flowers pass by. In too much of a hurry to stop and enjoy them properly. I tried to walk fast with my most excellent but heavy camera gear getting heavier with each step. Dottie was waiting all snug in the car, with the clouds and rains at least I knew that she wasn't too hot.

As the rains looked like they were settling in with some seriousness, we headed back through Frenchglen to Burns and made the decision to leave the area, driving to southern Idaho the next morning for adventures with the Saylor Creek herd and hopefully better weather.

photo below left: Gray Stallion Saylor Creek HMA.

Photo below: Young bachelor stallions "practice" South Steens.

The Saylor Creek herd in Idaho lives in a huge open grassy area. No cover to speak of, very little shade. A band of about 135 horses all range together and they are very shy. Beautiful herd. Amazing thick long flowing manes, a wide assortment of colors. Some very Spanish looking blood in that herd. They made us work for our images, we never really got close in to the herd as we worked our way around their periphery. Eventually they tired of us and ran off and we let them go. The sun was full up, the light had become flat, we had seen a few rattlesnakes and we thought we would come back later. But the weather had other plans as the next morning we woke up to pouring rain. So back to Oregon we went. This time to the historical Frenchglen Hotel where we put in for our last night. We were treated to a wonderful dinner, fabulous sunset on the Steens Mtns and an early morning back up to the South Steens herd for a few hours before heading back to Portland. Once again, the light worked for us. Thank you light gods. The stallions were all agitated with each other as it was breeding season and we were able to get some great action shots. We returned home happy with our experience and already thinking about when we would be able to return again. It is addictive, it is a peace and wonderment that is hard to describe. It is best to experience it oneself. Alone, with a friend or two. This activity does not lend itself well to big groups. Neither for the horses peace of mind, or for our zen time communing with them.

photo: a wild horse family unit in lovely light of late afternoon. South Steens.
Our government is rounding up thousands of our wild horses of late. Increasing pressures from a variety of interest groups have whittled the laws protecting them and the land once given to the mustangs down to a small percentage of what they once had and now that is wanted for cattle, mining, gas and oil interest, recreation, hunting etc etc. I learn so much about the true nature of horses every time I go out and sit with them. I go out and document these horses always with the thought foremost in my mind that one day there will be no more. Certainly no truly wild herds, just facsimiles in preserves. We really should not let that be their only future.
I'll be back....

Elder Horse Chex

2010-06-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

The weather this spring has been frustrating my efforts at beginning my Elder Horse Project. (see my March post on the Elder Horse Project)
Rains have been visiting us in the Willamette Valley and all over Oregon for that matter, for weeks and weeks on into months it would seem. My scheduled photo sessions were being postponed and then postponed from the postponed dates. I was beginning to think that maybe I should rethink this natural light preference of mine.
But finally I was able to find a nice dry sunny patch of weather over the Cascade Mountain range in Bend OR and there was Chex, a 25 yr old palomino gelding awaiting my scheduled arrival. The sun was still a bit high in the sky, so I used the surrounding Juniper trees to run a bit of interference for me. We just let him walk around a large paddock area while I asked him to just "be him" while maintaining a nice relationship to the sun. aka: backlit, rim light, side light.. lovely.
I followed him around with the camera taking several shots of a horse eating. Yep, that is what it pretty much amounted to, after all, he IS retired now and can do what he wants and horses love to graze. What we had going for us was the light and his lovely color and of course, his handsomeness. When I started to think that I probably had all that I was going to get and perhaps we should call it good, he dropped down and rolled, got up and walked off, exiting the area. The audience was over. Thank you to Chex, and to Marsha Williams for sharing him with me. My collection of images from this session will be up in a gallery soon.
Right now I must gather my gear for another photo session this afternoon. *looks up at the sky* hmmm

A few more images out and about

2010-05-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

A little image licensing action. Sometimes older images stored in my archives can breath with new life. My image of Jan Brink winning the Achen CHIO 2005 has been licensed by USDF as a cover to the Jan Brink seminar DVD's. This image has been used by Jan in the 2005 L'annee Hippique and by USDF for the Jan Brink seminars.
One of my images of Quailhurst's Caletino is now on the cover of the EquiSano mushrooms brochure.

My image shot from a training cart one foggy November day of a beautiful young Friesian out for a training ride is one of the featured images of equines at Art.com and is selling well in mural size of all things!

My image of Dietrich von Hopffgarten was used by the Dressage Canada Hall of Fame during their Gala evening to honor and induct their new members, Dietrich being among them. This was probably one of the last image to be taken of Dietrich before his passing.

Southern Spain

2010-05-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

Spain.. how to summarize 10 days of a fabulous trip. I'll write a very brief synopsis of highlights. You will just have to insert your own oohs and ahhs and imagine the happy smiles at all of the wonderful scenes, horses and people that we met. We arrived and left with warm feelings about our adventure. It was definately worth the long trip and the risk of stranding by the volcano in Iceland.
Myself, several photographer friends, and a variety of photographers that were new to me had all signed up for the photography workshop "Andalusia in Focus" Organized by photographer Michael Steiger and given by Paula da Silva from Italy.
My trip was scheduled during that whole massive volcano airport shut down across Europe. A couple of my traveling companions elected not to go, fearing being stuck in an airport somewhere. A few had to cancel because their flights went through London and that airport was totally shut down. The rest of our group of intrepid adventurers elected to go as planned. If a plane would get us there, we would worry about the rest as it came. On the flight out of New York to Madrid I watched the movie Amelia Earhart. One quote attributed to her was that she could not live her life in a cocoon of safety. I tend to agree. Its nice for daily living, but sometimes you just have to go with it and 'get out there'.

I flew out of Portland to JFK at 6:30 am PDT, made my connecting flight and landed in Spain at 7:30 AM Madrid time with about 4 hrs before boarding the plane for the one hour flight to Jerez de la Frontera. By the third plane I was thoroughly tired of flying, but with a one hour flight, I could find a way to manage. Once in Jerez, we picked up a rental car and headed south towards the coast of southern Spain and east towards Vejer. The farther south and east we went, the fewer inhabitants we saw. Soon we were in rolling green hills and fields as far as the eye could see. The trees were beautiful. a few farms, herds of cattle, horses, a few old farm house ruins tempted us as we drove. Things here are SO OLD compared to what we are used to. Our first missed shot was of a white horse in a green field next to some ruins. We wimpered and drove on. Soon we saw the town of Vejer de la Frontera up on a hill, gleaming white like a big castle city. We drove around the bottom of the big hill and just a couple of miles beyond, we found our lodgings and the restaurant el Valenciano, our "command central" for next several days. We were happy to be here, impressed and excited by the surroundings and eager to find out what the week would bring.
With a day to adjust to our jet lag, some of us went to the beach and toured some ancient Roman ruins and on to the ancient port city of Tarifa where we got a super view of Africa just 7 or 8 miles away. The Mediterranean and the Atlantic converge at Tarifa. On this day we discovered just how valuable Michael Steiger's associate Herve Bonnaud was in showing us the less traveled parts of the area as well as acting as interpreter, guide, driver and just general wonderful friend to us. He also is a very good photographer.
The week brought us a solid schedule of photographing breeding farms large and small as well as a training center for bullfighting horses, we attended a feria in Seville, did some photo shoots on the beach and in other areas with beautiful models and horses. We took a trip to Gibraltar, a tiny piece of land under UK rule. It was so strange to cross an imaginary line and suddenly go from listening to Spanish to British accents. We went from the sunshine of Spain to the fog and gray of England as the clouds hung around the large monolith of Gibraltar.

We had a wonderful time photographing and sharing at the workshop. Paula encouraged us to work out of our comfort zone at times, and at other times, to center our selves and tune into the horses that we were photographing. I used my wide angle more than I normally would, and it worked well for getting a different perspective on a herd of PRE mares and foals. One morning a few of us went back to a pasture that consisted of yearling to 3 yr old fillies in a lush green field with a grove of trees and the ruins of a stables. So scenic! We enjoyed sitting with the horses and seeing which ones wanted to be our photo subjects. Sometimes we would get mobbed as they were quite friendly.
To be continued...

Heading into the Storm

2010-04-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

As I made my final preparations before leaving for Spain tomorrow,... er its after midnight, so before leaving for Spain TODAY! I was reminded of this image I took at White Horse Vale last summer. With the Icelandic Volcano of the Unpronounceable Name causing havoc across Europe and beyond, I feel like I am heading into a storm of uncertainty. I have a nice peaceful life at home now why do I want to go and look for trouble? Rhetorical question! And silly too!
Hopefully the wind keeps blowing things east and Madrid airport stays open and the rest of Europe gets some relief soon from the ash cloud.
I expect with the fine particulate matter in the air, we will be witnessing some particularly colorful sunsets. Good thing I will have a bevy of cameras along. This all puts an added spice to what would already be an adventure for me. The Traveling Wee Horse will be along with me. He's always up for adventure. He'll be meeting up with some of his wee horse family as well, so look for plenty of wee horse photo ops on the Traveling Wee Horse facebook page.
I'll be reporting back as I can. Who knows how the internet will be treating us.
Until then, I'll be in the airport lines and plane lanes and hopefully any ash in Spain will blow away from the plains.

