Mike Peters

My interest in photography started as a child when I used to love looking at the old black & white photographs of family and holidays etc.  They tended to evoke many emotions and memories that are still vivid today, so it was natural that I grew up taking photographs with my father’s camera and then my girlfriend, now wife, bought me my first camera (an Olympus OM10) for my 21st birthday in 1981, and so started a life- long photographic hobby.  My photography tends to fall into several categories:

 

1. Family days out, events, pets and holidays (I'm effectively the family 'Chief Memory Officer’ :) 

2. Equestrian photography - My daughter and her friends compete in various competitions, so I do their photography because they say my photographs are better than the professionals, but what they mean is ‘mine are free’.

3. Wildlife photography - I enjoy the challenge of photographing wildlife in the wild because it can be really difficult and you have to be very patient

4. Long exposure photography - Whilst most of my photography captures real life as we see it, long exposures to smooth out the ocean or streak rivers, lights and waterfalls gives a different perspective.

 

This exhibition is about ‘Connections’ and so I have included 4 photographs to show the connections between horses and their foals and their owners.  The first photograph is of Lily and her new foal; Lily is a 4-time mother, knows exactly what she is doing, was very attentive and protective to her foal and wasn't going to let us anywhere near her, so not unlike a human mother with a new baby.  The other 3 photographs are of Peggy with her new foal ‘Rex’.  Peggy is a first-time mother and whilst very good with Rex, she clearly welcomed all the human support she could get keeping Rex entertained (so perhaps not unlike a human mother with her first baby).  Clare, also in the photographs, is Peggy’s owner and it was apparent that she was also very attentive and protective towards the foal and constantly playing with him, she was clearly a new mum as well for the first time.  It was fascinating how the relationship between a horse and her foal was so similar to a human relationship - without the nappies:)

 

And whilst no horses were harmed in taking these photographs, kneeling down with a camera to your eye restricts your peripheral vision to the point where I was charged and knocked over 3 times by Rex (who doesn't know his own strength) and bitten on the arm - the lengths we go to for our art :)

 

Instagram: @mikegpeters60