Essence Captured Blog

"Spirit 24" Mustang Image of the Month for November, 2020 Spirit, the Kiger Mustang stallion who served as the artists’ muse and model for the 2002 DreamWorks Animation film “Spirit:  Stallion of the Cimaroon,” resides at Return to Freedom’s Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, California In 2018, Spirit was inducted into the Horse Stars Hall of Fame […]

Featured Image for October 2020 "Horse Play" Watching the herd in their natural environment is unforgettable.  I see tender moments, quiet moments of grazing, I see how the bands move about and take their turns at the water hole, and I see playful moments like this.  I call it playful because there’s a push/pull and […]

May 2020 Mustang image release. I love Chief and love how the breeze gently lifts his mane in this image as he stopped to look over in my direction. Some images just speak to me and this is one. I'm ordering a large canvas print for my next exhibit!

Featured Image for April 2020 "Together" A stallion will collect a group of mares.  A lead mare emerges, based on her sensibility - her ability to utilize all of her senses for the protection and well-being of the herd.  The lead mare is brave and wise.  The whole band, though, work as a collective to survive […]

"El Presidente & Charlie" "El Presidente, a beautiful bay stallion, was born in 2004 in the vast remote ranges of Northwestern Nevada’s Black Rock Desert."  Read his story on the Return to Freedom web site. "Charlie was captured on state lands in Nevada’s Virgina Range. He ended up at the livestock yard where he would […]

Featured Image for February 2020 "Dawn's Eye" "Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity? Here where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined." Excerpt from the poem  The Horse by Ronald Duncan Dawn was the ambassadress for Chief's herd.  She was […]

Featured Image for January 2020 "Companionship" I chose to introduce this image to mark the end of a decade and looking ahead to a new one.  It reminds me of duality, balance, seeing in all directions, looking forward and looking back, and most of all, the partnership of a trusted companion.  Horses don't lie or hide their […]

Lori Sortino's images are featured in February and October in the 2020 RTF Calendar. Only a limited number of RTF’s gorgeous 2020 calendars remain -- get yours before they're gone! 100% of the revenue from the calendar will go toward the care of the 465 wild horses and 51 burros at RTF’s California sanctuary locations.

Featured Image for December 2019 "Amante in Black and White" This is Amante, a beautiful stallion with a mane the often covers his eyes.  He is so much fun to photograph and he's a lot friendlier than many of the stallions at Return to Freedom, so we can get a little closer to him than to […]

Featured Image for November 2019 "Peace" This is also one of Running Bear's mares.  I wasn't able to get her identified, so I've just titled the photograph "Peace" because she seems so at peace, even with her ears perked forward and looking at something.  It's truly a peaceful feeling to know these wild mustangs live […]