16th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Altered Images
Symbiosis II

My experience as a zookeeper taught me a lot about animal behaviors. I’ve been photographing a free-ranging herd of Welsh ponies for 11 years. They’ve accepted me, in that they ignore my presence and reveal some of their world. I join them as they gather close to each other under the old cedars. Or share an evening grooming. Their behavior sometimes shows me “darker” moments which I try not to anthropomorphize. I open to whatever happens.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2016
Date Uploaded: 09.2018
Photo Location: Deer Island, Oregon, United States of America
Copyright: © Kristin Zabawa