Finally getting around to processing photographs taken on Sept 14 of the Onaqui herd of wild horses in Utah’s West Desert. Hard finding horses, poor setting etc. I found myself “seeing” in black and white most of the afternoon.
Tag Archives: wild stallions
Photographs of Various Storms in Utah’s West Desert
This post is a collection of the various thunderstorms I have photographed in Utah’s West Desert. I make it a point to get out and photograph the Onaqui Herd of wild horses whenever I can, especially if there is a chance of thunderstorms. It has been rare to get great lightning, but the sunsets are absolutely spectacular even if the lightning is a rarity. The photographs that are long (panoramic) were taken by stitching between 10 and 15 separate, overlapped images into one image. The file sizes are enormous, as I stitch RAW files from my Nikon D810. For example, the panoramic of the double rainbow is 21,700 X 7200 pixels! All files are significantly downsized (1800 X 1800 pixels, at 72 dpi) for posting. I have printed these panoramas 24″ X 72″ and you can’s spot any pixels at all.
Photography of Wild Horses – Onaqui Herd Aug 8
We had another great trip photographing wild horses in Utah’s West Desert. The Onaqui herd is unique in that if you are mindful of their demeanor, you can walk right through the herd and get very close-up, intimate photographs of these magnificent creatures.
I haven’t had much time to process the approximately 2,000 photographs I shot, but here are a few of those that I have processed thus far. The photograph of the two red stallions on the run is a combination of the photograph I shot and a process that makes the photograph look like an oil painting. It has a more “contemporary” look but still has details that would appear in a photograph.
Wild Horse Photography – July 27 Onaqui Herd
Another trip to the West Desert to photograph this magnificent herd of wild horses. The herd was hard to find, and it was much smaller than usual. I desperately hope the BLM hasn’t rounded up this herd.
Those horses that did come to the watering hole were few in number. Not a lot of fighting, but enough to keep you on your toes. The sunset was spectacular (as they always are in the West Desert). The small family band that is running to the watering hole is new to me. I don’t think I have photographed them before. I will have to go back and see if I have.
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…
Fine Art Photos – Wild Horses
I have added a new tab on my homepage. It is labeled “Fine Art Photos”. Here are the Images that are on that page. Click on the tab for a full explanation of the photographs. To get back to my home page just click on the main title.
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 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.
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….