[Music]
I used to think I could prove just how
much I loved my horse when I was a
little girl by grooming him so nicely
all afternoon long and letting him
sneeze on me but I’ve learned so much
more about my love of horses since then
and the reason I’m talking about horses
today well they’re the subject of my
recent and most successful photographic
series titled horse now the success of
horse led me to discover that when you
connect to your personal story
it creates vision which brings the
momentum of success and freedom as an
artist and I’ve been a photographer for
17 years and I started my career
photographing babies and kids and now
I’m photographing high-profile leaders
in the corporate and military world and
in the past five years I’ve been in
exhibiting artists showing my work in
galleries around Australia so now I’m
telling stories about horses through my
photography so what made me create a
series of photographs about something
that seems so damn ordinary yet tells
the story of my love and challenges with
horses well it starts with my father my
father angela is a well-respected horse
trainer in canberra and for the past 50
years he’s made it his life’s work to
understanding horses on the deepest
level and he’s taught me how to
understand their language and that’s
something I never thought I would need
in my career as a photographer you see
my father’s depth of knowledge goes so
deep it’s like he knows what they’re
thinking and he can tell you what’s
about to happen in that paddock over
there with five horses who have one bale
of hay between them which horse is going
to be the first to eat and kick and bite
the others before it happens in front of
your eyes we always have so many
different horses coming going through
our life as my father trains them but
there’s only one horse our family horse
Chester who left a lasting impression on
me I learned to ride on Chester so he
built trust and confidence in me and he
said he said the standard for me about
what a horse should
be respectful trusting reliable Chester
was strong and powerful but had a gentle
presence my dad had described him a real
class act just one in a million horse
but one day on our farm in Hosken town
New South Wales when I was just 15 years
old I saw Chester laying in the grass in
a very scary position so I screamed out
to my dad in a panic who raced over and
could immediately see that Chester he
had a twisted bowel the worst my dad’s
ever seen he did everything he could to
try and save him but it was too late
Chester couldn’t be saved that day and
seeing him die
I knew I’d lost my friend and I remember
crying myself to sleep
that entire following week but the truth
be told I haven’t always felt confident
around horses in fact I could be so
nervous if I had to lead one of my
father’s tall and frisky thoroughbreds
and I never understood why some horses
made me feel like this and some horses I
felt completely confident and in control
but the way I see it now it’s all about
leadership and my dad’s always taught me
to be a leader and not a follower in
life because horses are a herd animal
they need a leader to keep them safe
from predators and survive and I know
I’m still learning to be a leader with
those horses that intimidate me but when
I was creating horse the series I had to
show my leadership to so many different
horses but when they came into my studio
space it was on my terms so I was able
to show complete confidence and control
so the horse series all started with an
idea I wanted to photograph individual
portraits of unbridled horses inside the
telescope building of the Mount Stromlo
Observatory which is now a ruin from the
Canberra bush fires it’s this here
you drowned concrete room that has
doorways with no doors and huge windows
without glass and no rooftop just open
to the beautiful sky I wasn’t interested
in photographing horses in pretty
landscapes I wanted to bring them into
my world and these portraits had to
represent horses the way I see them and
the way I saw our beloved horse Chester
strong powerful and showing presence but
was I mad to invite a horse to the top
of this mountain and turned his
telescope building into a photographic
studio with flashing lights and expect a
horse to stand completely still for its
portrait of course I was freaking mad
but something inside me knew that it
might be worth it so I was so excited to
tell my mentor here’s a photographer I
look up to as a working artist he also
exhibits his work and I shared my
exciting new idea with him but he said
to me grace I know how much you love
horses but for the sake of your career
don’t do it think of something else
something more original I couldn’t
believe this idea I was so excited about
wasn’t going to come to life he
basically kicked my imagination to the
curb but you know as time went on and I
was seeing other photographers doing
work that they were personally connected
to and having success with it gave me
the push I needed to start this work
with horses because deep down I knew
that if anyone and I mean anyone in this
