Lenel contacted me via Instagram and asked for a photo shoot with her Paint Horse gelding Kangal. It was no ordinary occasion, but a sad one: Kangal only had a few weeks to live. He already had problems with his fetlock as a foal, and his training with a rider had only made things worse. Now I was allowed to help Lenel capture the last precious memories of her beloved gelding.
When I arrived at Lenel's that day, it was early, before sunrise. The sky was clear and the moon was shining down on us as I got out of the car. Kangal stood quietly in the pasture with his young friend Tao, and there was a stillness in the air, broken only by the crackle of dawn. The golden sun enveloped Kangal and Lenel in a light that further emphasised the deep connection between them.
Talking to Lenel, I realised how deep this connection really was. Kangal was more than just a horse to her - he was her soul horse, her best friend, her companion in hard times and in good times. The way he looked at her, the way she touched him gently, revealed more than words could ever express.
As I looked through the camera, I realised how precious these moments are. Mobile phone photos could never capture the depth and emotion of those moments. What we created there was more than just a photo - it was a timeless work of art, a memory that would last beyond the loss. The grief that awaited Lenel was almost unbearable, but she would always have these images to remember her time with Kangal.
Death is inevitable, but what remains are the memories that comfort us when the time comes to let go. And that's exactly what I was able to capture for Lenel: the memory of her soul horse that will never fade. A moment captured for eternity, full of love, emotion and deep connection.
