January 2015 {all wrapped up}

It’s the end of January, the skies unloaded a decent amount of snow in the last two weeks and yet, I am already missing warmer days. From where I sit I can hear the wind’s tantrum across the landscape. Howling through the boughs on trees and against my wind chimes on the front porch, even my door seems to be buckling against its might.

In this early hour it is quiet. My toddler is fast asleep and I am able to wrap my head around all the thoughts I have and purge them into written word. This feels good. It satiates my hunger for creative release. Sometimes, being an artist is a torturous thing in and of its self, more so on the days I am stifled and unable to disappear into my studio- sadly, those days are more numerous than they have ever been.

I am staying positive and not falling back on those dark thoughts at this time. My goal here, right now is, is to recap my January here at Shadow Horse Studios, LLC.  One major change that you may have already noticed was the site revamp. The second, a name change of my photography subsidiary. I am no longer operating under the name Glass Eyed Pony Photography, but instead, Lyndsey Warren Photography.

Why the name change? The oversaturated equine photography market and that fact that Glass Eyed Pony Photography was a name many in the wedding industry didn’t understand. By the way, a glass eyed horse is a horse with a blue eye and not actually a glass eye!

My current wedding pricelist can be see at Lyndsey Warren Photography 2015 Pricing Guide.

The name change allows me to focus exclusively on wedding photography while I am able to return full time to my commercial art and design during the week. Another change: I am also returning to teaching! I am accepting a limited amount of private lessons, pre K through adult, everything from fine art, design, and photography. I am certified and licensed to teach in VA and MD. My focus with children is on homeschoolers in Loudoun County.  More information will be made available through my website and additional media sources as I move towards accepting more students.

In Progress Example

Where my design is concerned, I have a new partial web client! Rock’N’Horse Fitness! Rock’N’Horse fitness is a Pilates and fitness program that focuses on equestrians. The business was conceptualized by Robing Kockler, PMA-CPT Mind/Body Director Sport & Health at Regency and Rock’N’Horse Fitness. Site will be live once domain transfer is complete from the originating host.
 
A partial web client is a client who opted for a design package that only includes design and minimal support. In other words, I am doing the design and layout of her website, which includes the imagery and support, when needed. Robin is going to learn how to maintain and update it herself while I am there as support. I also included in her custom package a brand new logo and I really love this one!


A full web client is someone I take on entirely. Which means, I design their page, I create the social media pages, the blogger platform, the imagery, and client is subscribed to monthly services and maintenance. The domain and web design and marketing is maintained by me. If you’re interested in web design and marketing please contact me for pricing!

Now, let’s talk about one of my New Year’s resolutions! No, I am not talking about health or fitness, though I should be, and believe me, those too are goals of mine, but typically, those are the same goals every year since I hit 25. No, this resolution is about supporting creative professionals and small businesses as a whole.

Each month I plan on showcasing a creative professional I have purchased from. I am making it a priority to support a creative professional each month. This month I will showcase a fabulous jewelry maker I found on Etsy. Blücha from Cottered, England, United Kingdom, who specializes in vintage style jewels, handcrafted with vintage glass rhinestones. Her work is inspired by Downton Abbey & jewels from bygone eras ~ as featured in Feb 2015 Make & Sell Jewellery Magazine!

I purchased this lovely Dandelion Seed Necklace, Make a Wish Good Luck Charm,Real Dandelion Glass Pendant. All images taken with my iPhone 4s.



The pride she has in what she does is evident in the way she packages her items! CUTE as a button!

Even inside everything is all nicely and carefully bundled!

I have a secret love affair with the Taraxacum and their pappas clad achenes! I wrote a poem the year before my son was born.

Common Dandelion
I want to be free like a weed-
A floret from taraxacum parachute ball released to breeze
A bright future nourished from a promising seed,
Land where I want to, taking root where I please.
This is the way I would like my life to be-
No worries not troubles, just a wild weed
In the moment living free
No constraints and my own creed.

When I saw this necklace, I knew I had to have it!

Again, take note of the packaging! Simply stunning!

If you are in love with vintage era things, especially jewelry, then check Blucha's Etsy store!

