Desert Mustangs


We loved photographing the mustangs in Cody, so when Charlene invited us to her neck of the woods to the west of Salt Lake City to photograph the wild mustangs there we jumped at the chance. She showed us of a campsite up in the canyon not far out of Tooele which I still can't pronounce - there's a w in there somewhere! Even though it was quite warm, our campsite was under trees and lovely and cool.


Charlene played local guide on our first day taking us way out into the desert for about 90 minutes to her secret place. Sometime during the day the horses normally make their way to a couple of water holes. We checked both but there weren't any horses to be seen. At the second one we could see a huge herd off in the distance. Unfortunately there were some people on trail buggies and the horses bolted and ran further off into the distance. The horses associate the trail buggies with the rangers who come out to sterilise them, so they don't stick around.


After a long time some of them started coming back. We drove out to them and spent a couple of hours photographing them. The day was very hot and there was no shade cover. And because it was hot, they didn't want to exert any energy fighting. As they started to move across the plains towards the water hole we drove up to the water hole to wait for them.



coming up to the water hole
My camera stopped working towards the end of the day and I thought it had overheated from sitting in the sun. I was devastated, but luckily it was okay the next day.

you never know what you will find beneath your feet even in a desert
The second day we went out by ourselves which was even hotter and the action was even less. This isn't the time of year to be out here photographing these horses but you can't always be in the right place at the right time. Thank you Charlene for taking the time to show us your secret spot on such a hot day.


I was able to get my eyes tested in Salt Lake City but glasses take 10 days to make and you can't order them in one store and pick them up at another, which meant I couldn't get them made up. Luckily I brought an old pair of sunglasses, but they are 2 prescriptions old as I left my previous pair in a campground washroom in 2012 and someone took them before I could get back there 10 minutes later.

They love to make a mess, imagine drinking that water now?
Calm and order
Until it's not
Photographing the Milky Way, we need to find some foreground interest 


25/8/2017-27/8/2017

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