Tag: horse

Palo Duro Canyon – Part 5

by Michael

Welcome to part 5, or day 3 part 1 if you will. Today was our 31st anniversary and we celebrated by going horseback riding in the canyon. We selected Palo Duro Riding Stables for this because they have history here. They are a third generation operation, and we just loved everything we read about them. To jump to the end, we loved them and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for this experiance!

The beautiful bride and “Forrest”

Karen was assigned to ride “Forrest”. The story behind his name is that when he was young, he had an issue with his legs and had to wear special braces. Once the braces were removed, he was so happy he just started running and someone yelled “Run, Forrest! Run!” The name stuck. He was a great horse!

The bride taking a shot at the groom

We were blessed with a beautiful day for this ride. It wasn’t too hot and the trail meandered through areas of sun and shade. It also provided many magnificent views of the canyon!

Palo Duro canyon from horseback

During the ride we were regaled with tales of the canyon and the history of this family run business. There have been many of the Hollywood crowd that has gone through here over the years. One name that jumped out to me was Ben Johnson. He was an actor in many great western shows and movies in the past, and like us, originally from Oklahoma. If you have watched many westerns, you have likely seen him.

Obligatory Photo Stop

Michael’s horse was named “Coyote”. He was described as the herd’s alpha. Of course, they may have said that just to make Michael feel good. He was after all wearing his big hat. They also said that Coyote was a “union horse”, meaning that he decides to take union breaks whenever he feels like it. Any time we stopped he would need to take a moment to chew on whatever plant was nearby. A gentle nudge and he would be ready to go again though. His union breaks did present time for photo taking, so it wasn’t altogether a bad thing.

That smile alone was worth the cost of admission

As you can tell from the above photo, Karen had a blast, as did Michael. We have watched a lot of westerns and always comment about what amazing animals horses are. They are so strong and endure so much, yet at the same time can be so fragile. We just love them.

Jesse, third generation owner of Palo Duro Stables

According to their web site:

Jesse Sorenson is 3rd generation here at PDRS. Growing up in the saddle with a gun on his hip, Jesse spent his childhood entertaining folks from all over the world. Many of the horses in the PDRS herd are direct descendants from the horses that Jesse rode as a kid.

https://paloduroridingstables.com/about
Jesse’s girl, Kristin

The trail leader for our ride was Kristin, Jesse’s wife and mother to their children. She had plenty of stories about the place and the many famous visitors they have had over the years. Both Jesse and Kristin were very friendly and again, I highly recommend their place if you want to see the canyon from horseback.

The neighbor’s horses

During the ride I noticed up on the rim of the canyon, three horses. We were amazed that there didn’t appear to be a fence along the canyon wall. But with that said, we found this to be a very picturesque scene.

Photo op spot

As our trail ride was ending, we came to the pre-assigned “photo op” spot, where Jesse took one of our cameras and took this photo of us together on horseback. What a great memory for our anniversary! Apparently, Coyote has a habit of mugging for the camera and making faces any time a camera comes out, so several photos had to be taken before getting one without him making a crazy face. Don’t tell me that horses don’t have personalities!

Let us take this time to once again give a big thumbs up to Jesse and Kristin at Palo Duro Riding Stables. We could not have asked for a more friendly couple to take us riding on our anniversary. If you are in the area and want to take a ride through the canyon, I can’t recommend them enough! Check them out.

Next time, we’ll be chasing a sunset in the canyon.

See you then,

Michael & Karen

All words and photos copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography

Cristina and Lucy

by Michael

Remember back in 2019 when I posted that changes were a-coming? The idea was that I would be adding more portrait photography into my work. Then, just as things were picking up, 2020 happened and we all know what that year brought. 2021 wasn’t much better and the last thing on most people’s mind was new portraits. The economy was tanking and a large portion of the world was hunkering down in their homes. Now we are in 2022. And while still having its own challenges, it is starting to see people get out and mingle once again. And for me, I had the chance to get out and mingle “wildlife” and portrait photography together in one session when I was asked to do a senior shoot for Christina and her horse, Lucy! Of course, you know I jumped at that opportunity!

We met at a local ranch where Lucy stays, and the shoot began. We started by allowing Lucy to get used to me and the equipment. As much as I love animals, I also respect them, especially when they are much larger than me. I let her smell me, my camera, exposed her to the flash, and all went well. I might add, we did all that BEFORE Christina got on her back.

Then we started the photography with a few shots of Christina riding Lucy. We were still letting Lucy get comfortable with the camera equipment and me just to make sure there would be no surprises.

Once we were all comfortable with each other and how each of us worked we did a few closeup shots.

And since this was a “senior shoot” after all, the obligatory cap-n-gown shots were a must. At this point we are all feeling pretty comfortable together and Christina and Lucy are both being total professionals and easy to work with.

Then came time for a wardrobe switch and a change of scenery. We moved inside of the stable and got a few studio type shots. This is the first time I’ve used a stable as a studio, but in this case, it was the perfect setting.

Time was wearing on, but our goal was to get some shots during the sunset, so we continued. We took a few in a few more settings and then the sun began its descent out of the sky. This brought us that beautiful sunset light we were waiting for. So we set up our position and let God light the scene.

At the end of the day, Christina and Lucy were great to work with. I had the happy chance to combine two styles of shooting, and Christina ended up with some portraits that she can be proud of. So, a win-win for everyone!

So, just a reminder that now things are starting to return to normal, I still do portrait sessions, with or without animals. If you are in need of portraits, be it for a senior, a family, or other, give me a shout and we’ll see what we can get scheduled! I am based in the Overton, TX area and look forward to taking your photo!

Until Next Time,

Michael

All words and photos copyright 2022 MHampton Photography 
Equipment used: Assorted Canon bodies and lenses