Category / cloud the stallion

by Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography

GETTING READY for the MUSTANG WALKABOUT 2016

Today I took out and examined my equipment (happy dance)…

Camera: I bring a Canon 7D Mark ii and a back-up Canon Rebel T3ii. The lenses fit both. I usually have them professionally cleaned over the winter so they are ready for the spring, summer, and autumn photography trips.

Lenses: I use a 100-400mm image stabilised Canon lens most of the time. The Rebel has a 18-135 mm for panoramic vistas. I carry both in the field to make sure my lenses overlap. I also have a 18-55 mm but that won’t cover the area from 55-100 mm so I bring the 18-135 mm. This way I have a full range of lens choice that overlap. A lot of camera stores sell refurbished used lenses and this is a great way to get a lens for a reduced price.  You must have a lens with a minimum distance of 300 mm because you cannot approach the horses closer than 100 feet in most management areas so a long lens is crucial.

Memory Cards: I buy new cards every year. The most important thing is the speed and the size. Get a size that you won’t have to swap cards out frequently, but make sure to have extras. I find the highest speeds to be the best for mustang photography. For the SD Cards, go for 90-95mb/sec read/write and Class 3. Compact Flash Cards come in 120mb/s for the high speed setting. You want to be able to use the camera’s rapid fire capability, so you’ll want the card to match the speed of the camera. I also recommend many smaller sized cards versus one huge card. I usually carry 64MB, 32MB and few 16MB.

If something spectacular happens (and it often does), those photos may turn out to be some of your best work, take the card out of the camera and put it in a safe place when the action is over. The precious photos will be safe and you won’t have to deal with a card failure (rare, but it happens). I kept my first photos of Picasso on a CF Card and carried all the way home after backing it up multiple times.  Another trick- I keep empty cards in my right pocket, and used cards in my left. They are numbered 1,2,3 etc and this way I instantly know what cards are used and which are empty.

Batteries: I carry four. Two are in the battery-grip for the camera all the time and so far, I haven’t had to replace the double battery even after 12 hours of shooting. But I always carry four freshly charged batteries in the field. The back-up camera has a single battery and I carry a spare. We charge them using car charger adaptors or we also use a PowerVerter or Power Inverter which offers plugs and uses the car lighter for the power source. We charge batteries while we drive to save time.

Monopod/Tripod: There are wonderful to stabilise your camera. At places like the waterhole, there is a lot of action going on all the time. Karen usually has one leg of her tripod extended and she will drop the other two if it looks like we will be stationary for a while. I usually carry the tripod with all three legs extended.

External Hard Drives: I carry a 2TB hard drive and a ColorSpace UDMA2 and I upload every night. I don’t even look at the photos until they are backed-up on two external hard drives and then, sparingly. Once I am home, they get backed up via the Cloud and the hard drive goes into the safe. Only then do I go through all the photos. The nice part about the ColorSpace is functions as a hard drive AND as a file viewer with a nice sized LCD screen.

Computer/ Laptop: I bring my Macbook into the field. It is very light and has a nice sized screen. I opted for the Macbook over the Macbook-Air because the Macbook run Photoshop- always useful to have to examine photos if necessary or after they are backed-up.

Binoculars: As an avid bird watcher, I have a good sturdy pair. You’ll need them for the bands in the distance.  I have a simple pair of 8×42 Bushnell.

Sundries:

  • Snake bite kit, yes there are snakes out on the range. So far, no one has been bitten, just watch where you put your feet at all times. The Prairie Rattlesnake is generally docile but even the shyest snake will bite if it is stepped on. Some people wear snake-gaiters and I carry a pair.
  • Sunscreen- tons of the stuff
  • Cooling evaporative towel (Frog Tog)
  • Lens cleaning kits
  • Storm covers- some of the best photos are just before a storm but protect your camera at all times.
  • Food/water/cellphone with car charger

*Always let some know where you are, how long you plan to be there and when you expect to return.

by Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography

2015- a new year begins…


Corona’s Band. Sand Wash Basin, Colorado ’14
Happy New Year 2015

The past year was a wonderful one for Equus ferus- Wild Horse Photography. We were given the prestigious honor of participating in the Cloud Foundation Art and Music Festival in Colorado Springs over the summer and, to our delight, we sold prints. We had a successful Mustang Walkabout (our summer trip out west to photograph the mustangs) and continue to sell photographs, calendars and prints. We opened an e-store at Red Bubble and are slowly adding to the items fans may purchase.  If you see a photo you’d like as an iPhone cover or mouse pad- or even correctly proportioned for an iPhone or Android (those are free), please don’t hesitate to ask; we can make it happen. Remember all net proceeds from our sales go back to the mustangs!!!

Perhaps the most important event in 2014 was attaining a quarter of a million fans and later passing the 300,000 fan mark. Without our fans, we are just another ordinary Facebook horse-related page. So by way of thanks, we will continue to randomly give away items such as our 2015 Calendar “The Stallion Edition”, and next year, we’ll have The Foal Edition” so stay tuned.
Picasso of the Sand Wash Basin, Colorado ’13
We are planning our summer 2015 Mustang Walkabout and we will visit the Sand Wash Basin, the McCullough Peaks, the Pryor Mountains, Little Book Cliffs and anything interesting along the way. However, before the summer, I will visit the Salt River in Arizona while attending a Mayo Clinic medical conference. I am probably the only person who finds medical conferences based solely on their proximity to wild mustangs. In the fall I will be in Salt Lake City for another conference and therefore will be obligated to visit the Onaqui HMA.
This summer also saw an end to my right anterior cruciate ligament, my medial collateral ligament and both meniscus were torn in my right knee. Since I performed this amazing orthopaedic trick two decades earlier, the ligament used to repair my torn ligament had to be borrowed from a cadaver. I will be spared during the Zombie Apocalypse since I already have a zombie part in my knee, or so my daughter Abigail cheerfully informed me. I had to take an unintended break from riding, Okinawan Kobudo, and even my 34 string Celtic Floor Harp- but I am back at the harp, will start up Kobudo in February and riding will wait until the spring. I was however, able to remain in school this semester, continued editing/posting photos during my convalescence and did not have to take much time off from my job.
I am hoping in 2015 to continue editing the photos collected throughout the year and to have an amazing time with the mustangs so we can bring them to you. I am always available to anyone who is interested in going out to see them; it is easier than you think- just email me. If you happen to be in the neighborhood of the horse management areas in the summer… I’ll guide you out there myself.

We will also be starting a series on ‘Equine Coat Colour’ where we’ll explore the genetics behind the marvellously coloured mustangs… 
Best wishes for health, happiness and joy for 2015
Cloud and I. Pryor Mountains, Montana ’14

by Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography

THE SUMMER 2014 ADVENTURE WITH THE MUSTANGS!

Let the Mustang 2014 Summer Adventure begin!!!!

I’ll be sending photos and blog entries for our adventures this summer as we travel west to find the mustangs. Ahead for the Summer 2014 are the McCullough Peaks, Sand Wash Basin, Spring Creek Basin, possibly Little Book Cliffs and the Cloud Foundation Celebration of Wild Horses Art and Music. 
The three photographs below are our contribution to this milestone event. Last summer Ben took “The Chase” at the tender age of eight, Abby’s met “Cloud’s Encore” at age ten… they both carry Canon Rebel 3t’s which are light and I used my Canon 7D to snap “The Emissary” below. Cloud is often referred to as the ‘ambassador’ of wild mustangs, hence the derivation of the title. This is the first time all three are being presented together…
The Chase by Benjamin Lowder

The Encore by Abigail Lowder

The Emissary by Meredith Lowder

* Please remember we don’t get this close to the horses except the crazy stallions that decided running straight at three small humans would be an excellent idea… Abby and I both use a 100-300mm Canon lens. Abby got much closer to the Cloud’s daughter Encore than any of us intended… except perhaps for Encore.