Regal
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
Throughout the wild horse project, I was working on a little sub-series which was centred around capturing portraits of individual horses. I think it is so beautiful to compare them, you can see so much soul and personality in their faces.
This is one of my favourites from the series.
Spirit
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
When I saw the carpet of wild flowers on Massingham Heath I knew I had to capture a photograph to portray the dream-like beauty in front of me. I decided to lay in the flowers, and allow the horses to go about their daily business – hopefully if they felt relaxed I would get my moment with one of them, and sure enough this mare didn’t disappoint.
I always think of fairytales when I see this picture.
Stallions Of Massingham Heath
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
The ponies featured in this shot are part of a family herd thriving on Massingham Heath in Norfolk. This became one of my favourite locations due to the strong family unit – it was a pleasure to watch, and an ever bigger privilege to be able to photograph.
On my first visit I had noticed that the stallions in the herd were extremely protective of their mares and foals, and would somtimes fight or chase each other.
I knew there was the potential to create something special, so we returned again in better weather – I knew they would be a little more feisty in the sunshine, and sure enough after a couple of hours it kicked off.
I left that day on the heath with the biggest smile.
Black Beauty
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
Growing up, I loved watching anything that featured animals, and Black Beauty was always a film I enjoyed watching. When I began this project and was brainstorming potential locations and shooting ideas, I dreamt of capturing a strong portrait worthy of this iconic title.
I knew that our trip to Hampshire offered the best chances of finding the dramatic black horse I needed to find for the shot, and on the third day in this magical wonderland I got lucky.
There doesn’t need to be anything else in the shot, it is all about Black Beauty.
Sprit Of The Forest
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
I have always enjoyed the forest, as a youngster I would go for a walk amongst the trees to escape the anxiety I felt before returning to school, and would always leave feeling lighter.
When I found this small patch of woodland in the middle of Buxton Heath my mind began to race with ideas – I knew there were grey ponies roaming this land, and the contrast between the pony and the dark, intricate textural splendour of the trees would make a special image.
I visited this location many times over the course of the project, and always returned to this particular patch in the hope that the ponies would be near by.
I found them there once, and hunkered down behind a gourse bush for a while in the hope it would all come together. It was a brief moment, but that was all I needed.
The Approach
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
We shot at this location, around two hundred acres of heathland, in the Spring of 2023 and I sensed that there was great potential to create something even more special if we returned in late Summer, because the heath would likely be a carpet of wild flowers.
The pigs, horses and cattle that thrive on this heathland in-turn help the heath itself to thrive, and their grazing has resulted in the germination of flora not seen in this part of Norfolk for hundreds of years — to walk among these plants and across this habitat is quite magical.
When we returned in early September we were not disappointed – every inch of the heathland in front of us was covered in a sea of wild flower blooms, and the herd of Konik Ponies were active, and as resplendent as ever. We had the ingredients to create something special.
The ponies at this location are a tight family unit, and much of my work with them had focused on photographing their strong bonds, but I sensed that for this opportunity I needed to try and photograph a single pony. After a few hours, they began grazing an area that provided the perfect backdrop for the photograph I had in mind, it was then just a case of keeping my distance, staying low, and hoping that one of these incredible creatures stood on it’s own, and stood proud. We got there eventually, it was a beautiful day.
Lady Of The Lake
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
I travelled to the New Forest with my best mate, Freddie, in his vintage VW Campervan. We set up camp on the edge of a large expanse of open land which was bordered by forest and had a lake in the centre. This would be home for the next week.
I knew immediately that the lake had to feature in a photograph, it was such a tranquil scene with the forest in the background, but I needed the right horse to ensure the reflection was visible and that there was enough contrast between the subject and background. I lay on the bog-like bank of the lake and hoped that one of the grazing ponies in the distance would soon need a drink.
On the fourth time of trying, a beautiful white horse began to approach. She was obviously nervous, so I stayed low whilst she approached, and much to my delight she had a look around before drinking. That was my moment.
On The Edge Of It All
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
We found this vista on our second trip up the mountains of Northern Wales, and I instantly knew that we had to tell a story here. We had seen just eight ponies in this particular, and so the likelihood of finding one grazing in the opening was unlikely, but as determined as ever, I returned to the same location the next day and bided my time.
Later that day it all came together – cloud, a foal and her mother, and the perfect dusting of sunshine to illuminate this tapestry of rich colours. Those mountains are magical.
Spirit Of The Carneddau
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
When I left East Anglia I was in doubt about the scale of the challenge that awaited me in Northern Wales – the trip had been proceeded by several months of research into the areas I was going to work in, the ponies I may encounter, and the best backdrops upon which to tell stories, but no amount of research can guarantee a successful time in the field.
As I have mentioned many times in my career, my diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder means that I have a very vivid imagination and a very intense sensory-experience, which can be a major hinderance in day-to-day life, but a major benefit when it comes to dreaming-up potential compositions. I had a target list of photographs I wanted to capture during the assignment, including a group of ponies together, and I aimed to tick two or three off the list.
My research told me that there were just three-hundred individuals roaming the two-hundred square kilometre Carneddau mountain range, which meant that even with the best advise from the best people on the ground, it was far from certain that I would find one pony, let alone the group I so desperately wanted to see.
Our first three adventures resulted in a couple of sightings – the first a singular pony, and the second a mare with her young foal. But it was the fourth and final trek that resulted in ‘the shot’ of the trip; I had climbed mountains and crossed streams all morning by myself, and then, when I was considering heading back to lower ground, I spotted a small herd of ponies on the peak of a distant mountain.
The adrenalin kicked in immediately, and I trekked towards the foot of mountain, and then began the steep ascent. The view at the top was breath-taking, but the ponies were nervous – it was obvious that this herd had witnessed very few people atop these ridges. I spent the next hour or so laying in the luscious grasses, at a respectful distance, watching those ponies interacting and thriving in the rugged lands they have called home for over two-thousand years, before they began to relax, and then, became inquisitive. Over the next thirty minutes, magic unfolded in front of my eyes and my camera.
When I began the descent two hours later, I knew that I had the photograph I had travelled two- hundred miles to Wales for, I had accomplished my dream atop that mountain, and what a humbling experience it had been to spend time in the company of these most-magical creatures.