The Green Sprouts of Creativity

2010-04-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

I have been watching spring emerge, but perhaps frustrated by the tease of brief sun and then days of rain, I've not felt very creative at all lately. Wanting to force myself a bit and with my upcoming trip to Spain in mind, I pulled up an image from a photo session I enjoyed shooting last summer at the home of some fine Andalusian horses. If a beautiful spanish horse cannot inspire me, I don't know what can. I just let the mojo of creativity work itself through and gave it permission to go where it may. The result was this image. I see spring, renewal and emergence all through this image. Its almost as if the horse has been tattooed, perhaps a little Avatar influence? :) No matter what it means, its a safe bet that I am ready for spring and sunshine and being outside more and being inspired by my surroundings.

I am flying to Spain next week for 10 days. I will meet up with 7 members of the Vision 18 Collective and we will attend a photo workshop given by Paula da Silva centered in the historic town of Vejer de la Frontera in the region of Andalucia. Paula is a very creative and prolific equine photographer and I am sure that we will all have a great time being inspired. We will spend some days afterward taking in the sites and you can bet, partaking of the local wine. This is my first visit to Spain and I am not sure what all I will find and how I will be touched by it all, but that is a key element to the best kind of adventure for me. Spain has been on my ""to do" list and it is just about to become a reality. I know I will see beautiful horses and wonderful historic architecture and experience some great Spanish cuisine. We will probably wander down to Gibraltar and if the day is clear, I will catch my first glimpse of the continent of Africa...and that's another story on my "to do" list.

Last month I offered free photo portraits of elder horses over 25 years old. I am happy to report that I received a good response and have a variety of horses lined up to photograph. I will keep this offer open through 2010. I call it the Elder Horse Project. We are just waiting for the weather so that I can begin. So come on sun and no fair shining the whole time I am on the other side of the world.

Coming up fast is the annual Heart of the Valley Dressage Show at Devonwood. I will once again be the photographer for this show. Early sign ups for photographic services are encouraged. Save $5 by signing up online Otherwise, we will once again be taking sign ups in the show office during the show.
See you in the sunshine!

The Importance of Memories Preserved

2010-03-01T00:11:00.000-08:00

Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. Your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown. ~ Dhammavadaka

Countless times we have seen on the news after a disaster in which people have lost their homes, one of their first reactions after making sure their family members are alright, is to try to retrieve the family photos. Everything else can be replaced, but those photos provide precious memories and historical data for generations to come.

What if those photographs had never been taken in the first place?

As a photographer, I am well aware of how fleeting a moment is. My own life experiences have taught me the lesson of how impermanent all life is.

Through the years I have received phone calls with that hopeful tone of voice looking for my help. "We lost our horse and wondered if you had any photographs. They would be really wonderful to have to remember him by." Or "our friends just lost their horse/friend/child etc and we are looking for a photo of them for a memorial in the local equestrian publication. We are hoping that you have one."

Though always saddened by the losses in our midst, I feel some gratification when I can come through with what has now become even more treasured preserved moments doing the important job of memorializing a loved one. I know that once the initial shock of loss has been absorbed, many people are comforted by having images of the one they have lost. I know I am. I think they can be an integral part of the healing process.

I am saddened when I sometimes have to say, "No, I am so sorry, I don't have any photos of that particular horse or person and inevitably, I hear "we always meant to get photos done..."

I have long wanted to write something about this subject, but have hesitated for fear that I wouldn't be able to adequately convey that my intentions are not about selling more photos by making people afraid of loss, but being able to simply help if the need should arise. I am committed to being supportive of our equestrian community not only in the good times, but the sad times. I would like for myself and for my fellow photographers to be able to avoid hearing that disappointed sad voice on the other end of the line. I know that I am not the only photographer who would feel good about being able to help.

With that said, I would like to offer my services at no charge to owners of horses 25 years or older. I figure any horse that has lived that long deserves a portrait! I will come to your farm or stable and do a photo session with your senior horse. It can be a formal portraiture session or casual "day in the life" style imagery.

If you are out of the 25 mile radius of Portland, I would ask that my travel costs be covered. (primarily gasoline) Photo prints and digital files will be offered for sale at a 20% discount. The typical farm call session price will be suspended.

Contact me for details. I am eager to get started on this elder equine project this spring. I call it The Elder Horse Project.

Its Looking Like Spring, all the World is Shedding Hair

2010-02-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

Spring is in the air. The daffodils are blooming, the horses are shedding and shows are starting. I just spent a couple of days at Devonwood last weekend photographing competitors at the Blue Ribbon Schooling Show. A great way to get the young ones out, first time in the show ring people, and those practicing the tests for that level they moved up to over the winter. It was sunny and chilly, but definite warmth was offered by the sun if you were lucky enough to get the time to stand out in it.

Don't be fooled by this first image, he is not being naughty, he's just got a good bascule going on.
After all, its SPRINGGGG in the air.... so to speak.

There were clip jobs and colorful horses and young rambunctious horses and very patient horses and supporters in the form of family, friends, trainers and show volunteers.
Proof galleries for the show and all my upcoming 2010 shows can be found here.
right: backlighting by a strange thing called the sun shed new light on barn chores.

left: The beautiful outline on this guy caught my eye as he went past. As did those great spots below.

Snug as a Bug in His Rug

2010-02-09T23:17:00.000-08:00

Its winter and things are quieter here after last year's show season wound to a close and we settled in to the cold, wet and gray of the season. In the Pacific NW equestrians tend to focus more on improving their riding skills and their horse's training. During this time of year the shows dwindle down to a few schooling shows mainly to get the babies or the green riders out.
Just a very few get to load up the trailer and head to sunnier climes. I guess I could go too like last year, but this winter I decided to hibernate a bit.
I like the break and actually need the time to recharge my energy and enthusiasm which feeds my creativity so that I am all ready to "do it again" once the season starts. I am starting to feel glimmers of the itch to get back at it.
That said, I still manage to keep busy with work.
Coming up in the next month, I will have images in six different equestrian publications. That's a record for me for a one month period! I hope that is saying something positive for the health of our equine publications industry. The industry took a big hit last year with the economy and of course it trickled...rather, gushed down to us photographers and writers.
A big part of the reason that I got into equestrian sport photography was from a desire to help promote the sport and share through my images, the people, horses, events and places that people might not otherwise get to see. Our equine publishers and staff share that dedication as well. It might be important to note that most of them are horsemen too!

Last month I was sent out on special assignment to photograph behind the scenes of a typical day at Whip'n Spur, home of the very successful jumper rider Rich Fellers and his training program. Usually I have to get in an airplane to photograph such a rider and his horses, but not this time, just a short 25 minute drive down the freeway.
The photo shoot included a visit with super jumper Flexible and various scenics around the property and will be a featured pictorial in the upcoming special jumper issue of the Chronicle of the Horse. Don't miss it! I thoroughly enjoyed this photo shoot as I was turned loose as that proverbial fly on the wall to photograph whatever struck my fancy during a typical day, so it was truly a creative process.

In the past few weeks I've also sent off images to illustrate articles in Dressage Today, USDF Connection, Practical Horseman, Gaitpost and a cover for Flying Changes magazine. From the sounds of it, these publications are going to have some great features and articles. Look them up online.

Photo: one of the horses at Whip 'n Spur lounges in his stall while keeping an eye on me traipsing around the property with my cameras.

ISR/Oldenburg Inspection at Oakhurst Farm

2010-02-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have just added the ISR/OLD inspection to my 2010 schedule of events that I will be photographing. Perhaps not much new about that as I have been photographing this event in the past. But now it has a completely new location.
The Ives/Purdy family, has retired from hosting the event at the Ultimate Piaffe. 2009 was their 20th year as hosts.
This year's inspection will be held for the first time at Oakhurst Farm in Newberg Oregon. The date is August 20, 2010.

Those entering horses in the inspection will receive information on the photographic services that will be offered closer to inspection time. Typically I photograph every horse that enters the arena. The owners have the option to sign up for their own photo proof gallery and avail themselves of special breeders photo packages suitable for personal use as well as marketing your horses in print publications and websites. Any questions, feel free to contact me, or wait until you have entered and information is sent to you this summer.
Hope to see you there!

Photo Books

2010-02-01T00:03:00.000-08:00

I recently completed a photo book project
consisting of images taken for a client who had hired me to come to meet and photograph her Friesian at his stable. (aka a Farm Call)
It was a crisp and clear day in October, sunny with a chilly breeze and the fall color just starting to come on. The owner turned me loose to do my thing and the horse was most co-operative which made my job easy.
I put the images together for each page utilizing 24 of her chosen images. 4 pages of the interior of the book are shown here. (the brown/green is a background and not part of the book) This particular book is sized at 8x10 in a landscape orientation.

I decided to surprise her with a special two page centerfold that was created by inserting several images of the horse and applying a textured overlay with an underlay of clouds softly peeking through. (cloud photos taken down in SE Oregon wild horse country during some thunderstorm activity) This particular book includes a few words from the owner and a few famous quotes on horses.