world could do this work with horses it
had to be me
I had to knowledge and the passion for
horses I’ve loved them my whole life for
God’s sake and I had the skills in
photography so it was time for me to
make my art a reflection of my world and
be my own creative leader so I needed my
dad’s help to see if this idea was even
possible
nice explained the idea to him and he
said you want to do what with the horse
G there’s no doubt about you Gracie he
always says that when I give him such
crazy ideas and I said trust me dad it’s
going to look amazing but all I need you
to do for me is get up at six o’clock in
the morning so you can watch Pepe from
head to tail sparkling clean put him on
the truck drive him all the way up that
long narrow winding mountain to the top
of Mount Stromlo where I’ll meet you and
that’s where we’re gonna do the shoot
first test shot with Pepe turned out
exactly as I envisioned in my mind I
love how the tines in the horse and
mirroring the tines in the building just
so perfectly and look how he’s showing
his presence to me so strong and
powerful ah so excited with his image I
just couldn’t wait to do more and get
this new series of portraits under way
but I needed more horses I didn’t want
to photograph the ones my dad had so but
what if other people weren’t willing to
bring their horse to the top of that
mountain for me and then what if their
horses didn’t behave as well as my
father’s do and then how is it going to
find the right people to help me on this
shoot with the lighting equipment and
stuff that weren’t scared of horses man
this is a logistical nightmare but my
vision is so stronger I have to find a
way to do it and with Canberra having
the most horses per capita of any
Australian Capital City it was the
perfect place for me to search so I
started a Facebook campaign to find the
specific colors and breeds of horses I
wanted but some horses came on the sheet
well they weren’t like they appeared on
their application photos oh my god I
think it must be like online dating
where people are secretly using pictures
from two years ago when they were
younger and fitter and had better hair
but sourcing the horses was only the
beginning of my challenges to creating
this series
I’d say photographing a horse is twice
as difficult to photographing a kid for
a start there’s twice as many legs to
control because horses don’t stand still
for long or if they do they’re so damn
relaxed they’re practically falling
asleep standing up but this is Danny’s
portrait and then the horses ears are
moving all the time because they’re
constantly communicating showing their
emotion and expression and listening
with their is so it was vital that every
single portrait I took had the ears
pointed forward showing a positive
interest at alert looking horse but did
you know that ears move independently of
one another too so like while one is
moving forward the others pointing
toward his ass and I knew that used to
work together in a team but this is
Wesley’s portrait and then getting the
horse’s body and the legs into that
perfect position I’d get it just right
and then the horse just starts walking
out the door before I could even take
the picture this is blues portrait then
oh my god getting the horse’s attention
well for a kid you know a squeaky toy
works just fine but for a horse man we
tried everything from rustling the
carrot bags to jumping up and down like
lunatics to playing horse sounds to even
scuffing our thongs along the ground it
got stupid but this is Jerry Gemma’s
portrait and then there were the toilet
mishaps
I didn’t even think of this when I first
started this project so the first time a
horse did a big wet sloppy poo inside
the building all I had with me was a
dustpan and brush this is Jerry’s
portrait since then the horse named jock
comes along jock is a Shia stallion they
use him for breeding and he walked off
the horse flight and my jaw just dropped
because I’ve never seen a horse like him
before and immediately I was scheming
how can I convince my dad to start
investing in shire horses instead of
thoroughbreds but he had the grand
presence of a six foot tall bodybuilder
with his chunky chest and shoulders he
stands 18 hands high which is huge even
for a tall person like me are you all
know I’m not told he’s right with his
gorgeous golden belly on this shiny dark
coat and a long thick glamorous tail
that’s almost to the ground he’s posing
for me like a true supermodel looking me
straight in the eyes the perfect moment
well until I look a little closer and it
appears jock was way too excited to have
his picture taken
and that I was not willing to retouch
that’s enough of that you can see now
why it felt impossible with every single
horse everything had to align in order
to capture that perfect pose with the
perfect lighting composition and framing
all together in a fraction of a second
I wasn’t guaranteed any great results
but with patience and a shitload of
patience and determination I was able to
get a result like this now my vision was
ready to come to life after 12 months in
