Liz Stabbert Photography

This Blog Has Moved!

2010-10-12T15:02:00.002-07:00

OK, so while my new blog is big and beautiful and hoppin', I failed the launch in one respect: I forgot to announce the new website here! So for the few loyal readers that I have here who are not fans of Liz Stabbert Photography on Facebook (you really ought to be ;-) ) you can now find my brand new beautiful blog here:

http://blog.lizstabbertphoto.com

Although you're a little late to the party, you haven't missed out on the festivities yet! I'm giving away a $100 gift certificate to your favorite tack store! Click here for more information and to enter! Entry deadline is October 17th 2010.

See you at the new blog!

This Blog Has Moved!

2010-10-12T15:02:00.001-07:00

OK, so while my new blog is big an beautiful and hoppin, I failed in one respect: I forgot to announce the new website here! So for the few loyal readers that I have here who are not fans of Liz Stabbert Photography on Facebook (you really ought to be ;-) ) you can now find my brand new beautiful blog here:

http://blog.lizstabbertphoto.com

See you at the new blog!

Big changes coming to the Liz Stabbert Photo Blog!

2010-08-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

I've been working behind the scenes on the Liz Stabbert Photo Blog and soon will be unveiling some awesome improvements! Here's some of the awesomeness you can expect to see:

A new location! The new blog will be a part of my website!
A totally new design! One that matches my site and doesn't have a broken nav bar. I know, it's crazy!
Easier navigation and searching of old posts
More frequent/consistant posting- what?? Its true! My current plan is to post twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, I might even post more!...maybe.

That last one is a big one and deserves a little more discussion. For the most part my blog has just been a place to post teasers from sessions and events I've recently photographed. I'm going to expand my posts to sharing older images and the stories that go with them, various photography related things that are on my mind, and other fun randomness (accompanied with photos of course!).

The new blog is not quite ready for unveiling, but it will be very soon! Heck I may even have a relaunch party!* Stay tuned!!

(*relaunch party may or may not just be me with a hat and party blower)

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale: Match Bronc Riding

2010-06-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Match Bronc Riding on Sunday is the last day of the Bucking Horse Sale, its the day for the pro broncs and pro cowboys to show what they've got. Last time I talked about the power and athleticism of the pro broncs, and since I'm way behind on my blog (and its the writing that takes me forever) I'll just let you take in some of that power and narrate for yourself ;-)

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale: The Sale

2010-05-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

The real action in the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale is, of course, the sale. There were over seventy broncs bucked that day, ranging from experienced buckers who had seen the NFR, to outlaw saddle horses looking for a new career more fitting of their talents. The majority were somewhere in the middle, youngish and/or inexperienced broncs.

For me the broncs that are the most fun to shoot are the big time pros, like Grated Coconut and the like, and the rank young untested broncs. Experienced broncs will come out and buck rhythmically, gracefully, beautifully really!

Inexperienced broncs, on the other hand, pull things like this:

And occasionally they do things like this:

I looked at this photo probably two dozen or more times while picking it out for the blog and editing it, but it wasn't until I was totally done editing it that I realized that the horse wasn't wearing a bucking strap. Show 'em how its done Pali!

The young and the rank: There was also a handful of futurity broncs bucked like this handsome "born to buck" colt.

The one thing that has really struck me about broncs, both the young rank horses and the tried and true pros is actually how they're the same:

They're athletes. Plain and simple.

Coming up: The BHS match bronc riding! Friesian colts! And (it's that time again)... HELIX!

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale: The Bulls

2010-05-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Friday was a day of heart pounding excitement!