Latest Artworks on Canvas

2010-01-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

This past Christmas I was commissioned to do a montage of a horse and rider in a leg yield series as a gift. I had photographed this pair, Rheining Scholar and Mary Arnold last spring at the Heart of the Valley Dressage show. The sequence of images fit together well for some fun ideas in collaboration with the mare's owner Gayle Atkins.
Mary and Gayle each have a large mounted canvas print of this image hanging in their homes.
I've had a soft spot for this mare, so it was a particularly fun project to work on. It is a great example of what can be done with horse show photos to make them an extra special piece of art to hang in your home or give as a gift. The canvas treatment on images such as these is absolutely beautiful and the ready to hang gallery wrap framing is nothing short of professional from my supplier to your door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The boarders and staff presented this montage image on canvas of Oniris at Play to the Dussins, owners of Tanz-Pferde at their annual Christmas party.

This image is available as a 24x36 canvas, gallery wrapped and mounted for hanging at the Canvas Gallery

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Introducing my newest image for canvas. My photograph of this beautiful Andalusian took on a heavenly quality as I worked on it. So, since I am really bad at attaching titles or names to finished images, I just call it Heavenly.

This image is also available as an 11x14 or 16x20 canvas at the Canvas Gallery.

Looking Towards 2010

2009-12-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

Looking back on this year, it was a fun one right up in til the time it wasn't. In spite of an economy in distress, I found enough work to keep me going and made sure that I took the time to have many adventures. Lots of trips photographing wild horses in Oregon and surrounding states, a big drive across the United States to Florida and back, I covered the World Cup for Flying Changes magazine, Helped Sue Stickle photograph the Palm Beach Dressage Derby and provided photographic services to my usual local schedule of dressage shows, breed inspections and private photo sessions at various farms.
Round about November things took a turn for the worse with 2 human deaths in my family, a relative and a dear friend, only to be capped by that "it comes in threes" by the sudden death of one of my most favorite dogs ever. Needless to say, this all put a real crimp in my concentration, energy and creativity. So, like many who have felt the economy's pinch or lost loved ones in their life and worried about those around us that have been skating on thin ice financially, I look forward to 2010 to be a better brighter year for all.

Susan Sexton an icon of the horse world

2009-11-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Susan Sexton. That famous signature SS on so many photographs. I always thought of her as the grand dam of sport horse photography having started her business in the mid to late 70's. She had been a household name to me practically all of my adult life.
I've waited awhile to write anything about Susan who we lost on Nov 11th after a year's battle with Leukemia. I had to settle my thoughts and come to some level of acceptance that she is gone.

As a fledgling photographer sequestered in the Pacific Northwest, it was Susan's images that I noticed in nearly all of the sport horse magazines that I could name at the time.    Lets face it, the PacNW has never been exactly a dressage mecca, so her images helped to serve as my window to the rest of the country. Though I was engaged in developing my own style of shooting horses, Susan's images helped to show me "how it was done" out in the "real world" and helped give me confirmation that I was on the right path.   In 2003 I eagerly looked forward to an opportunity to finally meet Susan in person. She was friendly, gracious and humorous and wonder of wonders, recognized my name. She had wondered what had happened to me during my 7 or 8 years of "retirement".   I guess we photographers all pay some kind of attention to the photo credits in the publications. At least we used to when there were fewer of us.
Since that time we became friends and had even more opportunity to converse in daily exchanges first through the Equine Photographers Network and then with the Vision 18 Collective group.   From time to time she would call or email me to let me know that she appreciated the way I had handled a situation or wanted to support some ideas that I had put forward. She didn't have to do that, but the extra effort she put out in support I look at as part of her generous nature. That doesn't mean that she gave her work away, quite the contrary, photography was her profession as well as passion. She was in it to win it. To produce excellence as well as to support her family.

In our small group of women equine photographers, the Vision 18 Collective, Susan was an active participant often keeping our email boxes lively with her quips and ponderings. We particularly enjoyed the colorful images that she produced while living in Mexico. Our frequent communication was full of life and possibility. She challenged us all to keep moving forward in our craft as she kept herself on her own learning track.
She shared her work with us, some that was in process, some that was just purely experimental with an idea to developing a skill or trying a new look. The digital age brought with it a steep learning curve and rapid changes and sometimes Susan would get discouraged that she wasn't keeping up…and then she would come up with something so beautiful.

I've seen her time and again share her immense knowledge generously, I've also seen that come back to bite her, I've seen her all business at World Cups 2007 and 2009. Then giggling if we happened to stand together and take the same shots in the same timing. I watched her come to life with expressions of pure joy on her face while shooting beautiful horses galloping and passaging past us on the beach or up on a hillside at sunset. We sat side by side on the beach as the light faded and we kept photographing a big black friesian passaging along the beach, squeezing out every last bit of light that we could. Earlier this year I drove to Florida and back, stopping over in Phoenix where I was able to meet up with her for dinner. Her hair was growing back after the first round of chemo and she was looking forward to getting "back into it"in fact was photographing a show the next day.   I had no idea that those little moments on the beach and at World Cup and at dinner were all that I would get but I do know that I had enjoyed them immensely.
Quite frankly I am heart broken at her passing, but I will try to remember to smile when I think of her and carry forward her joy of photographing beautiful horses and their riders as that is a passion that we indeed shared.

This film by Horsefly films was produced from their film footage of one of Vision 18 Collective's retreats with still photos by some of the members of v18C and Susan's family.
A beautiful tribute with music by composer Brandon Visel. You may recognize that name, as one of his musical scores is featured on my website.    http://horseflyfilms.com/preview/susansexton.html

Read about the Traveling Wee Horse on Facebook. An ongoing project by V18C to honor Susan.

Her children have been updating her website www.susanthephotographer.com

Skipping Ahead

2009-11-25T23:24:00.001-08:00

My blog updating has been paved with those proverbial good intentions, but once I got so far behind, I kept thinking that I had to wait until I was in a writing mood to tackle catching it up. By this time of year, I have slowed down and am in the recovery mode and coming in for a landing.
I think I am going to fast forward instead. Suffice it to say I traveled a LOT and came home to a big stack of work which then kept me chained to the computer for a few weeks.
I have been updating my computer equipment and transferring over all my needed and favorite programs and getting things set up. Catching up on orders and over all recovering mentally from the busy horse show and travel season. Its hard to be creative when your brain is just plain tired.

Setting up a new computer and deciding what to put on it has given me an opportunity to look at some of the folders on my storage drives that contain personal work. When the season gets into full swing, I tend to shoot the shots, download, back them up and keep going with just a backward glance. The best of my intentions to keep new work up on the site fall short as I start to get backlogged and overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work that comes in during the summer and fall. I am a big fan of "shoot while the sun is shining and worry about what to do with it later". Just keep moving forward. The above image was taken this past July. I just got around to revisiting the images I shot that weekend. The Andalusian, a handsome recently gelded fellow, was practicing some of his new liberty tricks.

Stampede to Oblivion

2009-10-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have taken several trips out this year visiting and photographing the wild horse herds in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and this subject is near and dear to my heart. I have a really hard time with injustices and lies and greed especially when our government is supporting it all. It is very hard to watch history repeat itself on so many fronts these days, but particularly for our wild horses. They are in serious trouble now and they need all the help they can get. Watch this investigative report on our disappearing wild horses.

Chief Investigative Reporter George Knapp and Chief Photojournalist Matt AdamsI-Team Special: Stampede to Oblivion

click here for the video segments on this report:
Half of the country's wild horses are in Nevada and the BLM is gathering them off of public land in record numbers with increasingly thin justifications behind the roundups.

Helena Montana

2009-10-10T08:51:00.001-07:00

But first... a few words about Helena Montana and surrounding area. Helena is so much more than I had expected for a "western town". It built up during the silver and gold rush and was home to more millionaires than any other city in the world. This is reflected in the beautiful big churches, wonderful old city center buildings and the mansion district up on the hill. For an architecture nut, I was in heaven. The Great Northern Carousel in Helena features all kinds of animals that one would find in Montana. I had a blast photographing the swirling buffalo,wild cat, antelope, horses, frog, indian pony, bear, otter (you could ride on his belly)mountain goat,trout, my favorite, a sort of mermaid horse and many more. All in beautiful condition.

We headed out for a drive around the area and ended up in Elkhorn, a "ghost town" up in the mountains from the silver and gold rush days. It was built around a big silver mine and thrived for years. The old buildings are still there and are mostly privately owned. Just 2 buildings are public and available for tourists to view. There is new construction in the town and people are once again making their homes there. A strange blend of the very old with the new. The old cemetary is still in use. The markers ranging from no longer legible wooden markers, to turn of the century ornate carved stone, to modern granite marking more recent burials. We took photographs inside and outside the old Fraternity Hall. As I was walking back to the car, I turned and looked and had to blink. For a second I could have sworn that I saw someone up in the window....

One area we drove past was full of cattle. On the fence posts we found a series of stuffed animals. We pondered if this was a "warning" or not....

