Getting to Know Cara Taylor Swift
Image courtesy of horsedrivephotos.com
Equestrian Portrait Specialist from St. Augustine, Florida
Well, here it is. The New Year is upon us.
Honestly, I feel excited!
What is it about the calendar flipping from December 31st to Jan 1st that feels so NEW?
I've never been a new year’s resolution person, it's just not in my nature to be so.... planny, but as a business owner, goals have been set and intentions established for this year. I'm excited about where Fast Horse Photography will be by this time next year. Sharing this space with all of you who enjoy the stories, and cheer for the success of small business owners. Or just like to see pretty pictures of horses and their humans. I'm here for that too!
Looking back for a sec… don’t be too quick to judge. Ok so 2020 got a bad reputation... for a good reason, but we know it wasn't ALL bad. Claim out loud one good thing that happened to you last year...
Whew, it feels good to say that... LAST YEAR!
Come on… just one thing that brought you joy, something you can acknowledge, or something you are proud of. Take a moment to celebrate the little wins.
As you plan your 2021 year, what you hope to happen, it’s essential to look back at what you did right and what you would change. Embrace the beauty of your life from last year — the good that happened in the middle of the chaos.
Image courtesy of imagequine.com
One of my "resolutions" for 2021 is to be more PRESENT… in the moment, when exploring this world, regardless if it's with friends, family, or for image gathering trips with Fast Horse Photography.
To spend less time worrying about capturing EVERYTHING, and more time EXPERIENCING all the sights and sounds around me with my senses!
I want to breathe in the smell of the sage as I kick my way through it. I want to listen to the sound of the palmettos rustling in the warm Florida breeze.
I want to watch the world through the eyes of my son as he sees something new.
Let’s celebrate together. Everything is better when it’s shared with others.
So… as we kick off the new year, I thought it would be fun to tell you some things about me and my family as we move forward. Give you a chance to get to know the gal behind the lens.
My Family
Where to begin?
Well, back in the day, my hubby and I were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. Before you could search for someone on Facebook or Instagram to see what they looked like. Imagine that. I just got a new puppy and spent the entire evening talking about him. Even pulling out photos to share. I’m not sure how we made it to a second date as I was obviously such a nerd. Lord willing, here we are 15 years later.
The hubs is a 5th generation Conch — being from Key West, Florida. An island boy! If you are not from these parts and don’t know what that means you can read up on why people from Key West are called Conchs. It’s a pretty interesting part of our nation’s history.
His relationship with horses is, well… by default. Petting them across the fence is what he prefers. While he doesn’t want anything to do with horses, he loves and respects how happy they make me and is quick to encourage me to go for a ride when I start to get that haggard stressed out look on my face. Hahaha!
We live in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida, known as the nation’s oldest city. Founded in 1565.
Oh, I love it here. We have a beautiful historic district, and also the wild beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.
We didn’t start in St. Augustine though. Many years ago, while deciding where we wanted to plant our roots and buy a home we planned the ultimate journey. We took a long leave from our jobs, packed up a little pull along pop-up camper and our border collie, and spent three months traveling the United States... and a bit of Mexico, looking for where we wanted to settle. An adventure I will treasure always.
After all that travel we decided that St. Augustine was our city and a few months later we moved into a cute little house and we've been in this area ever since!
You couldn’t pick a better place to have a family. Cobblestone streets. Historic Neighborhoods. Small-town living. Farmer’s markets. Local flavor. And, the beautiful beach. The perfect place to raise my little guy.
Image courtesy of imagequine.com
My son is the funniest 7-year-old on the planet. Truly.
His sense of adventure and ability to be in the moment to catch the subtleties of life is awe-inspiring. I can’t look at that kid without grinnin’ from ear to ear.
We have fun in our home and you can often find us laughing… at boy antics.
This morning while my son was eating his waffles and strawberries we played one of his favorite games.... 'Would You Rather'. I'd say this question game is second only to 'What's Grosser Than Gross' which is also a crowd favorite at breakfast... for some reason.
These moments at the table, as I laugh and giggle with my son, I realize the true beauty of life. Being and laughing. No agenda. No worries. Man, I love that kid.
At Thanksgiving, I asked my son to tell me about his ideal meal for the holiday. Well, bet you couldn’t guess… or maybe you could… It includes Oreos, cheeseburgers, cake, ice cream (x3), blue Gatorade, and french fries. Why do they ALWAYS pick the blue Gatorade?
Today, that son of mine skipped off to school in mismatched pajamas and rainbow socks pulled up over the bottom of the PJ pants. Keepin’ it real over here!
I love my family and the amazing memories we make. We love to travel together, hike with the dogs, and spend time on the beach. We play a lot of board games together. And, of course, contemplate what is grosser than gross. Send me some good ones if you have any?
A Lifetime Love of Horses
I’ve had horses in my life for as long as I can remember.
My mother is a horsewoman and dreamed of owning a horse of her own as a child. When she was an adult she bought her first horse and I am pretty sure we always had horses in our family.
My parents made sacrifices, I am sure, to ensure that we could keep horses in our life.
I grew up as a country kid spending my days outdoors riding horses. We competed in Western, English, and barrel racing on our local show circuit and did well. We turned our backyard horses into local champs while practicing in the neighbor’s alfalfa field. We jumped homemade tree limb jumps we drug out of the woods.