People who know what happened can stop rolling their eyes now. For those who don't I'll fill you in and then you can go back and roll your eyes. For those of you who don't care just scroll down for the rodeo action shots ;-)

Friday morning, just after breakfast and for no particular reason, my heart started beating out of my chest. So I took a visit to the lovely Forsyth MT hospital where after a few (probably expensive) tests they informed me that, for no particular reason, my heart was beating out of my chest. Luckily it righted itself shortly and I got to leave with a "take it easy/stay hydrated/avoid caffeine/alcohol/doing anything fun at all". Al asked the nurse if it was a good time to mention that I was going to be in the arena with the bulls later. She laughed because she thought he was joking.

He wasn't, of course.

(this may be me taking the situation too lightly but I found that hilarious)

On to the photos!!

OK so I wasn't quite in the arena with the bulls. Anyone with a scrap of sanity was outside of the small arena that they had sectioned off for the bulls.

If you've been wanting to give bull riding a try I can tell you that this is NOT how you want to dismount a bull (hangups are scary, thankfully he was fine).

My favorite shot from the bull riding and one of my faves from the weekend.

If it looks like these bulls are staring at me its because THEY FLIPPING WERE!! A bunch of bulls who were hunting the fence, just looking for someone to hook, decided that to stop and stare and snort at me. Its amazing how a steel fence seems to disappear when you've locked eyes with a thousand pound animal who would like very much to crush you. Of course they might of just thought I was cute :-)

...and small and easy to trample.

Hey my heart is still working, what do you know.

I may have to devote an entire post (or two) to bullfighting photos I took! Those guys were having way too much fun and it made for some awesome shots! But that can come later, because the next day was the Bucking Horse Sale...

PS: There is a lot of missinformation, misunderstandings, and even outright lies out there regarding rodeo. If you have any questions just shoot me an email :-)

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale: The Long Road to Miles City

2010-05-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

To tell any story properly you have to start from the beginning and the story of my weekend at the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale started with approximately 15 hours of driving. Thankfully for my sanity, much of it included scenes like this:

In Montana, if you don't like the mountain range you're looking at, theres another around the corner.

See those white peaks in the back there? According to my tour guide Al, they're part of Yellowstone National Park, a place I have never been and am convinced was created by God specifically as a playground for photographers...but I may be biased. It pained me to just drive by the stomping ground of photographers like Ansel Adams, Edward Muybridge and William Henry Jackson, the man who's photographs of Yellowstone helped convince congress that it should be our first national park (I could geek out on photo history all day), but we had a bucking horse sale to get to.

There were tons of wildlife that I saw along the way! I spotted deer, pronghorn, gophers, prairie dogs, elk, eagles, hawks, coyote, & bison. And also slow elk. Lots of them. I was super excited to see all the Pronghorn Antelope, like the buck above, since I'd never seen an antelope before. Later I found out that Pronghorn are not, in fact, antelope and therefore my entire life was lie.

Ok not really.

Not long after I took the shot of the ~~antelope~~ pronghorn Montana got rather flat and sparse and the hours of driving started to wear on me. By the time we got to our hotel in Forsyth, I was very excited to not be on the road. The next day the real shooting would start :-)

By the end of the weekend I had taken over 1,700 images. I have no idea how I am going to narrow it down to a handful from each day to show you. Wish me luck.

Moment of Inspiration: A rainy day at the beach

2010-04-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Moments of inspiration can come from anywhere. Since I've been particularly terrible about updating my blog lately I thought I'd share one of those moments I had recently while looking out the ferry window at a rainy, stormy day. You all might think I'm a tad crazy, but bare with me, I think this is a cool idea:

Imagine a day like the one in the photo and a gray/white horse coming up over a sand dune, the wind toys with his mane and it seems to mingle with the clouds. We lead the horse into the water a few steps and let him splash in the waves, just far enough that the beach disappears out of the photo and it's just the bright whiteness of the horse against the dark blue-gray canvas of sea and sky. Maybe we'll catch that bit of time that always seems to come on days like that, where the setting sun peeks below the clouds and covers everything in a divine golden light. The kind of light that catches the sand and glints off his mane and tail and he just GLOWS.

Any takers? ;-)

Snohomish equine photographer | Seattle equine photography

April Desktop Calender- An Easter Bunny!

