Salt River Wild Horses (Revisited)
“I was a pebble. I was a leaf. I was the jagged branch of a tree. I was nothing to them and they were everything to me.” ~Cheryl Strayed
The Salt River wild horses have a magnetic pull on me, so much that I had to do a return trip to capture more of their beauty! This return trip gave me 9 shooting days. For the most part I spent sunrise to sunset each day in the Tonto National Forest searching for the horses, observing them, and photographing them. I developed a routine of checking each hotspot 2-4 times each day. The desert landscape presents a beautiful tapestry of colors, textures, and layers. This is one of the most diverse landscapes I have enjoyed hiking with the vegetation ranging from saguaro studded desert to lush pine forests, bushes, flowers, and shrubs.
Lately, my composition goals for wildlife have been twofold: to capture action shots where all animals in the image are in focus, and to create 'wildscapes,' or, the perfect blend of a beautiful landscape ornamented with spectacular wildlife. When I first heard the word 'wildscape' from another photographer, I thought just how appropriate that word is! Wildscapes are great because it presents the wildlife within the context of his natural habitat.
To achieve the wildscapes, I often had to wait on the horse to move in front of that mountain range or stand, posed, head up next to the saguarro. Sometimes, no matter how long I waited, it seemed, they just werent going to bring that head up and give me eye contact. But for the most part, I don't mind waiting at all! It's very relaxing to watch the horses graze, nap, or play. And the scenery, well, just look at it! It takes my breath away!
W i l d s c a p e s
The diverse landscapes of the Tonto National Forest- with it's cactuses, mountains, boulders, brush, and flowers gave me plenty to work with in terms of composition.
Be sure to click on each image to view it in a larger format.
Be sure to click on each image to view it in a larger format.
Multiple times daily I drove Bush Highway very slowly, pulling off the road to let cars go around me so I could take my time and scan both sides of the road looking for horses. Sometimes I got discouraged and I would drive for nearly an hour before sighting a horse. Then other times I would catch sight of something interesting within the first 15 minutes of looking. The following images show 2 colts I saw playing maybe 500 feet from the road. I immediately pulled over, gathered my things, crossed the barbed wire and hiked closer to them. I was pretty sure they would stop their playing by the time I reached them but I was met with an exciting surprise. Not only did they continue to play but they did so for about 20 minutes! I had the best time watching them! I always use a zoom lens so I can shoot from a safe distance. I also find a cactus, bush, or tree I can quickly get behind if they abruptly head towards me.
While the landscapes in the Tonto National Forest provide a breathtaking backdrop for photographing the wild horses, I was really hoping to see them again in the river. During my last trip in September I had a memorable time one evening in particular photographing dozens of horses at once in the Salt River, basking in the glow of the setting sun. The image below is probably my favorite image I took then. Of course, I was hoping to relive this great memory! Although I didnt catch them in the luscious golden hour, I did catch them in the water on two different occasions and this time several were sparring! It was so exciting to watch their power!
Feeling their oats...
