So far behind in posting recent trips to the Onaqui Herd. The BLM will likely be rounding up the herd soon, so I am trying to document the herd as often as I can.
Tag Archives: photographs of wild horses
Wild Horse Photography – Wild Horses Running
On this trip to Utah’s West Desert I was specifically hoping to photograph this herd of wild horses while they were on the run with a long exposure time. The idea was to blur the background, lets etc., but having some part of the horse(s) sharp and in focus. It takes a lot of luck and timing to get an acceptable shot. I have not had a chance to process any of the “normal” photographs from this trip, only those that I liked with the “motion” effect. We had several other photographers on this shoot, and met a very nice gentleman from Midvale if I remember right. He knew each and every horse in the herd, knew when they were born, knew who was related to who. Very impressive! Another great evening that I will remember for a long time…
Photography of Onaqui Wild Horses and Lightning – July 20
Wow! What a trip we had in late July to the Onaqui herd of wild horses in Utah’s West Desert. The herd was using the Simpson Springs watering hold on the Pony Express route. They had already left the water when we found them. After spending a couple of hours photographing them we left to find another herd to photograph at sunset. We did find the other herd, but they were nearly a mile form the road and we were quickly running out of light. There was a storm brewing, so we decided to “focus” (pun intended) on photographing the storm and hopefully some lightning. We were not disappointed! The lighting was once again remarkable. The panoramic photograph of the sunset was made by stitching 14 photographs into one. The panoramic photograph spanned over 180 degrees. The lightning was another rare opportunity. No rain and lots of lightning. What a fantastic trip…
Photographs of Onaqui Wild Horses Taken in March 2017
In reviewing the photographs I have taken of the Onaqui herd of wild horses in 2017 I noticed I have not posted photographs of my trip in March. As you can see, most of the horses have their winter fur and winter facial hair. It was a long and cold winter for this herd, but as you can also see by these photographs that there are plenty of new foals this year.
The clouds were amazing. When I see the contrast between white clouds and blue sky or storm I immediately see the photograph in Black and White. That happened several times on this trip and I really like some of the black and white renderings.
I am working on another set of selected photographs that I will put in a tab called “Fine Art”. Hope to have it done next week. Enjoy the hot summer!
Latest Photographs of Onaqui Herd – Wild Horses
Another great trip to Utah’s West desert to photograph this wonderful herd of wild horses. I worry every trip out that the herd has been rounded up. With so many foals this year they are really multiplying quickly. I have herd rumors that the BLM will be using PZP on this herd rather than rounding them up and taking them off to holding pens.
I am no expert on any of this, but PZP seems like a better alternative than simply rounding them up and shipping them to massive holding pens for the rest of their lives (or until they are slaughtered).
The main watering trough that this herd uses regularly was dry! I did find them nearby, but they were moving to an area that I have never seen them in throughout the 7 years I have been photographing them. I hope to get back to them in a few weeks to see what has happened. I will keep you posted.
Photographs of Onaqui Herd Wild Horses – May 2017
Here are more color photography from our trip to the West Desert in late May. The herd looked great, a lot of new foals.
Wild Horse Photographs – Black & White
Here are some black & white photographs from my trip to the Onaqui herd of wild horses in late May. We found the herd in two locations. One closer to Dugway and one group at the main watering hole southwest of Simpson Springs. Lots of new foals. That is a concern. With the herd growing so rapidly, the BLM will likely consider a round-up. I personally believe this is not the best way to manage herd growth. It is certainly a poor choice for those rounded up. They are doomed to spend the rest of their lives in a holding pen with thousands of other horses.
Wild Horse Photography – Fight
In this post of my wild horse photography you will see a series of photographs I shot a few weeks ago in Utah’s west desert. In this series a roan stallion spots a black stallion that is “courting” his mare. The chase is on. When the roan finally catches the black stallion he almost takes the black stallion to the ground. Then the black stallion gets his moment when he is able to pull off a solid kick to the throat of the roan. This herd of wild horses along the old Pony Express trail near Dugway, Utah is such a treasure. My biggest concern is how quickly they are growing in number. I don’t believe the BLM has had a roundup of this herd for several years. There must be near twenty new foals from this year! I hope they can find an alternative to rounding up many of the herd and carting them off to huge pens in the mid-west. I have seen the effects on those left behind and it is not a pretty thing. Stallions that lost their mares and family band are never the same. The BLM is certainly facing a difficult management task and I hope reasonable compromises can be found.
Sheep in Onaqui HMA – Wild Horses in Utah
Herd of sheep grazing on BLM range in Utah’s west desert.
This is a photograph I took of a herd of sheep in April 2017. The Onaqui herd of wild horses are frequently seen in this spot and in the hills just above the sheep. I still did not capture all of the sheep that were in this valley. Two huge white sheepdogs were at my car door and I was unable to get out of the car to photograph all of the sheep. By comparison, I would guess the total number of horses in the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) is less than 180 right now.
If you click on the photograph it will take you to a larger panoramic video to get a better appreciation of how many sheep are in the photograph.
Onaqui Herd – Wild Horses – December
Every time to get out to photograph this herd of wild horses I am inspired by them. I wish I had the time to photograph these magnificent creatures every day.
On this trip it was as cold as I have seen it in Utah’s West Desert. It was 13 degrees just after sunset. The lighting was amazing! We were lucky enough to spot the herd (it was HUGE) many miles from the main road. The lighting was good when we got there but became better and better the later it got. Another amazing opportunity to spend time with them….