Barry Hart...Inspiration
First and foremost, I am passionately inspired by the horse. It was the horse that led me to a deep appreciation of God's miraculous creation. It is the horse that repeatedly awakens in me a burning desire to convey to others what I see and what I feel. Because of the horse, I have learned that through the magic of a good photograph, I am able to preserve and share many of the miracles that I am blessed to observe.
I'm endlessly fascinated by the interaction of of horses and humans, especially humans of the cowboy variety. As a former horse trainer who continues to dabble at that art, I'm blessed with certain insights into equine behavior that gives me something of an an edge. Timing is everything and for me it is a great blessing that I can feel a moment coming before it actually starts to happen--little things like a yawn, the roll of an eye, a faraway gaze, a sudden alertness, a struggle between man and animal, a misstep that is likely to cause a fall.
Add to this the the irresistible allure of the old West--particularly to this photographer who has yearned toward other that place and that other time since I was a kid playing stick ball on the mean streets of New York and you will understand what drives me...and drives me...and drives me.
Gypsy at the Round Up
Once a year a ranch in Northern Arizona has a Cattle Round up. They invite many friends to join and make a weekend of it. I was the photographer Invited to capture the "Moments". While there I found only one Arabian horse, Gypsy, who was working the cattle.
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It is not unusual for the Arabian community to see Gypsy having a lot of Cow in her. But the standard for these folks is mostly Quarter horses. I watched Gypsy work hard, she loved her job. It was a great horse to see blending in with the others at work,
But I found her exotic and upset when she was not allowed to participate in sorting and branding. That is the moment I caught this great Photograph of her tied to the rail and anxious. She obviously begged to differ with the Cowboy's opinion of her abilities.
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A photographers Dream! A man & his horse against the Arizona Sunset coming to "A Meeting of the Minds" Having a chance to work with one of the greats in the Trick Horse Industry is always such a pleasure, he and his wife and his extraordinary horses are the absolute best!
Imagine you are in Colorado and you are there to shoot a Springtime Round Up! Well Springtime brought a nice snowy day but that didn't stop the cowboys from suiting up and showing up!
I was able to get this great shot of this cowboy gettin ready to get that round up started. Nothing like them, cannot be compared to City Folk, who would be looking for shelter and calling it no work day due to unexpected snow.
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So much gratitude for the guys who still call this the best job in the world! Keeping the Old West alive and beef on our tables, we surely owe them the respect they so much deserve. Love this shot, make sure you don't miss these when you are on the job with your camera, always be aware of what is happening around you.
Hope to see you on a regular basis to share my Passions!