We stopped at an Irish Catholic church built by pioneers and restored by descendants of those pioneers. On one grave of an Irish woman was a hole carved in the stone just perfect to fit the empty bottle of Irish Whiskey that occupied the space. How fitting.

Catching Up

2009-09-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Much behind in updating my blog and so much has happened. I was swept up into the whirlwind of photographing several events in a row which always take days afterward at the computer sorting, editing and processing images for uploading to galleries. At the same time, I am processing the photo orders that come in while scheduling some farm visits for private photo sessions and then before I knew it, it was mid September and time to photograph the Oregon Dressage Society Open and Championship show.
I originally had my pal Sharon Fibelkorn scheduled to help me photograph the show, but due to some back issues and resulting physical therapy schedule, she found herself having to stay home and get better. So I was faced with the challenge of going it alone. The show grounds of Devonwood cover a lot of acreage and the hills really add to the travel time from ring to ring, the obvious solution is to employ a golf cart. Whizzing ala cart from ring to ring, I was able to photograph the show by myself, covering all but 2 of my sign ups, for which I am heartily sorry, but I tried!
As soon as I was able to get the proofs uploaded online to my galleries, I packed my bags and on my birthday, no less, drove to Helena Montana for 4 days of dog showing and exploring the general area with my "dog friends" Jenny and Dana Merritt. We celebrated obtaining the final points necessary for the Dot's AKC conformation Championship. She is now Ch Trugrip Rockin Merengue aka Dottie.
After the show series, my friends headed back to Seattle and Dottie and I headed east towards more adventures. More about those later.

ODS Championship Show

2009-08-28T19:19:00.001-07:00

I provided the image for this striking poster design for the ODS Championship show this year. I will once again be the official photographer for this event. If you would like to sign up for photographic services, you can do so at my online galleries, or sign up in the show office the weekend of the show. You may be asked for your email to add functionality to your gallery browsing. You will receive an email back that requires you to click a link verifying your email. Once you do that, you should have no problem getting into the galleries.

Hoping for another championship show with great weather, good rides and a fun time for all.
And good photo ops!

You can view the 2008 ODS Championship show galleries by clicking on this link.

August has been an incredibly busy month with private farm photo session, being the official photographer for the AIM/AHA region 4 sport horse championships, the ODS Breeders Showcases I & II and the ISR/Oldenburg inspection. 17 foals and 7 mares were inspected on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the inspection being held at the Ultimate Piaffe.

Photo galleries are up for these events. If you had horses in either of these events and didn't get a chance to sign up, its not too late, I photographed every horse that came into the ring and should have photos of everyone. Just contact me to sign up and your proof gallery will be created.

Life swirls and the images are all around us

2009-08-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

This time of year time just goes too fast. As a photographer I must make hay while the sun shines. Photographing dressage shows, sport horse events, breed inspections and showcases and farm calls. All of that running around time, gathering images is doubly matched at the computer downloading, backing up, editing, processing, uploading, delivering etc etc etc. Its a busy time and I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.

So far for the month of August, I have played host to photographer friend Amy Riley from Massachusetts. She flew in and helped me photograph the Arabians in Motion Sport Horse Classic and AHA Region 4 Sport Horse Championships. After the show, off we went up the Columbia River Gorge to visit June Boardman and her wonderful White Horse Vale, home of one of the largest Lipizzan breeding operations in the country. Its a beautiful farm with irrigated green pastures in the front and a 100 acres in the back of wide open skies and prairie-like grass lands. Aside from the mature horses in various degrees of under saddle and dressage, the mares and foals and 4 or 5 stallions, she runs a small herd of young Lipizzans growing and maturing in the best way possible out on that 100 acres. Amy was surprised to find that Lipizzans come in bay as well as gray. The curious bay in the photo above was going to figure out the whole camera thing before we could leave.
We arrived in late afternoon and after some scouting and visiting with the herds, we waited for that golden hour as the sun sank in the sky, out came the cameras and we had a wonderful time with beautiful horses and wondrous light over the landscape.

Managing Wild Horses in Captivity or how congress intended

2009-08-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

My recent trips to the wilds of SE Oregon photographing our nation's wild horses netted these two very contrasting images. Horses in the wild and horses (primarily mares and foals) in BLM holding pens. Those mares and foals are available for adoption by the way.

A very good opinion piece in the LA Times rebutting the Times article on Wild Horses as pests.
Wild Horses Aren't Ecological Villains

Arabians in Motion/Region 4 Sport Horse Championships

2009-07-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

I will once again be the official photographer for the AIM/Region 4 Sport Horse Championships held at Devonwood Eq Ctr.
We will photograph the competition rings without sign up with the exception of the dressage arenas. Dressage tests will be photographed by sign up. You can find out more about signing up and the pre-sign up online process by going to the link below or look for our table in the show office where we will have sign up sheets and a display of our work.

Proofs from this event will be posted at Mary Cornelius Proof Galleries

You can view images from the 2008 show by clicking HERE.

Travels in July

2009-07-28T14:54:00.001-07:00

Images: Farm Call with the Andalusians and Wild Horses drink at a water source in the Steens Mtn Wilderness area.

This time of year is always busy. Either photographing a show, a farm call, off doing freelance work or chained to the computer dealing with all the images that I created. Sometimes, I barely have time to look at them for weeks as I am off creating more while the sun shines.

Just before Dressage at Devonwood I took the opportunity to drive down to show Sharon Fibelkorn the wild horse herds and all that is SE Oregon. One of my most favorite areas, so any excuse to head in that direction and I am there!
And find the herds, we did. Maybe I have given Sharon just a wee bit of "the bug". The more I visit the various wild horse bands, the more I want to delve in a bit deeper into what they are about.
I am attracted by the wildness, the true nature of what the horse was meant to be, but I have also found that with some degree of "horse sense" one can relate to them as what they are... just horses. I was able to play with them a bit, from a respectful distance, of course. And spend time witnessing some of the herd dynamics. Sparring as "practice herd stallions", see the lead mare decide when its time to move off, notice how many of the stallions of various bands always seemed to be reluctant to move on, lingering a bit in the back, eating, watching us, watching the herd head off into the distance and finally seemingly reluctantly, they follow after them.
Some of the youngsters would whinny a greeting, others, depending on how antsy the herd was, remaining within the safety of the band circled tight and staring at us with big eyes.
We hope to head back down right after the ODS Championship show, looking for some harder to find herds. Its nice to find them where I know to look, but the "hunt" is just as intriguing. There are some serious threats to America's wild horses. Its a complicated issue and I continue to read and research this issue. The herds of Nevada are slated to be zeroed out. That means all removed, all gone. Why would this be? Do some googling on wild horses and BLM lands in the west and join me in researching this issue. There are things in the works that may or may not stand the light of day. History tells me its the latter.

Prior to heading down to the wild horses, Sharon and I were able to photograph some beautiful Andalusians over in Washington State. Recently gelded, classic in looks with still that bit of stallion macho attitude, they seemed to know just what we wanted and they performed accordingly. I hope to get time to work with some of those images soon!

Dressage at Devonwood

2009-07-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

I am not sure who is having the most fun here, Freestyle winners Jessica Wisdom or Northforks Cardi. This image is by Sharon Fibelkorn. I had a similar image, but I decided I liked hers better because she was sitting down on the ground for more dynamic angle. Sharon is a familiar face at Dressage at Devonwood, this was her 4th year helping me to photograph the event. She will return to help photograph the ODS Championships in September.

The 10th Dressage at Devonwood is history and I am left with almost 10,000 images to sort, edit, trying to be ruthless in my culling. Then I must prepare the surviving proofs for several galleries. I am working on that as fast as I can! Well, mostly as fast as I can. I had to catch up a little sleep here and there and water the garden for the hot days this week and do the usual bookwork that comes with serving a show of this magnitude.
Okay, perhaps I chased a few shiny things that floated past my desk, but other than that, I am working hard and expect to have the proofs posted soon.

The three days of dressage found almost perfect summer weather. A bit warm on Friday, but then things settled down to more tolerable temps. On Sunday we had sun and a breeze. Lots of vendors,including wineries and a brewery, art, clothing, massage and tack booths. There were several picnics in evidence around the grounds and good times in the VIP tents. And music, and flowers and evergreen trees (shade!) and lots of soft green grass. The setting sun made a spectacular showing through the trees at the end of the day on Saturday. The image above shows the sun's last rays setting on the tents of vendor village.

Andalusians with mountain backdrops

2009-06-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed myself recently on a Farm Call near Sisters Oregon. I photographed 6 Andalusians and a Kiger mustang while they cavorted, leaped and bucked and tossed their manes (and showed good manners under saddle as well). The scenic sagebrush and juniper trees provided the setting while Mt Hood looming large provided an unparalleled backdrop. The hardest part was editing all of the images I took to try to get them down to a manageable level for choices of favorites to be made.

ODS Breeders Showcase

2009-06-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Get those youngsters out there and let us see them!

With a late start in promotion, I learned only recently that the annual ODS Breeders Showcase I & II is a go this year. Mt Hood Eq Ctr in Boring is the place for this show to be held August 15-16 2009.

