Out West.....

Last summer I spent a day in western North Dakota.

 

It ended with me and a band of wild horses in Teddy Roosevelt National Park at sunset.

 

 

And I lucked out. 

 

After spending the afternoon wandering in the badlands with several bands of horses the sun started to drop below the horizon. As I lay on the ground trying to silhouette the horses against the sky a couple young stallions walked up to check me out.

 

 

  

Before long the horses started walking away as the sun kept getting lower.

 

 

 

 

 I did my best to keep finding angles which allowed me to silhouette the horses and put some colorful sky behind them.

 

 

 

 And I kept on shooting as a herd stallion walked up a small hill.

 

 

 

 I wasn't sure how I was doing with the actual photos. I was focusing manually and checking to see if the exposure was correct. But I realized it was a heck of an opportunity.

 

 

 

 I literally thanked this stallion several times for pausing on this ridge while I was making these images. He stood there a few seconds, and then walked down the hill joining the rest of his band in the shadows below.

 

I sat in the grass thankful for the day and the experience, before walking the half mile back to my car.