~January 2015, is a wrap!
Lyndsey Warren
Shadow Horse Studios, LLC

Robert & Jingjing {the wedding day}

May 10th, 2014 was a moody day, but beautifully so. One minute the sky would open up an unleash tears of joy while in the following few minutes, the sun would shine with all its golden glory, setting all those droplets ablaze-thousands of brilliant sparkling diamonds across the fields and flowers. It was the perfect day for a wedding!

In some cultures, rain on your wedding day symbolizes fertility, cleansing, and renewing. I have always been a lover of the rain, especially on a warm day. Often, during such occasions, you will find me shoeless with my toddler son jumping in puddles during a torrential downpour. Fun!

We often fear the idea of rain on a wedding day, especially where we have spent months planning the perfect ceremony under a canopy of trees for all of our guests to relish in the sight and sounds of nature while we take our wedding vows. This was Jinging's dream wedding. Outside under the trees against a backdrop of wall climbing ivy at the Goodstone Inn and Restaurant in Middleburg Virginia, in a stunning gown with one of the most gorgeous trains I have ever seen.

Come rain or shine, this wedding would be a splendid outdoor wedding, one to cherish and remember forever! Before I get to the main event, let's step back and get a glimpse of their beginning, which Robert and Jingjing kindly shared their own images.

Robert always tried to keep in mind the story of Adam, who just focused on responsibilities assigned to him, and God took care of introducing him to his "better half", Eve, when the time was right.  So, Robert's and Jingjing's story begins in February 2012 when they first met, just for a few days, in a professional context. After the professional work was finished, they initiated and maintained active daily email correspondence across the Pacific Ocean for six months, got to know each other well, and became good friends. 

In July of 2012 Robert met Jingjings family and the following January, Robert, during a trip on January 4, 2013 with Jingjing to Beijing, took a knee and proposed on the Frozen Lake at Bei Hai Park. Of course, she said yes!  In Chinese, when the date 2013-1-4 is pronounced, it sounds similar to "ai ni yi shen yi shi", which means "I love you forever"; see this article from BBC about it: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20909518.

After Robert's proposal, the adventure continued, they visited many of the attractions to be found in Beijing, The Temple of Heaven, being one of their stops on their excursion. Afterwards, they flew to the city of Sanya, on the Hainan island in the South of China, for a small one-week vacation celebrating their engagement.

According to another Chinese tradition, related to the 12-year celestial cycle, it was important for Jingjing that our first baby be born in 2014; see this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-couples-rush-to-get-pregnant-before-dreaded-year-of-the-sheep/2014/05/08/e9f4adbc-d529-11e3-8a78-8fe50322a72c_story.html. Robert and Jingjing had planned to be wed in the fall of 2013, but, in the summer 2013, Robert crushed his foot while working on a tall ladder.  Robert went in for a surgery to get some titanium hardware installed, and Jingjing spent all the three days and and three nights at the hospital with him. After that, Robert was on crutches for several months.

However, the main implication of this was: their wedding could not take place in Fall 2013 due to Robert's temporary handicap; they would have to wait until the weather turned warmer and nature turned more beautiful: Spring 2014.

But they were wondering: "does that mean that we now have to postpone our plan to have our baby all the way till 2016?".  They made the decision: "No. Since they already made a life-long commitment to each other and asked God to bless their union; they would not let the postponement of the formal ceremony interfere with their life plans."  And, God gave them a great blessing and great gift for Christmas 2014: their daughter was born on December 27, 2014.

Her first name is Raminta, which means "peaceful" in Robert's native language (Lithuanian), and her middle name is Jingmei, which means "virtuous and beautiful" in Chinese. She is the best baby in the world.


This is where their story begins...
February 2012

Meeting Jingjing's parents for the first time
July 2012

July 12- Dec 12 Jingjing and Robert visited DC often!

Jingjing and Robert
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

Bei Hai Park Frozen Lake Proposal
January 4th 2013
"This is the very spot where I proposed, on my knee, and she said "yes", after taking some time to think.." Robert
I thought that quote was entirely too cute and sincere to leave out! A special moment, out of the blue, does cause a moment of surprise, and leaves a you chasing your heart for a moment or two.