Probably the most vivid memory I have of being on horseback is riding my little brown pony named Buddy. He was a Shetland. Very naughty...and came into my life when I was seven. Same age my son is now actually!
I remember my mother and I riding together. I was bareback and every time we attempted to canter Buddy would drop his head to the ground and I went toppling over the top of him. I remember getting so angry and stomping my feet, most likely crying. My mother told me to get my butt back on that pony. NOW!
I wasn’t allowed to ride in a saddle for like an entire year after that — or at least that’s what I remember feeling like.
It was honestly the best thing for me to learn to stick to a horse. She sure knew a thing or two about making me an accomplished rider. Thanks, mom.
I remember we had a beautiful buckskin horse named Joe — our “show horse”. We all rode him. From the very youngest in Leadline to both my parents in Western Pleasure and English. Often, we had back to back tack changes as we switched saddles between classes. And sometimes, we kids had to switch shoes if we didn’t have enough boots to fit us all. We are talkin’ ultimate resourcefulness.
Wanna know the BEST part? The day after the horse show… if we won enough money, we’d all go as a family to Shoney's Breakfast Buffet. Oh man… the greatest thing ever!
Finding Freedom with Horses
From a young age, I recognized the soul connection I had with horses. The freedom being atop their backs galloping with the wind in my face. Opportunities to be wild and carefree.
I always felt free when riding.
My most vivid and exhilarating memory came when I was a teen. Growing up, we lived in a 100+-year-old farmhouse down a long pot-holed dirt lane. The lane was fenced on both sides and surrounded by both pasture and a section of woods before opening up to our yard.
The potholes were so large that most of my friends’ parents wouldn’t risk driving their cars down to my house to drop me off in fear of damaging their car. So they would drop me at the end of the lane and I would walk home.
Often our horses were allowed to graze on the lane. One night I was dropped off late, after dark, and was not looking forward to the long, cold walk through the woods to get to my house.
Just my luck, our little herd of horses was waiting at the gate by the main road. I stepped through the gate and gave them all scratches and snuggled into their warm coats.
I got the brilliant idea to just jump up on one of them to see if they would walk me home. Great idea, right? I remember they started slowly walking down the lane towards the house. But soon broke into a gallop, frenzied on by one another. Here’s where my year of bareback truly paid off.
I remember wrapping my hands in the mane of the horse and holding on for dear life as the horses galloped as a herd. Me blind in the dark as we launched into the woods. The lane was narrow and I remember feeling an occasional brush of another horse's body against my leg as we bounded in and out of the potholes.
When we broke into the open of the yard all the horses stopped. Just like that. The wild adventure was over. I’m sure my legs were shaking when I landed on the ground and trudged to the house to tell my parents I made it home safely.
Professional Horse Photography Wasn’t Always the Plan
So the truth is I came to be a professional photographer later in life.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a peacemaker. Don’t ask what that is supposed to mean because I don’t know either. I just wanted to help people.
I ended up working on violence against women issues. I worked as a victim advocate for survivors of domestic violence. Eventually, I was the executive director of a domestic violence shelter and transitional housing program. Then worked at the state level working to end violence against women in rural communities.
Things changed after my son was born.
I remember there were times when the phone would ring and I would get so anxious that it was going to be a phone call telling me another woman had been killed by someone who was supposed to love her or that a child had been injured or killed.
I was traveling a lot and working for an organization that had goals to help women, but didn’t support the women working for them. I eventually left.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had to heal my soul and my belief that humans weren’t all bad.
I ended up picking up my camera again as a way to be creative.
It was never supposed to be a career.
In the beginning, I started taking pictures of everything and quickly realized I loved horses and their people as my subjects.
I yearned to capture the feeling of “being with horses” in photographs. Help people see and feel the power of these majestic creatures. Recognize the bond shared between horse and human. Behind the lens, I could almost feel the connections. Through photography, I can share with others.
Image courtesy of imagequine.com
A Passion to Capture the Horse Human Connection with Photography
There is something about the horse and human relationship that always pulls me in.
The ability to capture the subtle nuances in their behavior and reactions. How they look and react to their humans. Gentle spirits, yet powerful beings. Horses at work or horses just spending time with their humans. This is my passion.
As a horse photographer, I hope to create clean, true to life images, with a style that will transcend time. I try not to get caught up in some of the trends or fads seen in photography editing. I believe equestrians want their four-leggeds to look like their horses. To have beautiful horse images that will work in their home or stable without dating themselves to a photography trend.
As I embrace my 6th year, I’d love for Fast Horse Photography to continue to serve local equestrians through equine and equestrian portraits. Also, continue to grow Fast Horse Photography as a staple in the equine-based business industry. Providing a large library of licensable equine images and custom commercial equine photography for animal-based business owners.
I want people to know I offer a full-service photography experience. My clients are active participants in the creative process and ultimately the final art piece that they hang on their wall. From start to finish we work together to create their images. Celebrating life with horses.
Let’s connect and create the true to life equine images you dream about.
Last year so many things didn’t happen. Or we had to put them off. Embrace 2021 and make up for the lost time. Join me as we celebrate life with horses, together.
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