"Skirmish"
The sun was setting and the light on the hills to the east was that gorgeous pink. I stood watching the herd for anything interesting to put in front of that backdrop in a photograph when these two stallions decided to put on a show.
Another moment on the range with the North Onaqui herd.
The thrill of being with a herd of wild horses is that there's never a dull moment -- and things happen fast. One moment everyone is leisurely grazing, and then in the next moment, a stallion comes flying in, leaving a trail of dust, and approaches another stallion. It starts with nose to nose (collecting scents) and stomping their front hoof on the ground (display of assertiveness); meanwhile the nearby horses saunter out of the way, in almost a "ho-hum, there go the boys again" fashion. If you look closely, you can see the mares rolling their eyes (joking). These two escalated their skirmish to standing on hind legs (rearing) in that sort of boxing stance, and lunging at one another with their mouths ready to bite (as shown in this featured photo). It looks dramatic, but doesn't usually go on too long. Then they part ways and shake it off, and everyone goes back to grazing.
This image was taken in the Utah desert, southwest of Salt Lake City, at 7:07 p.m. on April 17th, 2026.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Always Watching"
One moment on the range with the North Onaqui herd.
The thrill of being with a herd of wild horses is that there's never a dull moment. I could be looking at a band of horses not doing much - mostly grazing or resting, but then, I notice one horse looking off into the distance. I follow the direction of its gaze and see a horse off in the distance running in our direction. Just one horse. I continue to be so curious about all of the horses and love creating images to share with all of you!
This image was taken in the Utah desert, southwest of Salt Lake City, at 6:10 p.m. on April 16th, 2026.
I've included a color version below. Which one do you prefer?
Featured Image for July 2026
"Summer Evening"
There's something almost dreamlike about this image — a moment caught between worlds, where the ordinary act of horses standing in a field becomes something luminous and ancient. The golden haze that envelops everything feels less like light and more like memory, the kind that softens edges and makes the past feel close enough to touch.
The horses don't seem entirely of this world. Backlit and glowing, they emerge from the sunset haze like figures from a myth, unhurried and unbothered by time. They exude a calm wisdom; the quiet confidence of a being that has always known exactly who it is.
There's a tenderness to the way they're grouped together, bodies close; it speaks to something primal about belonging — the safety of the herd, the warmth of proximity.
The mood is golden-hour nostalgia at its most elemental: peaceful, transient, and a little aching. Like watching something beautiful that you know won't last and being grateful anyway.
This image is from the last night of my most recent Photo Safari with Return to Freedom. We visited the Alpine Herd at Babcock Winery in Lompoc. This was taken at 7:43 p.m. on June 5, 2026.
Read all about this herd and the wonderful partnership between Return to Freedom and Babcock Winery.
Featured Image for June 2026
"Romeo"
I captured "Romeo" mid-run across a dusty open field. The dramatic cloudy sky and distant hills create a spacious, wild backdrop, while the horse’s motion kicks up dust and gives the image a sense of energy and freedom. The weather on this particular morning gave us beautiful light. We photographed him an hour after sunrise (with overcast skies).
"Romeo" is a Gypsy Vanner stallion available for breeding at the Making Pegasus Ranch in Lockwood, CA. He was a favorite at the Pegasus Equine Photography Retreat because of his features: striking coloring and coat, beautiful flowing mane, tail, and feather; all qualities of the Gypsy breed. His parents were "Tracy's Grand Finale" and "Moonlight Mist". He is six years old. He was photographed on the second morning of the Pegasus Equine Photography Retreat, May 13th, 2026 at 7:27 a.m.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Legacy"
In mid April I attended a Photography Excursion with Action Photo Tours, to visit the Onaqui herd in western Utah. Since it was my first time to photograph this herd, I wanted to go with a quide who has been there many times; Wendy Casey. We went out at sunset and sunrise, three times. We were short on sleep by the time we were done (it's an hour + drive from our hotel out to the desert and an hour + back, twice a day), but we had a glorious time and I captured over 11,000 images (only a few are great and will end up in my Fine Art Gallery).
I posted a few of my images in the Action Photo Tours alumni page in Facebook and was honored with "cover photo of the week" so I'm sharing that image as the featured image this month. It was taken our first evening out on the range; April 15, 2026, at 5:39 p.m. I edited the image to crop in on these three horses who were part of a larger band that were all running together toward me because I liked how the action was captured in this shot (I took 113 images from the time this group started running until they had completely stopped; running at me and then across from left to right as they passed me). To see the other images I created from this series, see the Wild Horses Album in my Fine Art Gallery.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
View past Images of the Month on Lori's web site.
"Horse in the Grass"
This is one of the horses at Return to Freedom. There were several horses running by and I was seated in the grass and tried to capture a few shots as they passed me. I decided to get a little ARTSY with this shot to make the image a little more interesting and unique.
This image was taken during the 2024 Return to Freedom Photo Safari at 9:35 a.m. on April 25, 2024. I chose this image to feature this month since we have our 3 day Safari in San Luis Obispo happening as this email hits your in box. I'll have more images soon! See the story below about the drama we all watched during the 2024 Safari.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Steamy"
This is Midas. He had just been running on a cool April morning and stopped to pose for us. What a treat to be able to watch a horse breathe and see how for his warm exhale went (several feet!), thanks to the cool air.
This image was taken during the 2024 Pegasus Equine Photo Workshop at 7:55 a.m. See the information below about this year's Pegasus Retreat in May.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Winter Drink"
Wyoming in Winter!
This is one of the Hideout Lodge and Guest Ranch horses, stopping for a drink while crossing Trapper Creek in Shell, Wyoming. This image was taken on February 10, 2025. The temperature was about minus ten degrees and it was snowing lightly.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Asher in the Snow"
In honor of stepping into the year of the horse, here's Asher in the snow.
This was taken on the last morning of my week in Wyoming last February. Several horses were trailered to a large open field so that we could photograph them running loose in the snow. The temperature that morning was -7° and was our warmest morning of the week!
This image was taken at the Hideout Guest Ranch and Lodge in Shell, Wyoming on February 14, 2025.
Equine Trivia ~ How Horses Stay Warm in Winter
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
"Rascal on the Run"
This beautiful grey stallion "Rascal" and one of his mares had just crossed the river when their ears suddenly perked up. Something was emerging from the trees down river. A group of mounted riders on horseback! Oh no! They turned and ran back into the river and away from the group. This worked out excellently well for me, since I was standing in the river watching the whole thing and was able to get this perspective!
Cathy Wallace and I spent three days exploring the Tonto National Forest and photographing the wild horses there. We spent time along the Salt River and time in the desert hills.
This image was taken in the Salt River on November 9th, 2025.
Find all my favorite images in the Fine Art Gallery.
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