Temple of Heaven- Beijing Excursion
January 2013

The City of Sanya
Hainan island in the South of China

City of Sanya
Hainan island in the South of China

City of Sanya
Hainan island in the South of China

A trip to the Windy City- Chicago
October 2013

Glass Eyed Pony Photography's story with Jingjing & Robert began with a pseudo engagement photography session on the outskirts of the Washington Tidal Basin, during peak blooming in April! It was a gorgeous day, perfect for camera work as the it was slightly hazy and overcast. You can visit their Tidal Basin blog entry here, and read more about their pseudo-engagement session. Here is a small sampling from the engagement session.

{The Wedding Day} the big moment May 10, 2014, Wedding Day Rain, a certain kind of magic.

The dress, gorgeous, hand sequined and embellished- couture to the max. Stunning. Perfection.

 

 

The wedding day, simply put, was magic. Diamond Events with Stephanie Dasch and Melissa Bunn was responsible for the event decoration and timeline of events. They did a marvelous job and pulled everything together smoothly even with the ever changing weather. Jessica Pi of Jessica Pi Productions did an amazing job on the videography. You can view Jessica's video, Wedding At The Goodstone, here. Music was provided by Jerry Katz of Moonlight Cabaret.

 

The beautiful horses and carriage were provided by Harmon's Hayrides and Carriages

 

 

Hair and makeup was done by Trish Langley of My Mobile Salon

 

 

 

 

 

 





Intelligent Compassion

Dominican Republic rainforest view on horseback on my way to El Salto de Limon

Intelligent compassion is a slow learning curve for most people who allow their emotions to captain their helms. My visit to El Salto de Limon in the Dominican Republic was one of my best experiences in life to date. However, reality smacked me in the face after I chose to venture off the beaten path and see a part of the Dominican Republic the vast majority of travelers to that area ever experience.

The views of Cayo Levantado, Punta Cana, along with other resort areas monetarily fueled by big travel chains (cruise lines, resorts, hotels) present to the public eye a very jaded "unreality" of the  Dominican Republic. Keep in mind that Haiti is just on the other side of the island and like Haiti, the Dominican Republic is actually very poor.

I ventured out of the touristy areas at my own risk to go horseback riding at a ranch with the locals and a few from my ship, only three of us had any real horsemanship skills and only five had ever been on a horse before. Let me say this, that as an equestrian, when I arrived at my destination I can tell you I was unnerved and a bit terrified at what I first saw.

Tack duck taped together, made from or reinforced by "found objects"; car seat belts, human leather belts, rope, twine, comforters, bungee cords,  the foam padding you find inside of car interiors -after you rip the fabric/leather off the seats. Handmade bits, pieced together from pieces of other broken  bits and found metals, some looking quite severe with extraordinarily long shanks. Helmets with no chin straps, torn rubber boots, etc.

There was a tragic element of surprising beauty to the assemblage I saw, like walking into an art gallery and finding uniquely functional found object art. I was most intrigued by the amazing saddle decor, a rag blanket created by looping bright fabrics together; fabrics collected from old shirts and other articles of human clothing.  Let me state, I was not required to sign a waiver of any sort...believe me, red flags and warning bells were sounding off in my mind.

I am a believer that first impressions should not be weighed heavily, in fact I don't think you should allow them to guide your judgement of a person, place, or thing at all. Time, understanding, and compassion are all we need to learn of who, what, and why. Besides, you may be meeting someone for the first time who is going through an emotionally difficult time, it is not fair to judge them based on first impressions.

Now, most of you are probably wondering what I meant in my opening sentence in regard to "intelligent compassion", I'm going to get to that now, but please as you read, keep and open mind towards the experience I am about to share. I walked away from my adventure excited and terribly sad- two very strong emotions partnered in a dance I call real life and its truth. It's hard to swallow.

Standing just behind me was an older woman in her white "Pikuer" dressage breeches and a beautiful Ralph Lauren button down silk blouse, and Ray Bans, why on earth would someone choose to show up at a trail excursion in a third world country wearing such an ostentatious outfit is beyond me. Did she think she was going to have a retired dressage master trotting her through the rainforest?

I was grateful that the vast majority of locals were not English speaking and thereby could not hear that nasty things she muttered out loud in regards to them and their horses. But, as a painfully honest person who, in that moment, was operating on fear, will admit that my first impression had me thinking many of the very things she was saying out loud. A few people from my group, opted out of the riding, asking instead if they could walk.

