Horses can do many things, but can they pose? Pasadena, California, is the home of the only lady in the world, an equestrian photographer, who can get them to pose, and her portraits are featured in celebrity homes. Who would have guessed that a girl who borrowed her first camera from Pasadena City College (PCC) would later earn fame for trackside photos, including the Montreal Olympics and British Princess Anne.
It was only practical that she should practice photography on horses for her PCC photography classes, which she took after graduating from Pasadena High School. The Eaton Canyon Riding Stables were like a second home to her since she was 10 years old. She did her homework every weekend at the stables with her borrowed camera. Once she sold her first horse photo, she gave up music, art, and journalism.
First, she became an assistant under two famous photographers at a horse show in Santa Barbara, after which she traveled the country with them, helping them pose horses in tracks, shows, and state fairs. Second, she hooked up with another photographer pair, who stayed the California circuit. Now with business assistance from her mother, she is clicking on her own with a Swedish camera equipped with German lens.
Six-foot jumps and winning a race by the nose are her trademark shots. But her formal photos, of horses bent down on all fours, are also a source of pride. There are also horses who love being in front of the camera. With one look at the camera, some horses perk their ears or raise their heads. There are other horses that won’t move a muscle to help you.
Even good photographers put a little effort into their photos. Mid-air with legs bent at the right angle is the best bet for hunters and jumpers. The best pose for Tennessee walkers, on the other hand, is with their front hoofs in action and an over reaching hoof with their hind legs. The best pose for a stock horse is stopping in a slide, and the best pose for a saddle horse is with his legs and head held high. A photo of the Peruvian Paso, an endangered South American species that aficionados are struggling to save, is one of her best known works. With their forelegs rolling toward the outside, it is the best time to capture a picture. With their riders in traditional white ponchos and their elaborate bridles and saddles, the Paso is a photographer’s pet.
Photography is the key to meeting celebrity horse enthusiasts. She has even made it to royal circles. Her coverage of Princess Anne at the Montreal Olympics brought her side-by-side with the Queen, herself. She started a conversation, and the Queen revealed that she felt nervous every time her daughter would take a high jump. Though she also swims, back packs, bicycles, pans for gold and sometimes even rides a horse, she felt a need to intersperse her horse photography with photos of fork lifts.
With fork lifts, there is no need to look for perked ears.