“Les Chevaux Blancs de Camargue”
The White Horses of Camargue

The white horses of Camargue live wild in the tough milieu of the wetlands and marshes where the two arms of the Rhone river delta and Mediterranean Sea meet in Provence, southern France.  They have been called “the horse of the sea” and have inhabited this region for thousands of years. They are one of the oldest horse breeds in the world, have lived wild and developed stamina, hardiness and agility.  Today they live in semi-feral conditions in the marsh lands on sanctuaries that cover an area of over 360 sq.miles.    The Gardians - Camargue Cowboys - are known as “keepers of the horses”.  The Gardians duties with the horses have been passed down for generations within their families.  

Photographing the horses was probably the most physically and mentally challenging journey I have found in all my years of photography.  I would gear up in the early morning hours with waders up to my chest, a mosquito net over my head and hike with my equipment on my back to swamps, ponds, beaches and fields to find these beautiful horses with their Guardians.  The elements of early mornings, late evenings, cold, rain, mosquitos, splashing, mud and water were present every day.   Access is a key part of photographing these horses.  I was able to travel to the inward locations of the sanctuaries.  Once on location, I would wait for the horses to approach with the herding and directions from the Gardians.  Hearing the sound of the horses and feeling the vibration of mud and waters gave a heads up.  The visual component was fast and moving.  I was in constant motion from keeping my feet moving to prevent getting stuck in the mud to moving camera lens to capture the composition and direct eye contact with the horses.  I had to move quickly to capture the moment.    I used only natural or available light in these photos.  I captured a sense of place not in every photo but to tell a more complete story within the image.