tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66038322605649437222012-01-19T13:01:04.003-07:00Ristyznoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-70116624301560014302010-07-17T14:07:00.005-06:002010-07-17T14:26:37.288-06:00

Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. Your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown. ~ Dhammavadaka Countless times we have seen on the news after a disaster in which people have lost their homes, one of their first reactions after making sure their family members are alright, is to try to retrieve the family photos. Everything else

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-73860101388360450652010-04-15T03:36:00.001-06:002010-04-15T03:38:07.722-06:00

I was taking inventory in my supply closet the other day and came across three rolled up canvasses. It was a triptych, removed from its support stretchers, that I had completed nearly 30 years ago. When I unrolled it, I was transported to my college days at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. For all of senior year, the Fine Art majors were given studio space. We took over several floors

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-36268012355085403912010-04-05T22:17:00.002-06:002010-04-05T22:20:27.871-06:00

Join award-winning photographers Tony Stromberg & Kimerlee Curyl and renowned wild horse behaviorist Neda DeMayo for a 5 day equine photography workshop to be held at Return to Freedom in southern California. the highly acclaimed American Wild Horse Sanctuary that is home to over 200 rare and beautiful mustangs from all over the US. This a magical week spent with America's Wild Horses. If you

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-16741464327419662332010-02-03T00:53:00.003-07:002010-02-03T00:57:17.473-07:00

This past Christmas I was commissioned to do a montage of a horse and rider in a leg yield series as a gift. I had photographed this pair, Rheining Scholar and Mary Arnold last spring at the Heart of the Valley Dressage show. The sequence of images fit together well for some fun ideas in collaboration with the mare's owner Gayle Atkins.Mary and Gayle each have a large mounted canvas print of

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-39134544556687979512009-12-21T21:13:00.007-07:002009-12-21T21:29:09.935-07:00

Vision 18 Collective member and artist, Kim Vickrey recently won several awards in the Ex Arte Equinus III Equine Art competition. Her work "Equestrian Angel" was awarded 1st Place in Photography by Juror Susan Friedman. Susan said of Kim's print, "Out of all the entries this piece stood out, here in one frame Equestrian Angel captures perfectly the enchantment of imagination of myth in

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-292523746081622932009-12-05T02:10:00.002-07:002009-12-05T02:13:14.283-07:00

I'm seeing it all the time, from equine magazines to commercial horse product manufacturers: prizes offered for entering their photo contest. The latest is from Troxel, the helmet people. Offering about $250 in prizes of a helmet/vest/carry bag for the first place, helmets for 2-5th. Everyone who enters has given the rights to have their photo used in perpetuity for any use Troxel deems useful,

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-75225879204219008592009-12-02T02:11:00.002-07:002009-12-02T02:13:47.350-07:00

Dressage Dream Terri Miller Wins the Third Offield Farms Shoot to Win Photo Contest Harbor Springs, MI—World-renowned equine photographer Terri Miller was chosen as the winner of the third Offield Farms Shoot to Win Photo Contest held at the Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Finals. Miller’s winning photo, titled “Dressage Dream”, of Elizabeth Ball on Iris Eckstein’s Orion, was selected from dozens

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-70676373530730884802009-11-13T02:43:00.011-07:002009-11-13T02:54:18.859-07:00

When we discovered that Susan 's leukemia was incurable, her "sisters" of the Vision 18 Collective decided to start a project. It began merely as something to cheer Susan through difficult days.I searched for an icon that each of our 14 members could easily carry everywhere, and I found the Wee Horse. He's tiny enough to fit in a purse or a camera bag, and for weeks now we have treated him as our

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-41809648824007978822009-11-12T17:30:00.005-07:002009-11-12T17:33:33.968-07:00

One of my oldest, dearest friends died last night. We first met, of course, at a horse show. It was 1981, at Knoll Farm on Long Island, and I felt like the circus had come to town. Susan Sexton and her three teenage kids had arrived in their motor home to photograph the dressage show. I was a budding equine photographer myself at the time, and I’d just graduated from the School of Visual Arts in

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-20468644556367551952009-10-24T23:49:00.002-06:002009-10-24T23:53:50.362-06:00

But first... a few words about Helena Montana and surrounding area. Helena is so much more than I had expected for a "western town". It built up during the silver and gold rush and was home to more millionaires than any other city in the world. This is reflected in the beautiful big churches, wonderful old city center buildings and the mansion district up on the hill. For an architecture nut, I

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-57601025994953451282009-10-11T01:55:00.003-06:002009-10-11T01:59:31.652-06:00

