Central California is currently in the midst of a devastating drought. Among these dry and dusty conditions, a herd of wild mustangs continues to survive. This photo, California Mustangs At Sunset, was taken near the Eastern Sierras of Central California on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - the summer solstice.
Two photos from my upcoming California Mustangs series have earned top honors in the peer juried Equine Photographers Network Summer Solstice Project competition. This unique contest encourages photographers to document the life of the horse and illustrate their surrounding and relationships on the summer solstice, June 21. As you may recall, thanks to my dear friend Laura Roberts, I had the very rare and unique opportunity to photograph these BLM mustangs in the high desert of central California earlier this summer. As luck would have it, our adventure just happened to fall on June 21, making these images eligible for the EPN Summer Solstice Project competition. Competing against other photos taken by professional equine photographers around the globe, California Mustangs at Sunset and California Mustangs - The Duel at Dusk, both earned top honors in the peer juried contest, with California Mustangs at Sunset receiving the most votes overall and The Duel at Dusk finishing in the top eight. In addition, I was the only photographer to have two photos place in the top eight. There is perhaps no greater prize than to have fellow professionals judge your work as worthy, and for that, I am quite humbled and honored. A huge thanks to the Equine Photographers Network for putting on this contest and for the outstanding prize of a six-month membership. Images are available for purchase at special pre-release pricing. Please contact me for more details.
Two wild mustang stallions duel at dusk - a reminder that these stunning creatures are both beautiful and wild. They can go from peacefully grazing to posturing for herd position in the blink of an eye, as happened here with these stallions. This photo, California Mustangs - The Duel at Dusk, was taken at dusk near the Eastern Sierras of Central California on Saturday, June 21, 2014 - the summer solstice.