the making but this is when I really
started doubting myself and my work as
I’m sure you know other creatives out
there you can relate to that
well you jump on this emotional roller
coaster
one minute you feel like your works not
good enough the next minute you feel
like you need to start all over again
and the next minute you just love what
you’ve seen you think you’re a genius
but I needn’t have got so caught up in
all that drama because the result of
sharing horse was so much better than I
ever could have imagined and now the
opportunities that are coming my way
since the launch in 2016 not only to
share the making of this work but in
creating more work like this in the
future
you know I’ve sold more work in this one
exhibition then I have in my entire
photographic career horse was accepted
into the biggest Australian
international photography festival in
Sydney this year I’ve had interviews and
feature articles in various equestrian
magazines and interior blogs and
podcasts I’ve had invites to art shows
and it’s led me to stand on this big red
circle sharing my story with you because
hard work does pay off thank God for
that
and believing in your vision is so
necessary and telling your story is
worth it
so then what makes horse so different to
other exhibitions I’ve had in the past
well the other work I haven’t been as
personally connected to they weren’t as
successful and no opportunities came
from them they simply haven’t come from
my heart like horse does so then how do
I know that when you connect to your
personal story
it creates vision which brings the
momentum of success and freedom because
when you connect your personal story it
gives others around you something to
connect with also through their lived
experiences and that creates a whole new
network of possibility I know because I
have a sense of freedom and purpose in
my creative work and I can honestly tell
you I feel like I’ve found my true place
as an artist and that feels amazing
because I don’t have to be like anybody
else I’m my own creative leader you see
no one can tell your story like you can
your creative truth it comes from you
and only you can bring that into the
world something my mentor said to me was
unoriginal it turns out to be so
original because it’s my story and
nobody else has that you see your story
it belongs to you and you belong to your
story so let your art be a reflection of
your world by course is for me so what’s
your story you need to share with the
world
you
I used to think I could prove just how
much I loved my horse when I was a
little girl by grooming him so nicely
all afternoon long and letting him
sneeze on me but I’ve learned so much
more about my love of horses since then
and the reason I’m talking about horses
today well they’re the subject of my
recent and most successful photographic
series titled horse now the success of
horse led me to discover that when you
connect to your personal story
it creates vision which brings the
momentum of success and freedom as an
artist and I’ve been a photographer for
17 years and I started my career
photographing babies and kids and now
I’m photographing high-profile leaders
in the corporate and military world and
in the past five years I’ve been in
exhibiting artists showing my work in
galleries around Australia so now I’m
telling stories about horses through my
photography so what made me create a
series of photographs about something
that seems so damn ordinary yet tells
the story of my love and challenges with
horses well it starts with my father my
father angela is a well-respected horse
trainer in canberra and for the past 50
years he’s made it his life’s work to
understanding horses on the deepest
level and he’s taught me how to
understand their language and that’s
something I never thought I would need
in my career as a photographer you see
my father’s depth of knowledge goes so
deep it’s like he knows what they’re
thinking and he can tell you what’s
about to happen in that paddock over
there with five horses who have one bale
of hay between them which horse is going
to be the first to eat and kick and bite
the others before it happens in front of
your eyes we always have so many
different horses coming going through
our life as my father trains them but
there’s only one horse our family horse
Chester who left a lasting impression on
me I learned to ride on Chester so he
built trust and confidence in me and he
said he said the standard for me about
what a horse should
be respectful trusting reliable Chester
was strong and powerful but had a gentle
presence my dad had described him a real
class act just one in a million horse
but one day on our farm in Hosken town
New South Wales when I was just 15 years
old I saw Chester laying in the grass in
a very scary position so I screamed out
to my dad in a panic who raced over and
could immediately see that Chester he
had a twisted bowel the worst my dad’s
ever seen he did everything he could to
try and save him but it was too late
Chester couldn’t be saved that day and