This show is for the breeders and owners of young sport horses. Its also for any of you that may be shopping or just wanting to see what a variety of bloodlines are producing these days. I will be the official photographer for this event and will be offering Show Specials that I only offer at the breed shows and inspections. I will be uploading more information about photography at the show and the show specials on my gallery proof site.

More information on entering the show is available on the ODS website.

Dressage Shows

2009-06-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Central Oregon Dressage Classic proof galleries are up. It was interesting weather over in Bend necessitating pumping out 4000 gallons of rain water from the outdoor arena, extra maintenance and finally moving it several feet over. No sooner would it dry out and the late afternoon storms would arrive again, putting it back in the same condition as the morning. Kind of a twisted Camelot weather pattern.
Meanwhile the indoor arena went on as if no thunderstorms and flash floods had ever happened. I wasn't sure about the dark indoor arena for photographing in, even with my super low light equipment, I was getting nervous, but once the sun came up, it came in softly filtered through light panels in the walls of the arena on all sides and made a giant soft box of light. Not bad to photograph in after all. I am working on the images while trying to catch up with all my other work that piles up whenever I leave town.

Sign Ups for photographic services are open for Dressage at Devonwood. I am already receiving requests via my new online sign up. Thank you! I even have a couple that have come in for the ODS Championships.
This is proving to be very handy this year for all concerned. Not only does it help me and my staff to be prepared (alleviating much stress during the show!) but it helps riders and owners to focus on their horses and their rides during the show instead of running to the photographers booth at the last minute to sign up.
As always, you can still sign up by mail, or at the show at my photo booth.
My sign up policies are available at the link above.

Dressage at Devonwood is one of the largest dressage shows in the Pacific NW attracting riders from several states and Canada and this year is no exception. Mary Cornelius Photography is proud to once again be the official photographers for this event. Sharon Fibelkorn from LA will once again be helping me to photograph this show.
Annnd.... I have it from a very good source (Terri herself) that Terri Miller will be onsite with her paints and brushes making some no doubt wonderful paintings of the festive show grounds and horses. I have watched her paint at Flintridge and Palm Beach and the paintings are charming. We have warned her that we may even shanghai her for a few needed awards photos. You never know!
This is Dressage at Devonwood's 10th Anniversary. We expect a festive event!

Back from the Wilds

2009-06-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

I am back (albeit reluctantly) from SE Oregon and the wild horse herds. I absolutely love the Steens area and have made sure to revisit the area periodically ever since I "discovered" it when in my twenties.
The aromatic spring sagebrush this trip was intense. Especially when you drive over it. oops... okay, we did A LOT of that but how else are you to get to the wild herds I ask. High desert wild flowers of several varieties everywhere. Just beautiful
The skies were amazing as thunderheads and electrical storms were often all around us on the broad landscape. I took as much advantage of photographing the skies and the landscape as I did the horses. I learned that wild horses are .....where you find them. Sometimes right beside a BLM gravel road, other times way off in the distant horizon or just visible as tiny dots on a rim top. Learning to spot them in a landscape of sagebrush, boulders and juniper trees became a learned art. What doesn't look like it belongs? Was that something that just moved? A swishing tail under that tree? Was it a cow or a horse or an antelope... or a rock or a tree stump or some palomino or light dun colored patch of sand?
A high clearance 4 wheel drive and binocular vision serves us well. Having forgotten binoculars, my 300 mm lens with 1.4 extender helped greatly on questionable identification.
I leave having gained an addiction for the hunt and gathering of images of horses being able to live their true natures.

I will be putting up galleries as I get the time to process the images. Soon I must pack my cameras back up and head for Bend and the Central Oregon Dressage Classic at Brasada Ranch this weekend.

Color in the Steens

2009-05-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

As I sit in a motel in Burns with Cyndie Planck waiting for repairs to be done on her vehicle, I decided to entertain myself by going through some of the images I was able to capture yesterday. Here are a few of the beautiful colors we found in a herd just a few miles up the road out of Frenchglen before having to ride the tow truck back to Burns. (maybe I'll get time for that story later!) Looking through my images, I am feeling frustrated knowing that those horses are up there and we are stuck here in Burns until the truck is able to be repaired, so we are going to take our wide angle lenses out for a walking tour of Burns in hopes of finding some old buildings of character to photograph. So until we return... enjoy the first glimpse of that which we seek. p.s. the sagebrush is lush and aromatic this time of year. Awesome!

Next Adventure - Steens Mtns

2009-05-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

I will be out of town May 30 - June 7 to the Steens Mtns wilderness area.

The Steens area has long been one of my favorite mystical places. It really gives a good feeling of quiet and wide open spaces and once up in the elevations, panoramic views.
I try to visit there every so many years although it seems to have averaged once each decade. I love getting out into a sparsely populated area and the Steens fits the bill in spades. Down in the farthest reaches of SE Oregon, the Steens is only open to motorized vehicles in the summer months. The mountain range is a fault block. I can still remember my confusion the first time we drove there, gaining elevation, the map saying we were very close, the road dropping to a primitive dirt and boulders, but yet to see any mountain. Until we got to the top, the highest place that you can drive to in Oregon at 9700'. I got out of the truck, walked over to what was an edge of the world with a mile drop to the Alvord desert below. The suction of vertigo that over came me was tremendous. I had to stop and practically crawl to the edge to look down. Oh my! Amazing! I've read that on a clear day one can see...not forever, but almost as good, five states. A sunrise is spectacular.
There still remains vestiges of the old west in the Steens area and a rich history of turn of the nineteenth century ranches. It is open range, primitive and wild. There is a large wildlife refuge down at the northern end towards Burns. An old wooden round barn built by rancher Peter French is a favorite side attraction to be found seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The area is so remote that bands of wild horses thrive along with a variety of birds of prey, antelope, mountain bluebirds and I hear tell Mountain Goats, though I have not seen those personally. Nor have I seen the rattle snakes purported to be in the area and I would like to keep it that way.
Of course I will be taking my cameras and we will be doing our best to find those ponies.

The image above was taken in April 2009 on my way back from the FEI World Cup in Vegas. A round about tour of Nevada's less traveled highways yielded this small band of wild burros spotted from the road, up near the Oregon border. They allowed us quite close..to a point. Once I walked to the side and behind the band, they moved away from us and gave me this image with the dust illuminated by a setting sun.

You Want Me To Work for...free?

2009-05-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

This is many peoples' lives and I can attest to the fact that it is a frequent part of not only my own life, but every single one of my fellow photographers' lives. We won't name names, but we could.... watch this video. Funny stuff.
The Client Vendor Relationship

Wine and Draft Horses

2009-05-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend was busy with travel and socializing. Wine tasting on Sunday at Quailhurst Estates, the home of Deborah and Marvin Hausman, several wonderful dressage horses and the beautiful vineyards with a panoramic view of the valley below. We came home with some very tasty 2006 port.
On Saturday we had driven over the mountains to Bend to help celebrate the American Cream Draft stallion Barney's 21st birthday. Barney is credited with a large part in helping to restore the once nearly extinct American Cream Draft population in the US.
I have written about this breed before in previous posts. Last year I spent a day with the herd of Creams at Cream Acres in Bend Oregon. Four new babies were foaled this year at Cream Acres and I delighted in photographing their antics. And of course Barney, freshly bathed and looking fantastic for his 21 years, was on hand to be admired by well wishers.

Flag Bearer, FEI World Cup opening ceremonies

2009-05-27T09:11:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the moment of the stride and the light...and the mane all align all that is required is the eye to see and the finger to twitch.

New Footing at Devonwood

2009-05-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

I was at Devonwood this past weekend photographing the Heart of the Valley dressage show. 3 rings of competition which could have easily been 4 rings with the number of entries on the waiting list, but alas, the scheduled revamping of the footing in the Terrace arena was delayed by a series of events having to do with the current state of our global economy. It would seem that when you purchase big things from Europe, there is a longer wait due to all of the layoffs at the shipyards over there and when it finally arrives over here, People that would normally be loading and unloading ships have been laid off as well. Compounding the delay, once finally off the ship, before it could get through customs, they insisted on having it unpacked to X-ray it all, repacked and finally put on a train to Portland.

So the delay of the under structure of the new footing that was to arrive in March, commenced. But it will be worth the wait as the footing looks to be state of the art. Take a look at this image I shot of the arena. The base is rubber mats, made especially for good drainage. The top layer is sand.
On a side note, the footing in some of the other arenas and warm up areas has been reworked and replaced as needed. The Sylvan ring looked like it was riding pretty well.
Each year as I witness the various maintenance and improvements that go into keeping Devonwood shipshape for the shows, I just have to feel grateful that there are people like the Rattners willing to do it. We certainly are spoiled.

Heart of the Valley Dressage Show

2009-05-03T20:12:00.001-07:00

Heart of the Valley Dressage show at Devonwood is coming up May 9-10.
I will once again be the Official Photographer for this show. This year I have online sign up for photographic services available from my proof site. For those signing up online, I am offering a small digital file of your favorite image from your proof gallery. This image measures 2"x2" @72 dpi and is perfect for Facebook, My Space, Twitter and message forums profile pics.