2010-04-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Did you think I forgot? (ok I almost forgot ;-) )

I photographed this filly (who was playing camera shy) last spring when I was riding at Painted Valley Farms in Poulsbo. She went by the barn name of "Bunny" :-)

Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

Wordless Wednesday: Blooms

2010-03-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Pheonix (again)

2010-03-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

I put the finishing touches on this image after I posted the sneak peek and immediately fell in love with it! So heres one more of Nicole's handsome boy Phoenix.

Port Townsend Marina

2010-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Half the fun of a new camera is taking it out and getting the hang of it. I took my "new to me" camera on a trip to Port Townsend and enjoyed the scenery.

Introducing the Monthly Desktop Calender!

2010-03-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Calendars aren't usually something that start three months into the year, but I thought this was too fun of an idea to wait until next January to start! I've created a desktop wallpaper calender for you all to use, for free! Yes FREE! I'll post a new one every month for your enjoyment! This months wallpaper features the Friesian mare Welmoed v/d Goslingawei Premier Friesians

(Click to view full size image)

Now there are three rules for these wallpapers to remain free:

1) It's only to be used as a desktop wallpaper

2) No editing or altering of the image in any way

and 3)...ok I guess there are no other rules so "rule" three is ENJOY!

Hope Springs

2010-02-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

The trees and frogs and flowers here have no idea its still February...and I just don't have the heart to correct them.

Nicole's Shoot Part 2- Hooray For Pugs!

2010-02-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

This doesn't count as a sneak peek anymore because Nicole has already seen these photos, but I just have to share these because, really, who could resist that face:

In this photo and the last one they're waiting for a treat, guess what it is.....carrots! And they really were excited to get them too! If Samantha gave me a look like this and I gave her a carrot, a riot would ensue (or at least one of those incredulous looks shes so good at)

Hooray for pugs!

As I was headed back to the freeway I passed the local fire department doing a controlled burn of a building! Of course I had to stop and take pictures! I ended up staying and photographing that for almost two hours, it was pretty awesome to watch. I'll be posting my photos of the fire next time, so stay tuned! ;-)

Sneak Peek: Nicole & Phoenix

2010-02-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Winter tends to be my slow season for horse portraits, what with Washington weather being what it is and horse's tendency to turn into hairy yaks. That doesn't mean it can't be done, no m'am! Of course creative scheduling may be necessary to avoid getting wet and it helps if your horse has a short winter coat or is kept clipped. Adorable hunt clips are ~~required~~ ~~preferred~~ adorable.

This Sunday, after having to reschedule due to rain last Sunday (which of course was followed by an AMAZINGLY beautiful Monday :-P), I went down to Olympia to photograph the lovely Phoenix.

Phoenix was a bit of a ham! I totally expect a horse that's been stalled prior to the session to do a couple "hooray! I'm free!" laps around the pasture, but Phoenix had been hanging out in this pasture all day. He flew around the pasture at top speed, tossing his head and kicking up his heels. He was absolutely showing off.

Phoenix and his mom Nicole

Phoenix has a buddy named Eddie who is not quite as old as dirt, but definitely older than mud. Eddie's job is to be Phoenix's best bud, get loved on, and eat carrots. Eddie is very good at his job. At the end of the session we brought Eddie out to get a few shots of the boys together.

Phoenix was actually only part of the session, we also spent some time with Nicole's (human) boys and their three pugs. There was no way I was going to be able to pick only a couple favorites to keep this post from being impossibly long, so you're just going to have to wait until next time to see them!

Thank you Nicole for having me out! More sneak peek photos (and the full gallery) coming soon!