I consider myself something of an expert on horse show food. After all, I’ve been sampling it for the better part of 30 years. But at no time do I see the contrasts more clearly than when I dash directly from a show in France to a show in the US. Now, there are some things about life in France that can confuse me. Like the plumbing thing. If you’re going to outfit a hotel bathtub with a shower

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-18557637818165348322009-09-17T02:58:00.007-06:002009-09-17T03:04:42.554-06:00

This time of year time just goes too fast. As a photographer I must make hay while the sun shines. Photographing dressage shows, sport horse events, breed inspections and showcases and farm calls. All of that running around time, gathering images is doubly matched at the computer downloading, backing up, editing, processing, uploading, delivering etc etc etc. Its a busy time and I guess I

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-58194263703061614852009-08-19T22:30:00.007-06:002009-08-19T22:56:35.688-06:00

High Prairie CCI** is now under our belt. We survived some hot weather as well as a hefty thunder, lightning and hail storm that put off an entire cross country division until day three. We has a few minutes of panic wondering how we were going to cover two stadium courses and be back out on the cross country course at the same time. Fortunately the event organizers also had similar conflicts

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-44636377273468706822009-08-19T14:41:00.001-06:002009-08-19T14:44:22.096-06:00

When taking photos of horses, one of the huge rules of thumb is to use a zoom lens. 100mm or more was a guideline I was once given and the longer the better. Wider angles distort the horse, often horribly. Huge noses and tiny legs... You see them everywhere in family pet snapshots and once you learn to see it, you find it often crops up in many artist's paintings and drawings because they were

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-7787681745888698732009-08-09T10:53:00.007-06:002009-08-09T11:01:47.343-06:00

I spent two full days painting on location at Dressage at Devonwood. The weather couldn’t have been better, although maybe it was a little too warm on Friday – so unusual for Portland, Oregon! The days are long and the light luscious this time of year. The grounds of the Devonwood Equestrian Center are a delight for riding, spectating… and as it turns out, plein air painting! The last time I’d

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-25107632645519830942009-07-31T18:37:00.010-06:002009-07-31T19:01:25.950-06:00

A recent trip to Cave Creek, AZ, from Ignacio, CO, provided endlesspossibilities for unique images.I'm never sure which phrase I prefer. I'm very accustomed to "taking"pictures, but what we're actually doing when "taking" a picture is "making" a picture. Where did the word "take" originate in this concept? The word "making" has always felt a bit contrived. "Capturing" sounds like it's against

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-39620661256268465502009-07-09T01:18:00.009-06:002009-07-09T01:25:08.154-06:00

We actually took a day off on the Fourth of July. We watched tennis from Wimbledon in the morning, went to a barbeque in the afternoon, and came home just in time to watch the fireworks from our patio. Okay, I cheated on the “day off” thing long enough to take photos at that point! Now, the Fourth is definitely not Tinto’s favorite day of the year. Although our neighborhood is pretty much

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-52217739676386696502009-07-05T15:37:00.009-06:002009-07-05T15:47:31.778-06:00

I am back (albeit reluctantly) from SE Oregon and the wild horse herds. I absolutely love the Steens area and have made sure to revisit the area periodically ever since I "discovered" it when in my twenties.The aromatic spring sagebrush this trip was intense. Especially when you drive over it. oops... okay, we did A LOT of that but how else are you to get to the wild herds I ask. High desert wild

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-26144228815600749262009-06-19T21:11:00.003-06:002009-06-19T21:18:54.898-06:00

Pony Club is a great organization! It offers our youth a chance to learn so much, not only about horse care, but about life and working with others on a team. The older ones, helping the younger ones. I photographed the Deep South Region’s Dressage Rally over the Memorial Day weekend. I hadn’t been able to photograph for several years due to personal and work obligations. I was delighted to find

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-67486565178682087142009-05-12T12:52:00.004-06:002009-05-12T12:59:02.486-06:00

Between book designing, painting, World Cup, and the spring dressage scene here in California, I realize that Tinto has been missing from my blog scene for a while. To his fans, Tinto sends his regards. And expects a cookie, please. As you can see in his pictures, his coat is in the “sheep” phase. People keep commenting on how big he’s gotten: I just reply that underneath all that hair is the

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-45389511075902992632009-05-05T00:44:00.004-06:002009-05-05T00:48:44.994-06:00

Kim Vickrey, has work published in the March issue of Creative Quarterly, the Journal of Art and Design. Creative Quarterly brings together the creative community in the best of art and design in a quarterly publication and is published by 3x3 Publishing Company, New York, N.Y. Produced four times a year, Creative Quarterly has features on illustration, graphic design, photography, and fine arts.