seeing him die
I knew I’d lost my friend and I remember
crying myself to sleep
that entire following week but the truth
be told I haven’t always felt confident
around horses in fact I could be so
nervous if I had to lead one of my
father’s tall and frisky thoroughbreds
and I never understood why some horses
made me feel like this and some horses I
felt completely confident and in control
but the way I see it now it’s all about
leadership and my dad’s always taught me
to be a leader and not a follower in
life because horses are a herd animal
they need a leader to keep them safe
from predators and survive and I know
I’m still learning to be a leader with
those horses that intimidate me but when
I was creating horse the series I had to
show my leadership to so many different
horses but when they came into my studio
space it was on my terms so I was able
to show complete confidence and control
so the horse series all started with an
idea I wanted to photograph individual
portraits of unbridled horses inside the
telescope building of the Mount Stromlo
Observatory which is now a ruin from the
Canberra bush fires it’s this here
you drowned concrete room that has
doorways with no doors and huge windows
without glass and no rooftop just open
to the beautiful sky I wasn’t interested
in photographing horses in pretty
landscapes I wanted to bring them into
my world and these portraits had to
represent horses the way I see them and
the way I saw our beloved horse Chester
strong powerful and showing presence but
was I mad to invite a horse to the top
of this mountain and turned his
telescope building into a photographic
studio with flashing lights and expect a
horse to stand completely still for its
portrait of course I was freaking mad
but something inside me knew that it
might be worth it so I was so excited to
tell my mentor here’s a photographer I
look up to as a working artist he also
exhibits his work and I shared my
exciting new idea with him but he said
to me grace I know how much you love
horses but for the sake of your career
don’t do it think of something else
something more original I couldn’t
believe this idea I was so excited about
wasn’t going to come to life he
basically kicked my imagination to the
curb but you know as time went on and I
was seeing other photographers doing
work that they were personally connected
to and having success with it gave me
the push I needed to start this work
with horses because deep down I knew
that if anyone and I mean anyone in this
world could do this work with horses it
had to be me
I had to knowledge and the passion for
horses I’ve loved them my whole life for
God’s sake and I had the skills in
photography so it was time for me to
make my art a reflection of my world and
be my own creative leader so I needed my
dad’s help to see if this idea was even
possible
nice explained the idea to him and he
said you want to do what with the horse
G there’s no doubt about you Gracie he
always says that when I give him such
crazy ideas and I said trust me dad it’s
going to look amazing but all I need you
to do for me is get up at six o’clock in
the morning so you can watch Pepe from
head to tail sparkling clean put him on
the truck drive him all the way up that
long narrow winding mountain to the top
of Mount Stromlo where I’ll meet you and
that’s where we’re gonna do the shoot
first test shot with Pepe turned out
exactly as I envisioned in my mind I
love how the tines in the horse and
mirroring the tines in the building just
so perfectly and look how he’s showing
his presence to me so strong and
powerful ah so excited with his image I
just couldn’t wait to do more and get
this new series of portraits under way
but I needed more horses I didn’t want
to photograph the ones my dad had so but
what if other people weren’t willing to
bring their horse to the top of that
mountain for me and then what if their
horses didn’t behave as well as my
father’s do and then how is it going to
find the right people to help me on this
shoot with the lighting equipment and
stuff that weren’t scared of horses man
this is a logistical nightmare but my
vision is so stronger I have to find a
way to do it and with Canberra having
the most horses per capita of any
Australian Capital City it was the
perfect place for me to search so I
started a Facebook campaign to find the
specific colors and breeds of horses I
wanted but some horses came on the sheet
well they weren’t like they appeared on
their application photos oh my god I
think it must be like online dating
where people are secretly using pictures
from two years ago when they were
younger and fitter and had better hair
but sourcing the horses was only the
beginning of my challenges to creating
this series
I’d say photographing a horse is twice
as difficult to photographing a kid for
a start there’s twice as many legs to
control because horses don’t stand still
for long or if they do they’re so damn
relaxed they’re practically falling
asleep standing up but this is Danny’s
portrait and then the horses ears are
moving all the time because they’re