Sneak Peek: Cody & Harley

2010-01-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to do a shoot at the river meadow at Lords Hill Park ever since I saw it from 522. I even went there to do a little location scouting this summer and brought Sammy dog along to see if it earned her paw stamp of approval (which it did ;-) ). So when I got a call asking to do a session with two adorable mutts, I jumped at the chance to go to the river meadow! Something I hadn't considered, however, was that it's winter. In Washington. And the creek that was barely a tiny trickle in summer was now a full on roaring creek that had turned the dips in the meadow into moats. Needless to say it was a little wet.

This, however, wasn't an issue for Cody....

And his partner in crime, Harley.

They went crazy exploring the tall grass and creeks! It turned it into a wild game of chase, into the grasses, into the creek, back into the grasses, around and around with Harley leading the way and Cody close on his tail. It was a hoot! I'm so glad they had fun, I know I sure did!

Speaking of their game of chase, if you ever want a challenge, try photographing two dogs running full speed through 4ft tall grass. I got a lot of pictures of grass and a black or tan tail! But every now and then they would hold still and the grass made for some really cool backgrounds!

For no other reason than he's adorable, Cody's dog lips:

I think this is Cody "talking" to me because I won't throw the tennis ball lol!

Cody & Harley's gallery will be up soon. I want to thank their mom Connie for giving me the opportunity to meet these two sweet boys!

Mustangs, part 3

2010-01-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

"For they[the mustangs] really belong, not to man, but to that country of junipers and sage, of deep arroyos, mesas – and freedom."- Will James

Mustangs, part 2

2010-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

"The most beautiful, the most spirited and the most inspiring creature ever to print foot on the grasses of America." J. Frank Dobie, Texan on Mustangs

Mustangs, part 1

2010-01-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

"Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene."- Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act, 1971

I took these photographs, and others from the set that will be shared in the following weeks, of mustangs at a BLM adoption event back in 2005. With my old manual Pentax camera around my neck and pockets full of film, I trekked down to Shelton, excited to see first hand theses symbols of the west, and of course, dreaming of taking one (or two, or four) home. The prints were shuffled away not long after I developed them, but a few days ago I remembered the photos and dug them out of my archives. I was surprized at how much they spoke to me! They're imperfect and rather outside of my usual equine photography box, which I think is why I like them. ;-) I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed rediscovering them!

On a personal note, it's been a dream of mine to photograph the mustangs of the American West in the wild. Right now these horses are at risk of being "managed" into extinction in the wild by the very organization assigned to keep them safe - the BLM. There are many reasons the BLMs treatment of the mustangs raises my hackles, but instead of getting on my soapbox I'll direct you to The Cloud Foundation's Website to learn more about whats going on and what you can do to help.

I'll be sharing more mustang photos next Monday so stay tuned!

Happy 2010! - "The Path Ahead"

2010-01-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm ready to shake off 2009 and am looking forward to seeing where the path ahead leads!

This photo is from way back in my archives, back when I was shooting with a 30+ year old Pentax K-1000, my first SLR. Taken somewhere in the vicinity of Waitsburg WA.

*NOTE* Apparently my blog is having some formatting issues. I'm working on figuring out whats going on. Sorry!

Wordless Wednesday- Shatir In The Snow

2009-12-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday- Of Love and Light

2009-12-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

Kristin and Tuff- Sneak Peek!

2009-07-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went out to Black Raven Stables for a portrait session with Kristin and her handsome (and slightly onry ;) ) Quarter Horse gelding, Tuff. I'm still working on getting her proofs perfected, but I couldn't resist sharing a couple!

The Equine Dream Shoot Giveaway!

2009-07-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Note: This contest is limited to people, horses, and locations in the Pacific Northwest.

Always wanted photos of your horses on the beach at sunset? Or running through a field of flowers? Or at your favorite spot on the trails? Lets make it happen! Now through September 15th you can enter to win your DREAM photo shoot for your horse!

This Dream Session includes up to three horses, unlimited poses, unlimited shots, unlimited tack & clothing changes at your favorite location!