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-25924981317134660892009-04-28T14:14:00.004-06:002009-04-28T14:23:22.256-06:00

Darlene Wohlart has been sitting on news of several recent sales.Pennfield Feeds, official feed of the USEF, has licensed an image from Darlene of four-in-hand driver Chester Weber to promote their feed.Voyager Press is publishing a 2010 box calendar of horses using images she supplied. Included with the calendar is a miniature Breyer horse. Some of the calendar images will also be appearing in a

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-61548343786347626102009-04-23T01:07:00.003-06:002009-04-23T01:15:05.522-06:00

Karin Naimark just finished shooting the 5 day Princeton Show Jumping Spring Classic, April 15-19, 2009, held at Hunter Farms in Princeton, NJ. The all jumper show had an exciting finish on Sunday when Linda Sheridan, riding Invitational, won the USEF 3-Star, $25,000 Grand Prix of Princeton out of a group of 20 entries. Laura Chapot won the $5,000 Welcome Stake on Wednesday. Both classes were

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-34693979864287917402009-04-20T13:10:00.004-06:002009-04-20T15:29:04.234-06:00

Sharon P. Fibelkorn has taken the opportunity to use her photographic powers for good instead of evil and has joined the freshly minted SoCal CANTER organization!For the scoop on what CANTER is ... go here: CANTER site.For the scoop on Sharon...Sharon P. Fibelkorn siteMore to come as I find my place in the herd.

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-62629177723466467302009-04-16T20:18:00.013-06:002009-04-17T12:58:29.028-06:00

Today history was made when Steffen Peters riding Ravel won the Grand Prix at the Rolex FEI World Cup in Las Vegas. This is the first time an American rider has achieved this goal. He had to beat out two of the most decorated riders in Dressage, Anky Van Grunsven of the Netherlands, and Isabell Werth of Germany. The fans went wild.The Vision 18 Collective are well represented at World Cup. Marie

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-340268647336397332009-03-31T23:43:00.007-06:002009-03-31T23:50:34.260-06:00

Back in the ’80’s and ’90’s, I photographed just about every top three day event on the east coast: Radnor and Fair Hill, Chesterland and Essex, Groton House and Millbrook. I split my time evenly between eventing and dressage. But over the past decade since I moved to San Diego, aside from the occasional foray to Rolex in Lexington, KY, I’ve pretty much concentrated on dressage. Well, it sure

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-23655835929945082382009-03-23T22:22:00.004-06:002009-03-23T22:34:51.565-06:00

The Vision 18 members have not been resting this winter. They have been traveling about the country creating some great new works. Look for new paintings from Terri Miller, new photographic art from Mary Cornelius and Marie Cobb, all from the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.April Visel has been shooting her heart out in Scottsdale AZ at the world famous Arabian show...etc. so forth..Amy E Riley, Cristy

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-27336184073628410972009-03-03T12:51:00.007-07:002009-03-03T14:49:23.671-07:00

I got to thinking about my grade school teachers today while I was filing my nails. The connection is logical: Mrs. Johnson (4th grade) had the most beautiful hands and nails, and I craved having fingernails just like hers: long and pointy. My nails were short and stubby, breaking off easily and tearing from too much mucking out. I was nine and played with horses a lot, so of course, the nails

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-8076635459948763162009-02-16T22:02:00.008-07:002009-02-18T10:46:22.915-07:00

Life is full of interesting turns. I was able to photograph the kick off to the World Dressage Masters Series in Wellington, FL this past month. It was fun to catch up with photographers I only see a few times a year. But I was surprised at the number of friends I ran into from all over the world. The horse world is indeed a small world.I also enjoyed watching one of the top dressage riders in

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-64411891184741502132009-02-07T19:59:00.003-07:002009-02-07T20:06:52.187-07:00

This office is a mess. Things keep piling up.Unfortunately, it's also a fair representation of my brain. The areas that do the cataloguing, sorting and arranging are barely glowing, so how can I expect myself to jump right in, whisk things around and get everything all tidied up and put away in an hour or two?This kind of job takes any normal person--me, in this case--months just to get going.

