Whimsical & Wondrous - Sarah & Duke

One evening as I was settling down to bed I received an email from Sarah about a portrait photography session. Normally I don’t open emails past a certain time of the day, but from what I could see before opening it I knew I would want to read this. Sarah described a deep bond between herself and her horse that passed away nearly ten years ago. It took her a long time to recover from the loss of that friend, and when only recently was she ready to open herself back up to that kind of friendship again, Duke and Sarah found each other. After experiencing such a meaningful relationship with her old horse and having found a new friendship again, she wanted to mark this moment with photography and of course I was delighted to be asked. This is a dream come true for a portrait photographer!

Duke is less horse and more puppy, in my opinion - joyful, playful, sweet, funny and boisterous. Of course when I read her email I had visions of when I used to look at pictures of Jewel sleeping on the belly of her horses in the valleys of Alaska, and I would go to sleep dreaming of this hazy romantic story of a woman and her horse. When we began shooting though I quickly realized Duke was not going to lay still for anyone to be napping...Instead, it was energy, life, humor, vitality and movement that we were gifted with in this portrait session.

We took our time in the stables, meandering the grassy paths to the forest, and finally running free in the fields to tell their story. I was so deeply moved and honored to be asked to witness this kind of bond that really does go beyond words. Thank you, beautiful Sarah, and sweet Duke, for allowing me a wee peek into the goodness of your souls.