How to Enter:

Enter Online- Its easy! Just fill out this handy dandy form and you're entered! (One entry per person)

And/OR

Enter In Person!- Visit my booth at upcoming horse shows and enter in person! I've got a big white tent that's hard to miss. I'll be located between the upper horse barns and the arena at the Kitsap County Fair. (One entry per person per event)

Evergreen Gaited Horse Classic, July 18 &19, Puyallup Fairgrounds, Puyallup Link

SAFE Benefit Open Horse Show, August 22, Frontier Park, Graham Link

Kitsap County Fair & Stampede, August 26-30, Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Bremerton Link

***NEW***Way Out West ACS- Open & Arabian Show, September 12, Sandamar Farm, Poulsbo Link

Then Get MORE Chances to WIN!

Follow Me!- Follow this blog by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking the "Join This Site" icon. (Receive one additional entry)

Become A Fan!- Visit the Liz Stabbert Photography Facebook Page and click "Become a Fan" OR scroll down to the bottom of this page to become a fan using our Facebook widget! (Receive one additional entry)

Tweet It!- Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter using the hashtag #LizStabbertPhoto or my screen name @Canoncowgirl. Every tweet is a new entry! (Receive LOTS of additional entries)

The Nitty Gritty: You must either enter online or in person first before tweets, follows, or becoming a fan will count as entries. Session does not include your travel costs to get to your location. My travel is included in the session. This contest is limited to people, horses, and locations in the Pacific Northwest. Scheduling limitations may apply. No mechanical means of entry will be permitted.

Helix Oregon, Heart of the Country Rodeo 09

2009-06-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw photos from the Helix rodeo I had one question: where is this place?? These were some up close and personal shots of some seriously rank broncs! The photographer (Mackenzie Williams) told me about this little tiny town tucked away in the rolling farmland north of Pendleton and convinced me it was worth the five hour drive for me to get there. That first year I took one of my favorite shots (ever!) which I named Quantum 9 after the Helix rodeo arena. The road trip out to Helix (hitting every other rodeo and stop of interest along the way) has become a tradition for me and has yet to disappoint. Here are some of my favorites from this year:

The complete Helix Rodeo '09 Gallery

Next stop: Dayton, WA!

NWSBA Mother's Day Celebration

2009-05-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to find words for the awesome time I had at the North West Snaffle Bit Association's Mother's Day Celebration show earlier this month since I got home. Honestly, I'm failing. Fun? Of course it was fun! Gorgeous horses, riders dressed to the nines, the beautiful backdrop of Donida Farms...fun just doesn't seem to do it. I've decided to let the photos do the talking (jumpers and reiners and pleasure oh my!):

For more of the fun check out the full galleries of NWSBA's Mother's Day Celebration at Donida Farms

HeART Of The Horse Art Show

2009-04-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I had the privilege of showing my work in the HeART of the Horse art show benefiting Save A Forgotten Equine. Everyone had big expectations for the show, the first that SAFE has put on, and it ended up being a fantastic event thanks to tireless work by some awesome SAFE volunteers! The event was held at the Abbey Ballroom in Tacoma which was a fun and unique location.

I have shown my artwork in the past, back in my days as a traditional media artist, but this was my first time showing my photos. It was a fun experience for me and made me stop and look at my photos as art pieces and not just photos for the horses owner (if that makes sense lol).

Here's what I brought to the show:

"An Esprit"

"Dusk"

The two Freisian images (which don't have names yet) are ones that I haven't posted or really shown at all (except to the owners of the horses who loved them!) and they were a big hit! In fact, both of the framed 11x14 prints I brought sold! Which is awesome since 50% of the sale goes right to SAFE! All total I sold three 11x14 prints and the auction items I brought all went for a good amount, too. All in all I had a great time mingling with fellow horse lovers, listening to great music, munching on good food and, of course, helping raise money for SAFE!

For more info (and a way better write up) on the event check out Monica Bretherton's northwest equestrian blog , Horsebytes. It even includes a bit about me!

