Richard and Juliet asked me to photograph them and their two horses, Darwin and Noah, at Kenwood Stables in Independence, MN. A short 25 minute drive, it felt like a world away. On an extremely hot and muggy morning, we got a lot done in an hour.
It’s always a treat for me to be around Richard and Juliet, two very sharp, insightful and kind people I’ve known since the late 80s. (As an avid cyclist who raced cyclocross for a couple seasons, Richard was also a big inspiration to me as a competitive bike racer). It was also fun to photograph the horses they’ve had for 20+ years, especially as someone who knows very little about horses. I rode horses as a child at a summer camp, but I’ve always been fascinated. Since I don’t have the expertise that my friends Richard and Juliet have, I’ll let their words speak:
“We’ve had Noah and Darwin for over 12 years. Now 21 and 22 years old, they’re our cherished companions, surrogate children, and also best friends to each other. For the past year, we’ve been fortunate to live at a beautiful boarding farm called Kenwood Stables as the night managers. Noah and Darwin love living at this serene farm with all their equine and human friends.
A relationship with a horse is unlike any other and we feel privileged to have learned so much from them. As prey animals, they’re sort of like 1200 pound bunny rabbits— they’re afraid of the world and have huge hearts. To get to know them, if you open up your sensitive, non verbal, instinctual side, the reward is great. They’re also notoriously difficult to photograph (it’s that fidgety bunny rabbit thing) and we’ve been wanting good photos of us together with them for a long time. Fortunately our good friend Bradley agreed to take on the challenge.
We’ve known Bradley for over three decades. He’s an incredible human with an amazing eye. I wish we could all see the world’s beauty and detail the way he does but, fortunately for all of us, he knows how to share this view with his camera. Bradley took our favorite photo of the two of us on a crisp winter day 30 years ago. People still tell us it looks like a cool record cover. We knew Bradley would be able to capture the special bond we have with each other and how it’s strengthened by our horses.
The shoot was on an especially hot, humid morning but you’d never know it by the photos. Being with Bradley is always breezy and effortless and that’s what you see in these shots. We’re so excited to have this period in our lives so vividly captured. Thank you so much, Bradley!”
This is the image I took of Juliet and Richard in Minneapolis in 1990 on Kodak Kodalith film, printed on Ilford RC paper when I worked at ProColor lab at 9th and Hennepin in Minneapolis at that time.
If you want to follow me on Instagram, I have two accounts: @bradleyhanson is my personal one, all square images from my iPhone since 2008. @bradleyhansonphotography is my professional portfolio, a mix of weddings, family and portraits, as well as black and white and color landscape images. If you are still reading this far, you’ve already figured out how to find my website…
I am a Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota based wedding photographer, specializing in documentary style weddings and Indian/Hindu weddings all over the world. To see more of my wedding work, click the wedding galleries under the portfolio heading. To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right above this paragraph).