Alayna, Biscuit, and Hank
It’s always a gift to work with a client multiple times over the years. Every time we meet we will have each evolved in spirit, life, and work.
When I look back at my first shoot with Crook County rider, Alayna Neville, I can see how fresh my eyes were to horse + rider portraiture and reflect on how much they have sharpened over the years. I can also see how Alayna’s confidence in her horsemanship skills has grown. It was so lovely to come together again and both bring what we now know.
For this shoot, our number one priority was playing with water! We wondered, where could we access wide streams or pools of water that were both relatively close to Prineville and a shorter hike up the trail?
(Side note: the July summer temps have been HOT; therefore, we wanted to shoot either in the morning or at dusk. If we shot early-early morning, we could work our way up a longer trail as temps would be less of a challenge and daylight would be plenty. If we shot at golden hour, we had to keep an eye on time and be sure that we would arrive back at the trailhead before sunset, so that we weren’t left out in the woods nor driving home at dark.)
We settled on Twin Pillars Trail / Twin Pillars Trailhead, off NE Mill Creek Road (Forest Service Road 33), off Rt. 26, about 8 miles past Prineville if headed East. The turn onto Mill Creek is at the end of Ochoco Reservoir on the opposite side of the road.
The 10-11mi. drive on Mill Creek up into the forest is beautiful. Fields of horses greet you on the right followed by old homesteads and swaths of golden grasses. You’ll even catch a nice view of Steins Pillar* (SP trailhead access is also off Mill Creek Road earlier in the drive, and this easy-moderate hiking trail is GORGEOUS.) The first half of the journey to Twin Pillars is paved road while the second half is dusty gravel. Plan to drive at a moderate speed with a horse trailer taking care with the curves.
The parking lot at the trailhead is large. The Wildcat campground is nearby. The trail itself runs along a creek with lots of foliage and wildflowers. I plan to return on my own with the dogs for a long training hike.
(See this post by Holly Blogs Her Adventures for more pics of the facilities.)
The views of Steins Pillar and fields along Millcreek Road.
Taking a photo shoot to the trail, and in the water, was totally new for me, and this experience taught me so much about framing images, working with varying levels of ground, adjusting my style to a verdant green backdrop (I’m a dusty desert gal), and playing with water!
I’m happy to say, there were FOUR stream crossings within the first couple of miles of trail and they each provided a different view.
Below, are some images to get your palate wet.
There were also some lovely open field spots for still pics. Purple and white wildflowers sprinkled themselves throughout the grasses.
Oh, Hank! When you are a 32 year old horse, you can smile for the camera however you’d like!
Trail Snaps.
Notes for Photographers:
To get the best shots on this trail, look for tree clusters that frame the image and center your rider. Dramatize perspective by using the trail as a visual lead. Don’t be afraid of shooting high and low as your rider heads up and down the trail. Seek out curves in the trails and the streams. And bring solid hiking sneakers and/or water shoes! There is no way around getting your feet wet crossing the streams.
See the bts pics (and some pics that didn’t make the portfolio cut) below for reference.
We were running out of daylight and time when this photo was taken at the end of our shoot, and I had one opportunity to snap images. If there was a second run, I would position myself on the rider’s left side at the bottom corner of the trail where dirt and river rock meet. I would use a wide angle lens to enhance the volume of the horse’s shoulders and capture some of that dust to activate the senses. Every shoot is an opportunity to grow our skills.
Now, this photo I consider a success, because it highlights the horse’s muscles and splash of the water. To capture this photo, I stood in front of the rider IN the water using a 100mm lens with wide aperture.
Notes for Photographers (cont.):
If you are planning for an evening/dusk shoot on the trail, arrive in the late afternoon. Give yourselves plenty of time to explore the trail and take pics from both east and west views. The sun sets behind the hills far earlier on the trail than it does in the open field. So, if you are wanting to catch the prime evening light that usually hits at 8pm mid-summer, plan to take those shots at 7-7:30pm.
Lastly, if you are driving home through Prineville, remember to stop at Tastee Treat! It’s a local landmark with wonderful old-school diner food, awesome milkshakes, and super prices. You’ll feel as though you stepped back in time. Seriously!
