Wow!

Monday, we had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a hitch of eight Budweiser Clydesdales at the Eastern States Exposition, or the “Big E,” in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Now, I am not a small person but to me, these horses were huge. Their feet were longer than my size thirteens and twice as wide, but can you imagine what they must look like from stroller height?

Whenever we have one of these rare opportunities, we shoot from all sides and all heights from over our heads and down to our ankles. We photographed their feet, the harnesses, their drivers, the wheels, their noses, and even their bobbed tails. While it may seem like overkill to most people, the results are incredible.

Photographers often develop a level of concentration that seems to bond with the subject as they begin to see nuances and details that no one else sees. From ankle height, behind the hitch, I watched the boy in the stroller until he connected with the massive horse in front of him, and all he could do was say, “Wow!” It was my last shot of the Clydesdales, but it was the best.