Click here for Online Sign Up

Brentina's Retirement Ceremony

2009-04-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Not a dry eye in the house. Brentina looked great, (if not a little baffled by what they were supposed to be doing there) especially after colic surgery a couple of months ago. Debbie rode her into the arena at a walk with just a single spotlight on the pair, they made their way around the circumference of the Thomas-Mack center arena to a cheering crowd. Many, including Debbie and this photographer, with tears in their eyes. My own emotions stemmed from several things. The recent colic surgery had scared me and I was first focusing on the fact that she had survived such a scare and recovered well. Having lost 3 horses after colic surgery over the span of a 10 year period, (one to a congenital defect, 1 we had not taken delivery on yet and the third from impaction and subsequent laminitis) I had been very concerned about her.
Then there was the fact a mare of similar bloodlines that I had bred and kept for 9 years until we got out of horse ownership althogether, looked SO much like Brentina, Bounty shares the color, body build, movement, head, right down to the little star on the forehead... it was quite a shock the first time that I saw Brentina. I figured no one would believe me if I said "I had a mare JUST LIKE THAT". But of course the Bolero-Grande bloodline is rather prepotent.
Debbie's obvious love and connection with Brentina. I knew it would be hard to take that last ride and remove that saddle for the big mama's retirement cooler and wreath of red roses. And it was. The emotions on Debbie's face said it all. Bittersweet. On the way out, Brentina passaged, requiring Debbie to hold her back a bit so that she could keep up. Brentina is obviously ready for that retirement stuff she has been promised.

I will remember Brentina out in that arena performing her heart out, commanding respect and receiving all our love and admiration. We will miss you Brentina and I doubt we will forget you.
R E S P E C T just a whole lot.

Steffen Peters and Ravel Win Rolex FEI World Cup Grand Prix

2009-04-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

FEI World Cup Vegas

2009-04-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am off to the FEI World Cup for Dressage and Jumping in Vegas. Photographer Marie Cobb is flying in from Louisiana to drive with me. We plan on making it a Foto Foray of sorts, as the drive from Central Oregon down through Nevada is a scenic one.
There I will be covering the World Cup events. Special event will be the retirement of the wonderful Brentina, Debbie McDonald's Olympic team mount. Bring lots of hankies!
Photos will be online as soon as I am able to get them up and can be found at
World Cup Photo Galleries. Looking forward to all the great action and the sights of world class equestrian sport and Vegas style entertainment and sharing the images that I bring back with you all.

Swedish and KWPN Breeders Meeting at World Cup Vegas

2009-04-02T14:49:00.001-07:00

I received this flyer from Karin Offield who asked that the invitation be passed along.
Friday Morning April 17th The Swedish and KWPN Studbooks invite you to a morning warm-up meeting in the arena at Thomas Mack. Celebrity riders and trainers. World known breeders. Presentation of the Studbooks and Flyinge, The National Stud of Sweden. Click on the image for details. See you there!

Palm Beach Dressage Derby 2009

2009-03-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

I helped official photographer Sue Stickle with the Palm Beach Dressage Derby in Florida. Always a great venue for photography and great moments from the very talented riders and horses. After catching up with most of my work, I have been finally able to take a look at some of my images. I will be posting them in my galleries hopefully soon. While Sue is handling the sale of prints, I will be using my images for editorial and some personal projects that I have in the works. Here are a couple of shots of Arlene Page and Wild One. Isn't he beautiful.

FEI World Cup Vegas

2009-03-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

I will once again be covering the FEI World Cup Dressage and Jumping in Las Vegas, April 2009. Look for images on my galleries site at Events 2009/World Cup

AIM Sport Horse Classic & AHA Region IV Sport Horse Championships

2009-03-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have added the Arabians in Motion Sport Horse Classic and Arabian Horse Association Region IV Sport Horse Championships to my schedule for August 2009 at Devonwood Equestrian Centre.

Amy Cody Riley will be assisting me as photographer once again for our second year covering this show as Official Photographers.

Photo samples from the 2008 show can be found in my proof galleries

Home is on the Horizon

2009-03-13T20:51:00.001-07:00

We are on the last leg of our journey across the US and back and will be home by March 16th. I'll be coming home to a stack of photo orders placed while I was away. My apologies for the delay but a girl needs a vacation sometime! Also lots of photos to process from the trip. I really want to wait and do them properly on my home computer. I will make a photo gallery of my favorites as time allows.

Some other catching up to do as well as just enjoying being home. Its been a great trip so far, but even though we saw some interesting places, there is still no place like home.

Are We There Yet?

2009-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

I've added a new blog for my trip entitled Are We There Yet? Link is in the links section, or... click on this.

We'll see where it goes.........

Devonwood Blue Ribbon Show Feb

2009-02-08T15:16:00.001-08:00

Pictured above Sheryl Rudolph's Welsh Cob Monty, and sunset on the Devonwood barns.

I spent the day at Devonwood Feb 7 to photograph the Blue Ribbon Dressage show. It was nice to see the new young horses brought out to have a go around the dressage court. This is a schooling show that is always well attended and this year was no exception. Close to 12 hrs of rides on this chilly February day. I set up the photo galleries for online sign ups, so if you see your name in the gallery, I have photos of you. All you have to do is sign up online, pay the discounted shooting fee (for schooling shows) and your gallery should appear within the next 24 hrs. Click here for Galleries

Central Oregon Dressage Classic

2009-02-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

I have just added the Central Oregon Dressage Classic to my 2009 schedule of shows that I will be photographing. The dates are June 13-14. Photographic services will be by sign up. An online sign up form, as well as a mail in sign up form can be found on my website.

Road Trip!

2009-02-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

My 2009 FEI World Cup Vegas press credentials arrived yesterday reminding me that I am soon to be on the road for an extended trip. First stop will be Scottsdale Arizona where I will meet up with some of my Vision 18 Collective friends and take in the Scottsdale Arabian show for a day or two.
Then, back on the road driving through New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and finally to Florida where I will be helping Sue Stickle photograph the Palm Beach Dressage Derby. I've never driven across the US and winter is the best time to travel the southern side of the country. I'm thinking that the width of Texas might be a good time to see if that DVD player in the back works... at least for one of us. Since we have a newer vehicle with 4k miles on it, this will be its break in trip. 2 dogs will be coming along, our 2 laid back senior citizens who love car travel and sleep. Zesty Dottie will be with the breeders attending some shows. Am I clever or what. I can't imagine Dottie spending all that time in a car without starting to bounce off the windows.

We will also be staying a week at a Zen center in Mary Esther Florida and I have been promised that I get to see some of the real south while there. (that doesn't mean the tourist spots) *cue banjos* Needless to say, the whole trip will be well pictorially documented!
I will have access to internet much but probably not all of the time and my Blackberry will keep me up on emails, but any photo orders will have to be completed "as I can". I'll bring along my 2008 external Hard drive so that I have access to files for any "emergencies".
I expect to be gone 3-4 weeks. So stay tuned for some road updates!

Dressage Today Cover

2009-02-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the result of my November photoshoot with Thomas and Shana Ritter. Tony is a super nice horse to photograph, he knows his job! My image graces the cover of Dressage Today and inside images illustrating Thomas' article on balance. A great read, check it out!

Debbie McDonald Clinic in Washington

2009-01-21T14:03:00.001-08:00

I supplied this image from my stock files of Debbie and Brentina ( Dressage at Devonwood show 2007) to Traumhof and Jeremy Steinberg for the promotion of the Debbie McDonald clinic to be held at the end of January. The riding part of the clinic is filled with a waiting list, but there may be room for more auditors. For more information visit Jeremy Steinberg's website

Looking towards 2009

2009-01-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

and away from 2008. With the US economy settling deeper into the big hurt, one can't help but wonder what 2009 holds in store for us all. Not to mention the future of equine photographers who face more and more competition and fewer publishing venues as the print industry tightens it's collective belt.

What kind of a year will it be and how do we photographers prepare our businesses for the uncertain future? To listen to the media doom and gloom, one could expect to step outside and see a vast burned out wasteland of what used to be bustling cities and towns. But we're all still here and I believe we will weather this storm. I've decided to respond to the uncertainty by trying to remain positive. I've gotten my gear cleaned and repaired and ready for another year of work. I've started filling in my calendar with appointments and travels.
Perhaps a little belt tightening, proceeding with a slight bit more caution on business purchases, but proceeding ahead nonetheless. Happy New Year everyone, lets make it a good one.

Seasons Greetings

2008-12-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

Announcing a Partnership

2008-12-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

with Noble Horse Gallery in downtown Seattle. (in Pioneer Square)
The gallery will unveil an exclusive collection of my images in March 2009.

This is an exciting opportunity and one that helps to spur my creativity even further. Noble Horse Gallery is a beautiful store and gallery with a wonderful inventory of art, tack, clothing and horse themed items and gifts. When you are in Seattle be sure to pay them a visit.