Now, I did get scolded by Jamie at the event for moving to Monroe and not coming out to see the horses ( I know I've been slacking). So expect to see some photos of the SAFE rescue horses here in the near future!

PS I am planning on offering limited edition art prints of all of these images, let me know if you're interested! liz (at) lizstabbertphoto.com

Introducing Our New Referral Program!

2009-04-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

Word of mouth means a lot in the horse community and my business has grown considerably thanks to your referrals of friends and family. Now I've created a way to say thank you!

Now every time a new customer schedules a session with Liz Stabbert Photography and mentions your name, you receive a $50 credit towards your next print purchase! Its as easy as that. Use the referral program as often as you like, your credits will continue to be combined.

Nitty Gritty Details:

You do not need to have had a portrait session with me in the past to use the program, I appreciate referrals from any admirers of my work! Credits count towards prints or any items available through our gallery, including gifts, photo books, canvases and downloads (yes downloads too!). Credits can be used for existing images or saved for a future portrait session. Your credit is awarded at the completion of the new customers session. Currently, credits must be used with email orders, but soon our galleries will be equipped for easy to use gift certificates (stay tuned).

This is something I've been wanting to do for a while and am excited to get the program started!

(for those of you who are looking at this post and going "hello, where are the pictures?!" [you know you were thinking it!] Never fear, next post will hopefully be tomorrow and will have more equine photo goodness!)

Feeling Broncy?

2009-03-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

I sent in my membership renewal to the Pro-West Rodeo Association a couple weeks ago and have been dreaming of warm weather and broncs ever since. Most people, when asked what their favorite rodeo event is, will tell you either barrel racing or bulls. Both of those events are fine (and tons of fun to shoot) but what really gets my blood pumping is the broncs! There's just something about those "wild" and amazingly athletic horses that I can't get enough of!

One of my favorite places to shoot my favorite event is a little bitty rodeo out in Helix Oregon. The all roughstock event really serves as a buck out for the Flying Diamond family of brands young stock. The arena is small (read: up close and personal!) the stock is rank and, well, here are the results:

I have a weakness for flaxen maned sorrels with a lot of chrome <3.

Two years later I still have a crush on this horse. Went by the name of Sodo Mojo (note to his stock contractor: if he ever needs a place to retire, give me a ring!).

If you've followed my work for any amount of time you'll know this one. RC Landingham, the rider, was only 16 at the time of this shot! And yes, he made 8.

So, anyone else humming rodeo anthems? I certainly am ready for my fix!

The Nifty 50mm

2009-03-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

A while ago I broke down and purchased a lens that had been on my want list for a while, the Canon 50mm f1.8. I'd been wanting a lens that was wider than my 70-200mm f2.8 for pet portraits and preferably with out the painful price tag. I'd heard good things about the 50mm and thought I'd give it a try. I picked one up on ebay for all of $80 (a drop in the bucket in photography land) and have been having a blast with it!

My first victim was Maxie who resides at my parents house. Max doesn't actually belong to my folks, but he is at their house enough he might as well. Its fitting, because his owner, David, isn't actually my uncle but hangs around enough he might as well be.

Max is almost 9 now and has a bit of grey showing his age. I think its just adorable!

Like a lot of cattle dogs he is OBSESSED with fetch.

Two trouble makers ready for me to stop taking pictures and throw the ball (and also a lawn chair)

Stay tuned for more pet portraits in the near future!!

If you'd like information on my pet portrait sessions visit my services page or fill out the form below! :)

AFA Farashah

2009-02-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of going out to the amazing R.O. Lervick Arabians farm to photograph the beautiful Arabian filly AFA Farashah owned by Vanessa Smith before she made the trip down to Scottsdale. This was my first trip to R.O. Lervick Arabians so I couldn't resist stopping to drool over their gorgeous stallion Cytosk+++ (ok so I was actually lost in the barn, its a big place! but its still fun to drool) Arabian photographer Scott Trees has described Arabians as "the high fashion models of the horse world" and this filly didn't disappoint! I could have stayed all day shooting, but Fara, being a yearling and donning a fresh full body clip on a chilly February morning had different ideas. *sigh* maybe next time ;)

Now thats not to say I didn't get plenty of pics of this gorgeous girl! Here are a few faves:

Vanessa and Fara should be back from Scottsdale by now and I hope they had a great time!

