Not every photoshoot goes exactly according to plan. Sometimes the weather has other ideas, and I have to get creative.
That was turned out to be the case for my session with Kinzy and Gus.
On the drive there, I found myself driving straight through a wicked storm, you know when your driving and you jus see a misty wall of rain and not much else? Yeah it was like that. Watching the rain come down hard and crossing my fingers that it would disappear and the sunshine would come out in the typical Florida fashion.
When I arrived, there wasn’t a drop of rain at the barn. That didn’t last long though. We had just started the session when the rain began to sprinkle. Luckily, it stayed light with no thunder or lightning, so we were able to keep going and make it work.
When the rain moved in, we headed into the barn and leaned into a completely different look: darker backgrounds, more dramatic lighting, and a moodier feel. Then, whenever we caught a break in the rain, we headed back outside to take advantage of the pasture, fence line, and natural light.
It became a bit of a dance between watching the clouds, checking the light, and making the most of every opening we got. In the end, the weather gave us some beautiful colors at sunset that became the cherry on top of the evening.
The best part of this session wasn’t the weather or the location. It was getting to hang out, and get to know, Kinzy and Gus.
Kinzy has been riding and leasing Gus for the past 2 years, but their story started long before that.
Gus, whose registered name is Invite Augustus McCrae, has been a familiar face at Iron Horse Stables for years. Kinzy remembers watching Gus and his owner at her first horse show and seeing how well they worked together. Before she ever started riding him, one of her friends also showed Gus, and she always remembered seeing them succeed together.
Her first impression of Gus was simple: he was big, and he knew how to shine in the show pen.
Now, the two of them have created their own memories together, including one of Kinzy’s proudest accomplishments with him is winning her first belt buckle at the AJ’s Ranch Extravaganza in April 2026.
Of course, every horse has a personality of their own, and Gus is no exception. Described as “a big, silly and dramatic old man,” Gus knows how to keep things entertaining, especially when there is a Werther’s Original caramel candy involved.
Thank you, Kinzy, for trusting me to capture you and Gus, despite the little extra adventure from Mother Nature.