On Assignment for Dressage Today

2008-12-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

In early November I accepted an editorial assignment for Dressage Today magazine to travel to Eugene and photograph for an upcoming article by Dr Thomas Ritter.
As luck would have it, right at that time, we had just lost our beautiful Indian Summer weather and the rains had set in. Between my travels and Dr Ritter's we finally found a dry day for the photo shoot towards the end of November.
Leaving a sunny Portland, I was enveloped around Salem (50 miles south) with a thick gray fog. This lasted all the way down to Eugene. It was cold and gray, but dry! Dryness to be well appreciated in our wet Willamette Valley. We don't have all those ferns and moss for nothing, ya know.
I brought out my best low light lenses, twirled a few dials, crossed my fingers and proceeded with the job. The images brightened up nicely in post processing. Look for them in the February issue of DT in an article on Balance by Dr.Thomas Ritter. Oh, and read the article too! The more people that learn about riding in balance, the easier my job becomes.

V18C Get Together in San Diego

2008-12-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

A trip to San Diego with my Vision 18 Collective photographer friends and it is a certainty that I will come back with a hard drive full of new images.
From the dunes of Glamis 2 hrs east of San Diego where costumed arabians and their riders performed for us as the sun set, to the dressage barn of Donna Richardson where we photographed a Lusitano stallion, Postulano at liberty who gave me many new images for future fine art works. We played with horse and human subjects under studio lights in a make shift studio in the barn aisle, including Donna on Postulado in piaffe. On our last day, we visited the San Diego zoo before we had a farewell dinner in a super nice restaurant overlookingthe water with a view of the skyline of San Diego. It was hard to pull myself away from the Great Apes at the zoo. I could sit and look into their eyes and observe their mannerisms all day.
Many thanks to Terri Miller and Axel Steiner for hosting us for that week. It was a great time!
Don't worry about all those tracks on the dunes, I am sure that the dune buggies get great gas mileage.....

Just had to share this Utube Video

2008-11-15T20:14:00.000-08:00

My good friend Jonna sent me this link. Watch this video, its great! Clicky here

and while we're at it. Camel dressage

To San Diego

2008-11-12T13:44:00.001-08:00

I will be in San Diego this coming week (Nov 17-22) visiting and livin' large with the Vision 18 Collective. We'll be hosted at Terri Miller and Axel Steiner's casa, so lots of good face time with one another will be going on. Sharing images, discussing whatever subjects at hand and addmittedly a few margaritas may be consumed. Maybe some whacky experimental photography too.
We plan on taking in some of the local attractions and to visit a farm or two with horses to photograph.
I'll be back in my office Nov 24th. So until then, ta ta!

Yes We Did

2008-11-06T12:22:00.001-08:00

Truly an emotional time, this presidential election. I am buoyed by the happiness that peoples from all over the world feel as a result of Obama's election to the Presidency. It was rewarding to volunteer for this campaign. Now on to the job of straightening out the tangled web that is our economy and the myriad of other issues that face the new administration and US.
photos taken May 2008 during Obama's visit to Portland at the Memorial Coliseum. If you would like to see more photos go here:

USDF Yearbook Submissions

2008-10-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Just 2 more days til deadline of October 15th. I've been sending in your photos and signed PDF's to USDF for the past week. Just a reminder about the deadline and to be sure to digitally sign your release form that you send to me. USDF provides this editable form on their website.
With the purchase of a print, to have a high res digital file sent into USDF is just $25.

Congratulations to everyone who placed this year in the year end awards for Horses (and mules!) and Riders. Images shown, just a few of our winners photos that have been submitted.

Moving On Into Fall

2008-10-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite candid shots from the Arabians in Motion Sport Horse Classic

Long time no update. I think that is a universal sentence on millions of blogs around the world. I've just been that busy. I have been out photographing all summer and then everything comes home to roost in the form of work at the computer on into Fall and the holidays. At this time, there needs to be 2 of me to handle the volume in a timely manner. I had some great people help me this summer at the shows, but once it is all over, its me and me only that can do the rest of the work.
I enjoy my time out and about photographing furiously and then look forward to the time at home albeit a bit too much time at the computer but I can't complain as I get to be at home.

Next month I will be heading down to San Diego for some photo shoots and some time with my Vision 18 Collective sistahs. Right about then, I will be glad for some sun.

I am almost eager for the rains to come and winter to settle in as I have some art projects in the works that are a departure from my usual. I'll be working with my images in multi-mediums. Wood, canvas, paints, gems... and whatever else I can scrounge up that 'feels right'.

Enjoy the Fall!

My Lenses

2008-08-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Quite often people ask me what lenses I have, so I thought I would post a bit about my little collection..which I hope is finished with being collected. If I don't have enough to make nice pictures yet, I better just hang it up!
I think I have a nice serviceable collection of lenses in my stronghold. All Canon lenses, I tend to believe in keeping proprietary lenses with my camera bodies for the best quality and least problems.
My workhorse for shooting horses is the 70-200mm f2.8. Last year I added the 300mm f2.8 "the fatty" makes very nice sharp images once you get used to the no zoom factor. Very nice for horse portraiture and getting up close to a horse and rider from a great distance. A great candid lens as I am often so far away, people have no idea I am pointing my lens in their direction. It also seems to be quite the conversation piece with perfect strangers.
I also have a 200mm f1.8 super super sharp lens nicknamed "the chubby" and the best lens that I have for indoor use.
I haven't had it long enough to get to know it for anything else yet. But it certainly saves the day in low light. Also in the bottom of my bag are 85mm f1.8 nice little portrait lens. 24-105 f4 nice enough lens and versatile for tourist snapshots these days. Certainly more weight friendly than the others if I am not photographing horses. But I have to say that my all time favorite lens is my 16-35mm f2.8 wide angle. It is the most fun for me. Maybe because I have spent so many years making sure that the horses I photograph are with as little lens distortion as possible and this lens lets me get "out of the box" a bit and have some fun with distortion. Its also a great landscape and architectural lens.

After being chained to our computers for several days processing the AIM show proofs, Sharon Fibelkorn and I ran off to downtown Seattle for a day recently and I was able to play a bit. These images were all taken with the 16-35. Just quickly run through Lightroom for now. The top image I took in Florida at the Palm Beach Dressage Classic. I used this image in an ad. I got to distort a horse through the lens! I feel so naughty. *grin*

So much to do, so little time

2008-08-22T13:15:00.001-07:00

I haven't been keeping my blog updated because I have been so busy that there just hasn't been any time. We just completed our AIM Sport Horse Classic and AHA region 4 sport horse championships weekend. I brought a crew in, Amy Cody from Cape Cod Mass. and Sharon Fibelkorn from LA area. We set to work in very hot temperatures over the weekend. It was a weekend of survival thanks to about a case of bottled water. Being primarily sport horse photographers, the Arabian take on the sport horse world was new to us, and fun to immerse ourselves in.

You can see what we shot here: AIM Sport Horse Classic AHA Region 4 Sport Horse Championships

With Dressage at Devonwood and the ODS Breeders Showcase orders coming in as well, order response time will not be a quick as it has been. I am snowed under, but am doing the best I can to keep moving through it.

Next up in this whirl of events is the ISR/Oldenburg inspection at Ultimate Piaffe at the end of August and the ODS Championship show the middle of September. That will be the end of the show season that I am photographing and it will be time to catch up with the orders, farm calls and hopefully get some down time at the beach before the weather goes away!

Dressage at Devonwood Photos

2008-07-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

10,000 photos in process! This is the part that few get to see or think about. What happens with all of those images that are taken during the show. We had a record number of horses signed up for photographs so handling the extra images will take a bit of extra time. The images above were taken by my nephew and worthy office assistant, Anthony Coslett. He has a great eye for things inanimate, particularly urban grunge and architectural lines. Things most people walk right past and don't notice. I am liking his view through the lens, so I asked him to give us his perspective on a subject rather foreign to him... dressage horses and riders.

Until the rider galleries are up, I have created a general scenes gallery of the show. Scenes from Dressage at Devonwood
In the meantime, I am double checking that we have the right horses in their proper folders, renumbering, copying to a third back up hard drive, editing out the culls, editing again, running each batch through Adobe's LightRoom to adjust the color and contrast of the images and crop them. Then making proofs and uploading each to their specific gallery... oh yeah, I have to make each specific gallery first...and on to the paperwork created by all of this.
I'll be ready to do it again in two weeks for the ODS Breeders Showcase I & II shows at Devonwood. Mares and babies and stallions...oh my.

We Visit Joan of Arc

2008-07-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today I met with fellow photographers Sharon Fibelkorn and Cyndie Planck and her daughter Emily.
We had arranged for a luncheon, but decided to visit Joan of Arc first. Joan is a statue given to the city of Portland by Henry Waldo Coe to honor those returning home from WW I. This statue was restored not too many years ago, after sitting in the round about intersection of 39th and Glisan, dull in finish and covered in bird droppings for decades. It was restored (shockingly)all in bright gold gilt.

So today was the day we would meet Joan up close and personal and take her picture.
Here are a few samples from each one of us just having a little fun with our images. It was a fun little exercise and interesting to see how each of us chose and treated our image.

