Ann is a long term client, friend and is one of the family. Ann also owns a beautiful horse – Harley – he’s her baby. She agists him on the Central Coast at a place that’s like Paradise. Every weekend when Ann visits Harley, she leaves behind the city and becomes engrossed in Harley and the peaceful surrounds of Paradise – the fresh air, the birds chirping, the expanse of the bush. Ann asked Israel if he could capture portraits of the two of them showing their relationship – their love and affection, the fun they have. Ann also wanted the portraits to include the feeling of Paradise too.
This shoot was on again off again on the day, and you wouldn’t believe that about 1 hour before the shoot, a massive storm hit the Central Coast. In the end it was a photographers heaven because the light was amazing and everything looked so lush and green. Israel had a blast on this shoot, and commented that shoots with kids having a tantrum were easy compared to this. Horses are BIG and have a mind of their own. Lucky Ann showed Harley who was boss – most of the time! :-)
This is Ann’s favourite shot, and we love it too. Here her baby is giving her a nudge ‘Come on Mum!’ & the smile on Ann’s face says it all.
Love the connection these two have!
Harley at attention – Dinner Time!
BLISS! You can see there is no other place that Ann would rather be.
Ann chose to make her favourite image a feature artwork for her home so she can look at her & Harley when sitting on her lounge. She opted for a mocha frame that perfectly matches the earthy tones of Harley & Paradise.
Then this smaller series as a feature for her hallway wall. Beautiful hey!
Belinda and Israel have been friends of mine for years now, and this is the third time that I have found myself on the end of Israel’s camera lens. By now I should be used to it, a pro even, but this time it was different. Why? Because this was the first time that I was going solo i.e. no other human to giggle with and to wonder what on earth to do, or where to look.
So while I was excited about the shoot I was full of nerves and questions! What should I wear? What sort of ‘look’ should I go for? Asking friends produced all sorts of suggestions….some not so helpful – Annie Oakley just didn’t do it for me somehow! In the end I thought about the outcome I wanted and what I was most comfortable in. Hurdle one overcome!
The day promised to be perfect, a quick call from Israel confirmed that we were ‘good to go’…and then the heavens opened and a deluge ensued. Phone calls back and forth – should we, shouldn’t we? Fate was on our side though and the clouds parted allowing the sun to shine for us.
Harley, after overcoming his surprise at not having to ‘work’ thoroughly enjoyed his day of rest, and took the shoot all in his stride. Well, he was pretty much being a horse and went crazy over the opportunity to pick grass for a few hours. Camera? What camera?
Spending time with Harley in this way is so relaxing for me. It’s a great opportunity to meditate and ground myself, to be at one with nature, and to just enjoy being with my boy. So, in the end, all my anxiety just melted away. Israel, as usual is just so chilled and easy to be around that I forgot that a camera was pointed at me…
My goal from the shoot was to capture the connection between Harley and myself, to have a beautiful and permanent reminder of the fact that dreams can come true if you really want them to, and to record a major part of what makes me truly happy and free…Israel achieved all of that and more!
Seeing the photographs for the first time brought tears to my eyes as I witnessed from an outsider’s view, the relationship that I share with Harley. Once again Israel had far exceeded my expectations and I was blown away by his creativity and talent…
The most surprising part of the day? This was when Harley, after being set free and knowing that his dinner was waiting for him (and anyone who knows ‘Hoover’, will know how much he loves his food), took the time to walk over to Israel and gave him a small sniff of thanks before pelting off at full gallop to bury his nose into his heaven!!
Thank you a thousand times over ISP for such a wonderful afternoon and for such incredibly beautiful memories of this period of my life, of ‘my’ family!
Hey Ann,
Thanks SOO much for your gorgeous comments. You can come back ANYTIME. :)
I had such a great time taking these photos, it was the most time I’d ever spent with a horse and was actually a really special experience.
ThankYOU!
Is.
What an exceptional talent you have Israel, you have captured the beauty of both the girl and her much loved horse!
Thanks so much Mary! Glad you enjoyed the images so much. :)