Description
Nell was the owner of an ethical circus in Gloucestershire.
I’d taken a series of more standard portraits of Nell (1974-2019)standing by her horse, Perlo, in the stables and of her alone in her caravan. To finish off I wanted to show her riding Perlo. We found a small field and Nell did some circuits.
The light was pretty drab and the photographs uninspiring. Standard stuff of rider and horse – until the wind blew. I’d come in a little closer and lower on a wide-angle lens placing Nell and Perlo’s head against the sky.
In the sudden gust, the flowing hair and mane created a sense of movement. This was the only time I’ve phoned a commissioning picture editor and said “I’ve sent you one. You’ll see why”.
