I discovered a band of wild horses on the BLM land near our farm. I drove out with a friend to see them last night. The sky was storming in three directions, at some point my camera survived a proper deluge and my hair received a second rinse for the day, the wild flowers were blooming and the horses were magnificent — the stallion in particular watching over his mares and foals with such strength and dignity. This herd was taken off BLM land and retained for a stint before being returned to the range so while they are wild, they have been gentled some to the presence of humans and they allow some people to approach them closer than most wild horses would. They are curious, you know? They want to check things out and catch a whiff of you on the wind.
I’m so excited to have this band nearby and I plan to photograph them for years to come. I look forward to watching them, knowing them better, naming them, seeing new foals born, seeing young stallions kicked out to fend for themselves. I look forward to watching them survive. They do it so well.
I already have some people asking about prints of these wild horse images and I would like to get out a few more times to capture these horses with my cameras before I begin to offer such a thing, so hang tight.
This is just the beginning, my friends.
That final picture with the God Lights streaming down is just stunning!!!
It was a beautiful night — we had storms on three sides of us for a while. Just gorgeous. I’ll probably never get to photograph the horses in that kind of weather again!!!
Oh man! Amazing pictures and I look forward to seeing more of them! Yes! Some of these pictures would be amazing to buy. Out of curiosity, how close did they let you get?
Oh…if we stayed in the truck, maybe a half a football field?
Hello Jillian. I suppose I just want to say thank you for not immediately offering these photos/prints for sale. Sometimes it’s little things like this that show the true integrity of a person and an artist. I’ve followed your work for long enough that I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re giving these beautiful beings the reverence and respect they’re due. But I have never said thank you before, so thank you 😊. I look forward to seeing what you create and offer forth when the time is right.
Rachel, thanks so much for saying this. Honestly, I’d like to photograph these horses for a year before I start to offer prints. That’s probably crazy sounding. But I’d like to take my time and make it a personal project. Thank you for saying thank you! That always means so much to me.
As always, thank you for sharing your little piece of Idaho. You’ve got bees in the backyard, wild horses on the bluff; wow, I see the opportunity for encaustic photographs in the future. 😊
These photos are stunning, Jillian. What a gift to see and photograph these wild horses. Thanks for sharing the beauty with us. Reminds me of the work of Roberto Dutesco photographing the wild horses of Sable Island. My son and his new wife and I happened upon his gallery in New York City last fall and we were blown away by his work. If you’re not familiar with him, you might enjoy taking a look: https://dutescoart.com/ He has spent 25 years studying and photographing the horses. All the best to you – you always inspire.
Horses are such mysterious, beautiful creatures. There is so much to learn about them, and I love learning about them from you. Gorgeous photos and words.
~if anyone asks: I’m with the Band 😉
How wonderful! I will never tire of seeing photos of the beauties and look forward to following along (I hope) for years to come as well!