My wife Lynn and my daughter Abby joined me on this trip and we arrived at JJ Ranch in the late afternoon. I really wanted to get some early evening shots of Kerry so I could utilize the gorgeous light found at that time of day. Plus, with temperatures running in the triple digits, I thought it might offer us some cooler weather to shoot in. While Kerry got his horses ready, we took a tour of JJ Ranch to scout out possible locations for shooting. The thing about having access to 5,000 acres is there are too many places to photograph in a limited time. We had access to a beautiful outdoor arena, rolling hills, cliffs, creek beds and tree rows. There was no doubt that we were also going to have to photograph in the early morning as well.

We decided to focus on one area that night, so we headed to a valley that gave us quick access to some flat land, rolling hills and a cliff. That way we could grab many different shots in a short time. Unfortunately, in an area that had little to no rain in the past couple of months, we were now faced with cloud cover. Cloud cover that was blocking the warm light that I wanted. We began shooting anyway with hopes that the clouds would pass over. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted this area to get the rain that they so desperately needed. Just not right then.

Despite the clouds, we kept shooting. We photographed some general groundwork type shots of Kerry walking, trotting and cantering his horse. After about 45 minutes or so, we decided to move on to the cliff and see if we could get some interesting images over there. This is where I really found out what a talented rider and horseman Kerry is. He indicated that he was going to ride down the cliff. This wasn’t a gentle hill to ride down. This was, by all standards, a cliff. There was a flat area that went to the edge and then there was a drop off. We were missing the light, but I knew this was going to make for some great shots. The amazing thing about Kerry, and his horse, were that they would ride the cliff not once, but as many times as we would ask. Each time they would approach the edge, analyze the situation and start their descent. Kerry was relaxed, focused and all the time cueing the horse which way to go. The horse was listening to Kerry and all the time trusting in what he was being told. They were partners to the full extent of the word. Having had a horse of my own, and having ridden for many years, I knew that this is what all horse people longed for. That special bond with the horse that transcends just getting from point A to point B, but rather trusting each other to the full extent on the journey.

After a few rounds of Kerry riding the cliff, I decided to go to the top of the cliff to try and get some shots. What a perfect time it was too. The clouds, as if on cue, opened up and we were wrapped with gorgeous, warm evening light. We took every advantage of the limited time we had left before the sun set to get as many different shots as we could. It was the perfect end to a wonderful photo shoot.

I did get up early the next morning and met Kerry for more shots both on the cliff, I wanted to get a few with the morning light, and some working type shots in the arena. We managed to get quite a few more images before the heat viciously moved in. I may not really ride anymore, but the thrill of capturing beautiful horses and amazing riders in photographs certainly gives me the same adrenaline rush that I used to get when riding my horse Aristo through the trails.

To see more of my shots from this shoot, please visit my website at:

Robbie McCord Photography

When I lost my horse Aristo to colic, I lost interest in riding.  It’s hard losing a friend.  I was the only rider Aristo ever knew and he was really the only horse I ever knew.  It was a special bond that many horse owners can attest to.  Fortunately, I had Lynn and two beautiful, young children to fill the void and lift my spirits.  Now, my daughter Abby is discovering the love of horses.  She went with me on a recent photo shoot at a stable and I’m pretty sure never wanted to leave.  There definitely is something to little girls and horses.

That takes us back to Santa Fe.  One of the scheduled day outings was a trail ride in the mountains outside Santa Fe.  This was the one event that Abby was looking forward to more than any other.  I was just hoping that all the riding I had done previously would all come back to me.   We found a place called Broken Saddle Company in Cerrillos, NM which was about 40 minutes outside Santa Fe.  It was a wonderful company with incredible people who led us through some beautiful scenic, high desert hills and mining areas of days gone by.  One of our guides looked as if he was plucked right out of those days gone by and dropped into 2011.  His name is John Wayne Haynes and he is one person who looks more comfortable on a horse than off.  Complete with well-worn cowboy hat, chaps and long grey beard, John helped set the atmosphere for our trail ride in the historic hills.

One thing about trail rides like this, you learn things about people you’ve just met.  You make conversation to fill in the gaps between the historic points of interest and soon you’re making a new friend.  I learned different bits and pieces about John’s life from his dad’s love of horses to his mission to save the authentic Appaloosa bloodline, but the one thing that stuck out was John’s journey from Michigan to Santa Fe . . . on horseback.  He made the trip on an Appaloosa named Misty and was joined by his pack horse Harley and his two dogs Sheila and Rudy.  Here is an article that I found documenting his journey: Still Riding High

To finish out my story, I did get back on a horse, I did remember how to ride and, I enjoyed riding the trails once again.