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-2667242087222776852009-01-16T01:20:00.004-07:002009-01-16T01:23:48.609-07:00

Several readers have asked questions about the painting “Spanish Quadrille” which I used on my Christmas card. The inspiration came during a trip to Spain in the 1980’s. I was doing some photography work for the Spanish Tourism Bureau, and the assignment on this trip was the Feria Del Caballo in Jerez de la Frontera. (Jerez was the site of the World Equestrian Games in 2002.) This feria is all

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-42185296169773752512009-01-09T18:27:00.003-07:002009-01-09T18:31:15.695-07:00

Newest member Kimerlee Curyl has released a 2009 calendar. The images in her calendar are from an ongoing body of work called "The White Collection". All images are taken at Return to Freedom, American Wild Horse Sanctuary located in central California. The sanctuary is a safe haven to over 200 wild horses who are allowed to live in their natural herd environments. For the second year now

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-54809327235113573012009-01-05T12:18:00.017-07:002009-01-05T12:54:06.811-07:00

Every year, and sometimes twice, v18c member extraordinaire, April Visel, hosts a grand photography workshop with Sherron Sheppard.The dates are set, the hotel is reserved, the models are in the works and art is in the air!This year we set the dates for the DIGITAL ARTISTRY IN MOTION “Equine Photography Workshop” in Santa Ynez Ca for May 15-20, 2009.This Photoshop and photography workshop will

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-13660147434095172362008-12-28T19:19:00.012-07:002008-12-28T20:23:57.951-07:00

Recently Art Horse Magazine held their second International equine art competition. The competition was open to artists all over the world in catagories of painting, photography, drawing and sculpture. I had the pleasure of judging the photography segment. The criteria for the entrants were to submit photos with a traditional wet darkroom look, rather than digital art.I chose Jayne M. Silberman's

Melanie Snowhitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920821843977589841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-78861697137522209932008-12-28T12:44:00.003-07:002008-12-28T12:48:09.541-07:00

As an equine photographer I occasionally receive a request for images of horses that have passed on. I recently received such a request. Levita was a special mare, and partner of Francie Stirling. Levita was a KWPN mare, by the famous dressage stallion Donnerhall. Friends of Francie wanted to give her a photograph to remember Levita by for Christmas and asked for my help.Marie Cobb, Ree

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-14110505882182622502008-12-26T19:58:00.003-07:002008-12-27T12:53:45.041-07:00

Being the newest member to the fierce and fine group of women. I am honored to be in their company, excited for the adventures and travels that lie ahead and know that the sparks are about to fly!My passion is horses, all horses, but at the top of the list is the plight of America's Wild Horses. The joy I receive from sharing their stories with people from all over the world is endless. Being

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-71655957526148287262008-12-11T16:29:00.000-07:002008-12-11T16:34:12.070-07:00

I’m not sure how I got the honor of being the mascot. The boss mares may have their reasons, but I think it has something to do with my being so nieve, optomistic and diplomatic. Not to mention my awesome design skills, love for pop tarts and my big fat head, some days its amazing that I can get it through the doorway.My online v18c group email fixes are a daily must have and the get-togethers

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-23444877724324953572008-12-10T14:33:00.000-07:002008-12-10T21:54:13.163-07:00

This Painting of the Week was actually more than two years in the making: It is the 48"x72" oil painting of Feliki, Tami Hoag's Grand Prix "grande dame." Feliki has a larger than life personality, so it's only fitting that her painting be practically larger than life, too. Feliki was a blast to photograph. While I painted, her canvas was a huge presence in my studio physically, and her aura was a

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-49767665385073726312008-12-06T12:05:00.000-07:002008-12-06T23:45:51.388-07:00

While the rest of the gals were running around San Diego area, I was at a clinic with my little mustang. And as a horse photographer could I just participate?...Heck no! I was in there working my pony and taking some shots. A couple of my favorites are these photos. Horses were turned out together to sort things out and be horses, while I was busy getting shots. Of course this turnout was under

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-26023024263018052542008-12-05T09:58:00.000-07:002008-12-06T23:46:12.045-07:00

Photographers find their niches and over the years perfect this aspect of photography. As equine photographers we work to attain the perfect timing to capture action, catch a "look" or project a feeling. This type of photography is intense. We develop a style our clients come to expect and it defines our work.For members of V18C, our annual get together in southern California this November was

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-50167005793154681402008-12-02T13:44:00.000-07:002008-12-06T23:46:35.860-07:00

Sharon P. Fibelkorn is working on a new project dealing with Women and the bonds they have with their horses.

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603832260564943722.post-76022676828915905242008-11-29T12:39:00.001-07:002008-11-29T17:42:26.516-07:00

Marie Cobb and Postulano sharing a moment at a v18c get together in November. Postulano is owned by Donna Richardson of Fox Hill Farm near San Marcos, CA. Donna was kind enough to open her farm up to v18c members for some liberty images and she let us enclose a section of her barn with backdrops, duct tape and electric cords to play with artificial lighting techniques. Thank You Donna!

Ristyznoreply@blogger.com0