Artist Statement: Horse

When I started working with these horses a couple of years ago I knew immediately that I wanted to photograph them. I had my own horses when I was a child & although I hadn't ridden for many years, I instantly felt a deep connection with them. I wanted to approach this series in the same way that I approach all of my photographic work - with sensitivity, patience & intimacy, so I decided to use a 35mm camera with a 50mm lens - this meant that I could create close up images that required me to be standing next to them - I didn't want to stand behind a fence with a big lens with that feeling of being outside looking in ... I wanted to photograph them in a way that made me feel like one of them. In order to do this - to get this close - I worked with the horses for over a year before I went near them with a camera - so they could trust me & know me. In the years of working with them I have gotten to hear about their unique stories & have genuinely come to love them.