Taking the time to get close to the statue and study it through the lens was something that I had wanted to do for a long time. The movement and details of the horse is wonderful and of course Joan's story is an old favorite. I'm glad I took the time to stop and take the time to appreciate this statue and its bright gold gilt. We've decided to come back during other times of the day and see how the change in the light changes our perspective on Joan and her horse's finer points.
Its summer and the world is full of interesting subjects. Get out and take some photos of things you pass by frequently but never seem to take the time to stop and get to know. Its fun! Thanks Sharon, Cyndie and Emily for a fun day....and Joan.

Dressage at Devonwood 2008

2008-07-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

is looming on the horizon. Its going to be a BIG one. I have assembled my crew and we will once again be offering photographic services at this event as the official photographers. Photographic services are by sign up. Our booth will be in a new location this year, outside and just to the left of the main path that takes you from the show barns up to the arenas. You can't miss us!

American Cream Draft Horses

2008-07-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

I love them! I was in Bend this past weekend photographing a herd of American Cream Draft horses at Cream Acres Ranch owned by Carol and Dave Pshigoda a couple who is totally dedicated to preserving and enjoying this breed. They work their horses on their ranch, planting and harvesting their own hay.
Creams are the only breed of draft horse having actually originated in the US. The breed was all but extinct when back in the 80's a few key breeders started working to preserve their unique genes. I found them quite attractive and nicely conformed. strong, but not too big, not overly stout, ranging from 15.2h to 16.3, With their pleasing conformation, I could envision riding them as well as hitching them up to a wagon or plow. The Pshigoda's own the only 6 horse hitch in the world and have been invited to the WEG in Kentucky in 2010. Of course this is going to be a very costly endeavor that will more than likely require a generous sponsor to step forward to help make it happen. I'll be writing more on this breed as I process my images and get some pressing jobs finished.
pictured is Barney's Beautiful Beau. One of the bigger guys. He is a wheel horse in the hitch. Quite attractive!

Tulelake Dressage Travels and a Stallion

2008-07-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

Tulelake showgrounds
Kamiakin

I enjoyed myself at the Tulelake dressage show just over the border into California. I got to break in a new vehicle for the trip and was pleased to see 25mpg at 65 mph considering it is a full sized SUV. Satellite radio even worked going over the mountains, just the tiniest bit of interuption when driving through a deep forested part.
What can I say, some people just need the room and utility of such a vehicle. I did have it packed to the gills with my equipment, photo display and luggage.
It was a nostalgic time for me as I used to ride in the show and photograph it when I was a fledgling photographer. Always fond memories of Tulelake and some of the great people I have met. The image shows a late afternoon warm fading light of the night before the show while a rider and trainer work together on the beautiful Tulelake showgrounds. The next night we experienced a big thunder storm with a funnel cloud that had touched down very close and uprooted several huge old trees and power poles, knocking power lines across the highway for awhile. Show participants were safely ensconced within a big building enjoying our BBQ dinner while the hail came down outside. Once past, the sun came out and all was lovely again.

I will be back over the mountains to Bend again at the end of the week to photograph some special project horses that I have kept in my mind. Hopefully I get some good stuff to share later.

In the meantime, I also have posted an image from a recent farm call for Katie Hill of her promising young Andalusian stallion Kamiakin. He is just three and was great to work with.

Xena the Clydesdale

2008-06-24T22:57:00.001-07:00

I was out on a farm call yesterday and met Xena the Clydesdale. I love draft horses. More big huggable horse than you can get your arms around and Xena was no exception. Xena lives a comfy life at a small private boarding stable. I photographed her being ridden and at liberty, and just standing around being Xena. As soon as I had edited and uploaded all of the images to the client's gallery, I just had to play with one of the images. Here is Xena nibbling a bit of grass with a few garden embellishments via Photoshop.

Unwanted Horse Coalition Benefit at Columbia Equine Hospital Open House

2008-06-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended the Columbia Equine Hospital's 25th Anniversay Open House. I was invited to set up a display and be on hand to chat with people about my work. The festivities included instructional speakers on a variety of topics of interest to horse owners, particularly in horse health and diagnosis. A large array of vendors with horse oriented merchandise and services were on hand as well as music and a tasty BBQ lunch.
Several breeds of horses were on hand to view as well as being able to tour the hospital's diagnostic and treatment departments. Some fascinating high tech diagnostic machines.
A silent auction was held for the benefit of the Unwanted Horse Coalition. I had a winning bid on a lovely book by Rallie McAllister who I had met at the AHP conference last year in Albuquerque.

Dr. Doug Corey, the 2007 president of American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and current representative of the Unwanted Horse Coalition, gave a talk.

This description is taken directly from the UHC website: "The mission of the UHC
is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses."

Unwanted Horse Coalition

Pay their site a visit and get involved if you can, it is a really important issue and it is only going to get worse. The horses need all of our help.

Happy Anniversary Columbia Equine Hospital and thanks for having me as a guest vendor. I enjoyed my day.

Jumpin into Summer

2008-05-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have seemingly many irons in the fire, and par for my life, all will come to fruition at once. Announcements will follow as they become ready for prime time until then, its delightful mayhem and a little bit of intrique.

I have also been researching some art pieces that I am hoping to get started work on. Being that the style is deeply rooted in history, I am trying to learn as much as I can before I start playing with it all for real.

Aside from some farm calls *looks out the window and shakes her fist at the clouds* next on my schedule of appointments is attending the Columbia Equine Hospital 25th Anniversary Open house and Unwanted Horse Benefit on June 21. I have been invited to have a display and be on hand to chat and show some of my work. There will be lots going on. Visit their website here for more information. Its a very nicely done website. Columbia Equine Open House

The following weekend I will be in Tulelake California covering the Cascade Chapter dressage show. I have fond memories of competing and photographing at Tulelake years ago and am eager to get back in the area to visit that springy ground and enjoy my time, especially the BBQ night!

The vaulting photo above was taken at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby in Florida earlier this year.

Pacific NW Region 6 Dressage Fans

2008-05-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

You are invited to join this new group. Keep in touch with the happenings of the PNW dressage scene.

USDF Region 6 Yahoo chat group

Dottie Has Her Own Blog

2008-05-07T00:19:00.000-07:00

I've moved the Dottie posts over to their own little blog. Link on the right.

Arabians in Motion Sport Horse Classic with AHA Region 4 Sport Horse Championships

2008-04-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Mary Cornelius will be the official photographer for the Arabians in Motion Sport Horse Classic with AHA Region 4 Sport Horse Championships to be held August 15-17 2008.
This is a big show offering Hunters & Jumpers; Carriage Driving, Sport Horse In-Hand, Under Saddle & Show Hack, Dressage through FEI all at the beautiful Devonwood Equestrian Centre setting.
I am assembling a crew to help cover this show. It should be a good time!

Mary Cornelius' New Website

2008-04-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

www.marycornelius.com
has been rebuilt as a flash site with a whole new look and function. Check it out!

If you don't want to listen to music, click on the little speaker on the bottom left. Many thanks to April and Brandon Visel for making this music available to me. April is a talented equine photographer in S CA and her husband Brandon is a talented composer and musician. Check out his website! http://brandonvisel.com

The site will evolve over time but there is plenty to see now. When you click on portfolios, you will see several galleries. You can click on slideshow to see them all cycle through, or click on thumbnails and linger over your favorites.

I'll be adding more content, so check back often! Comments welcome!

Spring Into Dressage Show

2008-03-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

For those asking, Yes, I will be the photographer for Spring into Dressage at Devonwood March 28-30.
Correction! Due to a rather annoying case of cold/flu, I have had to pass this show up. Sorry! I blame it on recent air travel... its a viral jungle out there.

New Website on its Way

2008-03-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

Now that my taxes are done, I am working on my new website. I purchased a flash site that is fully customizable by me, very easy to work with on the back end interface. I knew that procrastination and anxiety were good for something! It gave the technology wizards time to give all of us website building phobics some training wheels.
I listened to my poll results (thanks to those of you that took the time to vote) and the new site will have music that you can turn on or off and the option of slideshow mode or not. There will be several portfolio galleries, a link to this blog and to my faithful smugmug galleries and a direct link to access information and order forms.
I hope to have it go public by the end of March. Once I do, the usual marycornelius.com address should point right to it. Of course I will be announcing the grand unveiling here.

Here's a picture just because I can... (taken at the FEI World Cup Jumping in Vegas 2007) I keep thinking those feet could hold a drink or two and not spill!
And yeah, I am still slackin on those Palm Beach photos. I have some irons in the fire and things are heatin up in a new direction!

It's Pop Art and Ashley Holzer

2008-03-05T22:45:00.001-08:00

Ashley Holzer on Pop Art, riding for Canada, were the Palm Beach Dressage Derby Champions.

For complete results, Palm Beach Dressage Derby Results

I came home with a cold, so I will be a little slow in getting the rest of my Palm Beach Derby images up on my smugmug galleries, but I will be working on them soon!
I had a great time and enjoyed beautiful weather and hanging out with photographers Sue Stickle and Jonna Koellhoffer. Amy Dragoo and Charlie Mann made it over to liven up our jobs at the dressage rings for one day and then back to photograph the jumpers they went. After a day at the beach, I flew back home to my secret hideout in the Pacific NW.