constantly communicating showing their
emotion and expression and listening
with their is so it was vital that every
single portrait I took had the ears
pointed forward showing a positive
interest at alert looking horse but did
you know that ears move independently of
one another too so like while one is
moving forward the others pointing
toward his ass and I knew that used to
work together in a team but this is
Wesley’s portrait and then getting the
horse’s body and the legs into that
perfect position I’d get it just right
and then the horse just starts walking
out the door before I could even take
the picture this is blues portrait then
oh my god getting the horse’s attention
well for a kid you know a squeaky toy
works just fine but for a horse man we
tried everything from rustling the
carrot bags to jumping up and down like
lunatics to playing horse sounds to even
scuffing our thongs along the ground it
got stupid but this is Jerry Gemma’s
portrait and then there were the toilet
mishaps
I didn’t even think of this when I first
started this project so the first time a
horse did a big wet sloppy poo inside
the building all I had with me was a
dustpan and brush this is Jerry’s
portrait since then the horse named jock
comes along jock is a Shia stallion they
use him for breeding and he walked off
the horse flight and my jaw just dropped
because I’ve never seen a horse like him
before and immediately I was scheming
how can I convince my dad to start
investing in shire horses instead of
thoroughbreds but he had the grand
presence of a six foot tall bodybuilder
with his chunky chest and shoulders he
stands 18 hands high which is huge even
for a tall person like me are you all
know I’m not told he’s right with his
gorgeous golden belly on this shiny dark
coat and a long thick glamorous tail
that’s almost to the ground he’s posing
for me like a true supermodel looking me
straight in the eyes the perfect moment
well until I look a little closer and it
appears jock was way too excited to have
his picture taken
and that I was not willing to retouch
that’s enough of that you can see now
why it felt impossible with every single
horse everything had to align in order
to capture that perfect pose with the
perfect lighting composition and framing
all together in a fraction of a second
I wasn’t guaranteed any great results
but with patience and a shitload of
patience and determination I was able to
get a result like this now my vision was
ready to come to life after 12 months in
the making but this is when I really
started doubting myself and my work as
I’m sure you know other creatives out
there you can relate to that
well you jump on this emotional roller
coaster
one minute you feel like your works not
good enough the next minute you feel
like you need to start all over again
and the next minute you just love what
you’ve seen you think you’re a genius
but I needn’t have got so caught up in
all that drama because the result of
sharing horse was so much better than I
ever could have imagined and now the
opportunities that are coming my way
since the launch in 2016 not only to
share the making of this work but in
creating more work like this in the
future
you know I’ve sold more work in this one
exhibition then I have in my entire
photographic career horse was accepted
into the biggest Australian
international photography festival in
Sydney this year I’ve had interviews and
feature articles in various equestrian
magazines and interior blogs and
podcasts I’ve had invites to art shows
and it’s led me to stand on this big red
circle sharing my story with you because
hard work does pay off thank God for
that
and believing in your vision is so
necessary and telling your story is
worth it
so then what makes horse so different to
other exhibitions I’ve had in the past
well the other work I haven’t been as
personally connected to they weren’t as
successful and no opportunities came
from them they simply haven’t come from
my heart like horse does so then how do
I know that when you connect to your
personal story
it creates vision which brings the
momentum of success and freedom because
when you connect your personal story it
gives others around you something to
connect with also through their lived
experiences and that creates a whole new
network of possibility I know because I
have a sense of freedom and purpose in
my creative work and I can honestly tell
you I feel like I’ve found my true place
as an artist and that feels amazing
because I don’t have to be like anybody
else I’m my own creative leader you see
no one can tell your story like you can
your creative truth it comes from you
and only you can bring that into the
world something my mentor said to me was
unoriginal it turns out to be so
original because it’s my story and
nobody else has that you see your story
it belongs to you and you belong to your
story so let your art be a reflection of
your world by course is for me so what’s
your story you need to share with the
world
you
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