Fine art photograph with museum acrylic and black frame. 58" x 42"

The Camargue horse is a tough, ancient breed from the wetlands of southern France. They live in semi-wild herds, looked after by the Camargue Gardians, who use them to herd the region's famous black bulls. I spent three days around the Aigues-Mortes area, dividing my time between the woodlands, beaches and marshes.

Sunrise is my favourite time to photograph horses. The heat of the day hasn't quite arrived, and the light is soft, golden and beautiful. On this particular morning, I'd been in the marsh for a while with a group of around twelve horses and their Gardians. They were being moved from one end of the marsh to the other, stopping halfway to rest in the water.

As is so often the case, I'd actually been photographing a different part of the herd when I turned around and saw these two together. I couldn't have asked for a better composition. The gentleness of the mare's gaze in front draws you straight in. There was something so quiet and connected about them, and there was a soulfulness that was palpable.