At first sight, I too,  was concerned with the seemingly malnourished horses with boney physiques, top lines extremely under developed, sinewy ewe necks,  one horse was missing an eye, a few had crooked ears (I learned later that those horses were born that way and those scars were not given to them by abusive treatment). In my opinion and based on my standards and understanding of horse care in my country, they looked neglected. My stomach tied itself in knots at the thought of climbing on one. Being 5'3" and the fact most of the horses were no larger that 13 or 14 hands, I felt as though my  small size would crush the very horse I was to ride.

I had to stop myself, I had to re-adjust my thinking and proceed with an open mind and I did just that when I met my little stallion Caramello and his 17 year old guide. My westernized point of view in regards to what is considered  "proper" horse care had to be let go. PETA and animal rights activists would've had a field day tearing these people apart, I am sure of this. But again, they are passing judgment on how a "horse" should be cared for by their societies' philosophies and ideologies.

For the price dressage lady paid for her breeches, these people paid for a plot of a land and some cement to build their single bedroom shanties that housed up to 10 people at a time. There is no glass in their windows, no running water, no drinkable water unless they can afford bottled water, most boil their water. Many had thatched roofs and few houses did not even have roofs. They go weeks without bathing, and years without doctor or dentist checkups. Education is optional. Electricity, those few who have access to public electricity only runs 3-4 hours a day.

I shut my mind down in regards to my "preconceived" notions of how things should be for horses, based on my life style and standards of living and instead, used intelligent compassion, a compassion comprised of logic and reasoning to gain and emotional understanding of the reality these people were living. In doing so, I could see that these horses were cared for, in fact they were very well cared for, and their care was in exact equal proportion to the standard of living their people were in.

Caramello received two baths a day and his 17 year old human boy curried and cared for him with an assortment of handmade brushes. A curry comb made from what looked like a Brillo pad and he used an old toothbrush to clean up Caramello's eyes and muzzle, and made a confession, that he himself has never brushed his own teeth.  Through his broken English and my broken Spanish I learned he took a bath once a week so he could afford to give Caramello a bath twice a day for all the hard work he did.

Caramello was his first horse, he purchased for 8 dollars, and broke him in and trained him all by himself. I learned that horses are not gelded and families bred horses for work and money. With that in mind, I was in awe of the calm gentle nature of theses horses and the fact that stallions were taking people who had never been on horses before on such adventures through the rain forests of the Dominican Republic.

The companies that own the trail riding ranches pay the locals ten dollars a day for the use of their horses and the locals volunteer as guides to be with their horses all day through the excursions and are only working off of tips, sadly many of the tourists don't even realize this and do not even bother tipping their guides, it's a terribly sad circumstance. I think ignorance and language barriers play into this circumstance and I am grateful for the little Spanish I do know, otherwise I would have missed a great learning opportunity.

Its important to understand that for this culture,  horses are not pets, companions, or show animals. They are livestock- working livestock, and source of income for their people. Their culture is deeply routed in agriculture and their lifestyle is reflected in this. The horse is a working animal here. In a country that is poor and gasoline at a premium, even in my "world" there would be many hard pressed to afford the 7-12 dollars a gallon that it costs in the Dominican. These are all things I needed to consider before I judged.

If you are ever able to go, I highly recommend it. It's a vibrant and lively culture and the people, even despite their living conditions are very proud. It is not uncommon for a family to spend up to 15 years building their homes. People here help each other and their is a great sense of community.

The landscape of the Dominican is absolutely stunning! Lush rich green rainforest and mountains with a clear view of the turquoise sea from higher elevations. I would one day like to return here and spend a longer amount of time. I am very grateful for the opportunity my parents gave me to travel here.

My biggest regret; not inquiring where I could purchase a rag cover for my own saddle back home. I will get one, one day!
My Ride to El Salto de Limon

"N" Turns Two (1.26.12)

It was such a delight to be able to photograph a little boy who will be turning two on January 26 of 2014. His mother wanted to do a session while it was still warm so we went to Temple Hall Farm in Leesburg which is decked out in great Autumn themes, ranging from celebrating the actual fall season itself (colors, leaves, etc), to Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Loads of textures, colors, farm equipment, and animals all combine to create the perfect backdrop and props needed for a child's photo session.

