So here’s the thing, I’ve been trying to get more serious with photography.
Experimenting with different kinds of sessions: Portraits, couples, family, still-life, personal, etc.
And what I feel most comfortable photographing are the intimate connections and spaces between humans, animals, and things.
The connections created through love.
So I approached Gena.
Not because it looked totally fun to photograph a freakin’ horse, but because I’ve always admire Gena herself.
And her apparent love for horses.
To quote her, “It’s more than a sport, a hobby, or a pet – horses touch your soul and there’s something special about being in sync with another being & working together as a team. Nothing like it.”
She’s special.
So is her horse, Oliver.
And together, they are a remarkable duo.
What I love most in these pictures are Gena’s facial expressions-the looks of love, joy, laughter, peace-and her soft touches with Oliver.
Pay close attention to her hands in these photos.
There’s so much trust between them that some people struggle to find all their lives.
The correct term to describe Oliver’s coat is “flea-bitten grey”.
Look at how darling his ears are!
Gena, you’re beautiful.
No lie, I’ve been staring at your photos and picturing them in my head multiple times everyday since getting these scans back last week.
Can’t stop, won’t stop!
This one.
It was the last shot. I asked her to take off the floral crown because I wanted to capture the glow of her fiery hair.
Le sigh.
They both live on a farm with other horse owners and horses.
Her apartment is attached to a barn.
Y’all, she basically lives in a barn.
These photos were taken in an open field next to her.
It’s absolutely lovely there and I’ve been secretly planning on how to convince Khang to live on a farm too!
I wish I took more photos of the entire compound.
She even has a little garden of tomatoes, strawberries, green beans, and carrots, which she pulled out from the soil and gave to Oliver as a snack after our photoshoot.
That is the dream.
They were a dream to work with!
Gena and Oliver, thank you both so much for welcoming me into your home.
I hope you’ll look back on these photos as fond memories.
Thanks for reading and following along
with me,
Jules.