Monica Adams Equine Photography

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7/15/09 - headed out to San Saba this afternoon with my wonderful, somewhat new assistant Pat to photograph some SE Arabs. As we passed a bank in San Saba, the thermometer read 107 degrees.... needless to say, I did not share this information with Pat knowing that she would jump out and run for the nearest Dairy Queen..... despite the threat of 'lots of rattlesnakes' plus the scorching heat, we had a very successful session with two super gorgeous mares - Isis and Birdie. Robyn, their owner, and the barn owner, Susan, had them polished to perfection and everything went very smoothly.... and I did not die from heat stroke, which is a good thing. As we were leaving, I mentioned to Pat the 107 degree thing, I kinda don't think that she was amused. BTW - Birdie and Isis are for sale, if interested give me a shout and I will get contact info for you.
photos are in the proofs gallery

7/10-11/09 - traveled to Indian Creek Farm in west San Antonio (Spring Branch) to photograph Spanish Riding School clinician and rider Christian Bachinger. This is the second year I have had the pleasure of watching this magnificent trainer work - wow, love it! I cannot say enough about his kindness for the animals (and students!), this always impresses me more than anything else. And consequently, they (the horses and humans) give him everything they've got. Normally when I am shooting a clinic or whatever, I zone out from what is being said and literally focus on my job. But this time I tuned in to him and caught a few priceless pieces of information. One, if you teach a horse something new while they are in a stressed frame of mind, then whenever you ask for that particular movement the stress will return. So keeping body and mind relaxed for the horse are crucial to good quality learning. OK, that sounds like something everyone should know, right? But that is not always how horses are taught. Anyway, despite the record, death-inducing heat both days it was all worth it for the lightbulb moment of that information. And I got some gorgeous photos of Christian riding too..... :) photos are in the proofs gallery

While I was in the San Antonio area, I stopped over at Campbell-Urban to enjoy some lunch time fun with Judy. She and Rick were hosting a three day dressage and eventing clinic that weekend so I got to see some fabulous riding. But even more fun was Judy's demo of her fantastic "Voluptuous Winning Show Buns". Having shown horses - very successfully - her entire life, Judy knows what it takes to be perfectly turned out, and the Voluptuous Bun is just a part of that! What fun! It made me wish I were 10 again.... but that is a d-i-s-t-a-n-t memory! Enjoy the photos of the buns, horses, and riders.... photos are in the proofs gallery

6/28/09 - last Hy Court show in their Spring Series... the heat is really moving up the scale and everyone was super careful about electrolytes and water consumption - horses and humans. It was over 100 degrees so luckily there was some shade. I look forward to the next show in September and hopefully it will be cooler! photos are in the proofs gallery

6/17/09 - photo shoot at Oakhaven today, hard to believe that it has been well over a year since I photographed some of their young stock. And wow, are they beautiful - just blossoming with health and vigor. And it really shows in the photos... that is an element that you cannot create with Photoshop! If I had to pick my favorite, it would be impossible - and they are all so HUGE! photos are in the proofs gallery

5/27/09 - Michael Vermaas has been riding my mare a few times to give her a "tune-up". He rode her again today and I snapped a few photos... she has lost a lot of topline muscle with her 7 month vacation but, nothing that wet saddle pads won't fix..... and yes, in the photo he does look a tad big for her..... barely 14.3 hands.... but she's perfect for ME!

5/24/09 - shot the second Hy Court series show today and got a chance to spend more time at the versatility arena - so much fun to watch! It's like trail class in an English saddle with some jumping, horsemanship, and equitation thrown in. It was a long day but I always enjoy my time spent with Hazel and the Gang! photos are in the proofs gallery

5/17/09 - Oakhaven had a Boarder's Pool Party today - what fun! Willy put on a great diving exhibition and it was a blast to watch and photograph .. at least I thought so! Food was great, friends were better and we all had a fun day. I feel so lucky to have my little mare living at this gorgeous facility with these kind and generous people.

5/16/09 - swung by the Cen Tex show today to photograph Michael Vermaas on one of his client's horses, and also link up with a few other clients that I haven't seen in a while. Lo and behold it POURED rain! Needless to say, I scooted for home and it quit just about the time I got there. With this drought in full swing I wouldn't even mind if that happened at all of my photo shoots.....

5/8/09 - launching the new website today...... expecting a few bugs for Netscape (Firefox) users, but will get them sorted out soon.

5/6/09 - visited Coyote Crossing (coyote-crossing.com ) to photograph Sue's foals and her oh-so-handsome buckskin stallion today. The babies were yummy and posed so naturally. photos are in the proofs gallery

5/1/09 - traveled to MTS (MTSFarms.com) today to move my filly (ok, she's actually a mare now but I still think of her as my baby) Guinevere into town. While we were there we also got to see their newest addition - a half-Arab Appaloosa colt. Wow, what a little stunner he is! Looks like he will be a very dark golden palomino with a blanket and blaze. As we were leaving, another mare was going into labor and she foaled about an hour after we left. She is a Marwan Al Shaqab daughter and this, her first foal, is an exquisite palomino filly. Can't wait to photograph both of those beautiful babies!

4/26/09 - worked the Hy Court (hycourtfarm.com) show... what a pleasant day! The weather was cool and overcast. The show was extremely well run and yet the atmosphere was very laid back. Vendors galore! Lots of gorgeous horses and good friends... Bobbie Paulk brought her new horse Remington for Roberto Leon to ride. Kae Nelson (KaesonFarms.net) brought one of her babies. Everyone rode well and seemed to have a great time.
photos are in the proofs gallery...

4/19/09 - traveled to MTS (MTSFarms.com) to photograph their young homegrown stallion, Corsaire MTS - he is just lovely! Over the winter he went from being a very cute baby to a refined, correct, and highly expressive young stallion. He won't be available for breeding until 2010 (he's not quite three years old now) so I look forward to seeing his 2011 foals! He was a joy to photograph - and I liked him so much he is featured on the home page right now.

3/29/09 - visited at Debbie & Willy's Oakhaven farm (OakhavenPartners.com) to photograph their newest addition - Beatrix. wow. Ya know, you get used to foals of a certain size... and then you see these giants - proportionate and correct but giants nonetheless - that make your five year old mare begin to look a little SMALL! Beatrix is a pistol, very beautiful, brilliant chestnut in color - right now. Her mom is one of my favorites at Oakhaven - Ramona.
photos are in the proofs gallery...

3/21/09 - worked the Alamo Dressage (AlamoDressage.org) Spring I show. Lots of outstanding athletes, both equine and human. I am always amazed at the dedication it takes to ride at these levels. My good friends and clients Judy and Rick Campbell (CampbellUrban.com) brought numerous students and showed well. Judy received either the highest score or at least one of the highest for the show riding Landomir - a true 18H gelding. Bobbie Paulk and her crew were there with students and horses and made an excellent showing as well. Bobbie's mare Allege is always a joy to watch... wow. My friend and associate Maryanne Naufel from The Gallery at Spicewood (GalleryAtSpicewood.com) had a booth and showed her totally unique tables as well as some of my work and other artist's works.
photos are in the proofs gallery

Isis - 7/15/09

Birdie - 7/15/09