I am also honored his mother chose me to shoot her upcoming wedding (Sept 2014). It was a great way to get to know her and get a feel for what she likes in regards to photography and style. I can't wait for September! To see more from this collection visit, the Gallery on our Fanpage!

Corolla Summer Tales: Horses of Rulers and Nobility

"Fly Away Day" Young Banker Stallion at Sunset

July 2013 found me on the beautiful North Carolina Island of Cordova, accessible only by four wheel drive vehicles, a place where wild Corolla Horses wander freely along the beach and find delicious delight munching on tall dune grasses. It is quiet and calm there, the smell of sea and shore and the taste of sea salt on the wind both relax and rejuvenate your soul, I swear, I would never have come home if I didn't have to. It was the closest I have felt to contentment in a good long while.


Now, back to those Corolla horses, much like their world famous Chincoteague cousins (insert your knowledge of  the 1947 book, Misty of Chincoteague, by American author Marguerite Henry) they make their beachfront home on the Island of Cordova off the Coast of North Carolina. They are more formally known as the Banker Colonial Spanish Mustangs as are classified as such in the Horses of Americas Registry. They are the distant relatives of horses belonging to the Spanish explorers, who for reasons unknown left their horses behind upon returning home. It wasn't uncommon for explorers to leave animals behind after the completion of their expeditions, either due to having to lighten their loads or just from ships running aground or wrecking.

A Corolla mare grazes in the early hours of light

The Banker Horses took up residence on the Outer Banks and its impressive to note that these mustangs stayed genetically pure for hundreds of years because life on sandbars prevented cross-breeding. These horses do not group in herds, but rather harems, each stallion has a small band of mares, some stallions only have one or two, while others have four to seven. The dynamic of these horses was amazing to watch.

The handsome Stallion I named Inigo Montoya after the character in the Princess Bride. As you can tell by looking at him, he exudes the Spanish look.

They are not as territorial as other bands of Mustangs found in America, but seem tolerate other harems in or around their "territories". Perhaps this neutrality came about due to the relative small spaces they have to roam, but it is interesting to note that often multiple harems will congregate on the beach together and play in the surf, usually around dawn or dusk.

A stallion and his harem; a single mare with a day old colt. A Proud Family.

I personally witnessed a young stallion approach an older stallion and thought for sure there was going to be "disagreement", ears pinned back, eyes rolling as they were, typical of stallions being protective, but once they got to smelling each other, they started a friendly neighing and pawing game and soon began to groom each other while the mares belonging to each of the stallions came together to munch on the dune grasses. It felt more like a family reunion, leading me to believe that the younger stallion may have been a now grownup son.

Inigo Montoya grazing near the observation tower

"The members of the Spanish Mustang Registry in the 80s and the Horse of the Americas Registry in 2007 have confirmed that the Banker horses are the last remaining band of what was known as the 'the horses of rulers and nobility'- a mixture of Spanish Barb, Andalusian, and Arabian blood. The DNA of Corolla horses was tested both in 1992 and 2007 by Dr. E. Gus Cothran from Texas A&M University and was found to be lineally pure to the 16th century imports as can be found in North America today." -Susan Selig Classen

A mare grazes on a dune as an evening thunderstorm rolls in

In today's world, human interference is greatly affecting their existence due to development of beachfront property and tourism and the fact that the herd now all originate from a single maternal bloodline.  Such a small grouping of horses that continually inbreeds creates genetic anomalies and will eventually suffer from genetic collapse. These horse are now listed on the Endangered Breed list (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy) and on the Critical/Nearly Extinct list (Equus Surival Trust). The best hope for their survival is to introduce other maternal bloodlines.

Horse play in the surf

The Banker horses are special and I immensely enjoyed the time I had behind my camera with them. I am looking forward to returning to Corolla to revisit them one day. Until that time, I suggest anyone who is looking for a great vacation and photographic opportunity to visit Corolla Island. Best time to photograph are sun-up and sun-down, especially with the heat of summer.

Morning on the Sandbar

You can view some more of images at the Horses of Corolla gallery at my website. Prints are available for sale and I will donate proceeds of sales to The Corolla Wild Horse Fund.