I was going through some of my photographs and I came across this image that I took in 2006 of Multnomah Falls in Oregon.  This was a special, surprise trip that my wife had planned to celebrate my 40th birthday (side note, she’s awesome!).  I always wanted to go to Oregon because, other trips to the Northwest were always incredible.  Truthfully, I had never heard of Multnomah Falls but, when we arrived there I was blown away at the size and beauty of it all.  It was located to the side of the Columbia River Gorge which was also amazing to see.

I shot this with a Yashica Medium Format Film Camera loaded with Kodak T-MAX 100 Professional Print Film.  I love shooting with digital but, there is something special when shooting with film.

I was running through my shots from the Canine Unit Training Day mentioned in my previous post and, I came across this image.  I thought that this photo truly represents what I was saying about the dog’s determination to complete their job.

I’ve had, on a few occasions now, the great opportunity to photograph with the St. Louis County Canine Unit during training.  They invited me out again recently to photograph a training seminar that was taking place with not only there unit but, with surrounding canine officers as well.  This always offers a great chance for me to shoot because, things happen very quickly and I’m provided with great action shots.

It is very interesting to see the different attack techniques of all the dogs.  Some will get right up on the criminal before making their move to attack, others, like the one in this shot, leap well in advance of taking down their assailant.  No matter how they pursue the aggressor though, they all have a focus and determination to complete their job.  They are amazing animals and, the officers who partner with them are incredible people who absolutely love their dog and love what they do.

Even though I walked away that day with many incredible images, the pose and expression of both subjects in the shot ranked it as one of my favorites for the day.  It truly is an image of good guy versus bad guy.

Since I’m often photographing cattle or horses that have black fur, I like to take time in the studio to photograph our dog Lexi and our cat Simba, who also have black fur. It gives me the opportunity to study the lighting and how their hair color reacts to the light. It also gives me a chance to look for interesting angles and positions that will capture an animal of this color with a dramatic effect.

When photographing anything, think in terms of photographing light.  The camera is actually reading the light that is bouncing off the subject.  Animals with light-colored fur (grey, white, etc.) will reflect more light back at the camera.  Black fur animals are different in that they absorb the light which in turn reflects less light back to the camera.  Photographing cattle or horses in a pasture, I often find myself with a darker subject on a lighter background.  This scenario is tough to photograph as the digital camera wants to record everything as mid tone.  It will want to meter the background to a mid grey scale which in turn will underexpose my subject.  The only way in many cases, as large animals don’t always respond well to reflectors that would help me control the lighting, is to overexpose by 1 to 2 stops.  I will get a background that may be slightly overexposed but, I will capture more detail in the subject and it won’t end up looking like a silhouette (unless, of course, that is your intention).  Also, bracketing the image helps as you can later merge images in Photoshop that would even out the background and your subject.

When photographing Simba, I wanted to work with one light source.  That is, after all, what I’m often working with outside.  I then look for ways that I can position myself to the subject  that will best portray the form and utilize the reflected light that I have available.  One side note, I also shoot lots and lots of images.  I was once told by a photographer friend of mine when I joined him on a commercial shoot, that he would shoot a hundred images so he knew he would have one great shot.  This was in the days of film but, I still follow that advice.

What a great career I have.  How many other jobs give you the opportunity to hang out with and photograph monkeys.  This week I had just that chance.  I was on assignment to photograph an amazing woman by the name of Connie Braun who runs the Missouri Primate Foundation, an organization that gives a caring and loving home to chimps that are either retired from show business or discarded by zoos who no longer have the room for them.

It was a gray, cold day and the threat of a snow storm was in the forecast.  Since it was too cold for the monkeys to go outside for any length of time, I opted to photograph Connie and her baby chimp, McKenna in the house.  I initially was going to light the shot with an artificial light and reflector.  I changed my mind though and decided to use a large picture window in Connie’s home that did offer some natural light to work with.  One note for the future though, monkeys don’t necessarily stay positioned exactly where you want them.

Even though most of my photography takes place outside in a pasture or arena somewhere, on occasion I get to shoot in my studio.  Over the holidays I took some time to photograph our pets and play with some lighting.  For this shot I wanted to photograph a black dog on a black background using a strong side light.  I also used a reflector to bounce a little of the light back into the shadow area.