Light and Horses (2-09)

2009-02-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I was home on my lunch hour and saw this beautiful sunset light playing in the manes of my pasture buddies Rusty and Khaiber...I couldn't help but run out with my camera to get some shots.

Part of this post is to test out my new blog layout and see how it works with BIG BEAUTIFUL photos ;) What do you think?

Think Spring!

2009-01-25T16:55:00.000-08:00

I thought about sharing some more of my recent snow/flood photos, but if you're anything like me, you've had quite enough of winter! Spring really is just around the corner ...at least thats what I keep telling myself! Nothing says spring to me like adorable newborn foals playing out in the pasture. I've already heard of a few early babies being born, so keep those little ones warm and keep your hopes up for spring!

Here are a couple of my faves from last spring when I was riding at Painted Valley Farm in Poulsbo WA.

On a side note, I'm considering putting together a three part "baby package" for new foals. The package would include three sessions: one as a newborn, as a weanling and as a yearling. The owner would receive the usual free 8x10 or web resolution image with each session, as well as a three image (one from each session) framed print after the completion of the yearling session.

No price tag yet, just bouncing ideas around. Would that be something that you all would be interested in? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Presenting- Pet Portraits!

2009-01-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to announce the addition of pet portraits to the list of services offered at Liz Stabbert Photography! While I have been having a blast photographing horses, I felt that the other four legged family members have been slightly neglected. Pet portrait sessions will be fun and candid (for your and your pet) to get the best out of your favorite companion!

To celebrate this new addition, for a limited time all pet portrait sessions will be 20% off! Contact me for details or to schedule a session!

Visit our Pet Portrait section under Services for more information and rates!

Snow Bound

2009-01-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

There was very little enjoyable about the weather we've had out here over the last couple of weeks. Everyone I've talked to says they've never seen so much snow here and over such a long period of time. Luckily I had the horses and Sammy to remind me that snow is FUN! At least for a little while. Heres a couple of my favorite shots I took before running back in the house to keep warm:

The boys (Khaiber and Rusty) enjoying a romp in the snow.

Wut?

Sammy had a blast in the snow! Unfortunately I think her favorite thing about the weather was the frozen horse poop *sigh*

On a blog related note, expect to see more here in the future! I have neglected this blog in the past but am planning a lot more photo sharing, sneak peeks, and more, so check back!

Gift Certificate Sale

2008-12-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

The holidays are just around the corner, do you have a gift planned for your horse loving significant other or friends? Give the gift that lasts forever, a portrait of their favorite horse or pet! There are still a few slots available for holiday portrait sessions or you can take advantage of our great gift certificate sale!

For a limited time you can get a $25 gift certificate for $20, $50 for $40, or $100 for $80! These gift certificates are good for any service we offer, including horse and pet portrait sessions, prints, and art canvases from your photos!

For more information on the services we offer, check out our "Services" page. To purchase a gift certificate, set up a session, or if you have any questions please contact me!

Emerald Downs opening day!

2007-04-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

Well I made it out for Emerald Downs racetrack's opening day. I was covering the event for photojornalism and since its been a long time since I've been to the track. I got one of the free fleece blankets they were giving away, enjoyed the horses ... I even had my caricature drawn, hey it was free, why not!

Thoroughbred horses are beautiful animals and I enjoyed having a chance to try my lens in the challenging situation of the night races. Heres a few of the shots I came away with.

All and all it was a fun time. I plan on going back sometime this summer for the day races that go on during the weekend. Maybe I'll even pick horses that win next time ;)