Photographer Drew Doggett has established a successful career in fashion photography by the time he was 25 years old. Though he had steady work traveling the world to capture models and other celebrities on film, he was ready to branch out on his own to tell a story that only he could through striking images of unheralded places and people. This led him to the Himalayas, Iceland, and Namibia among other locales. One commonality among these diverse locations has been the presence of majestic wild horses. Now, 15 years later, the renowned photographer has now published a remarkable new book, titled Untamed Spirits: Horses Around the World, that shows the brilliant way his fashion-trained aesthetic translates to equine photography.
“Images are, in a sense, immortal,” Doggett says, “and I aim to create a portrait of our world that allows for a moment of mindfulness as well as recognition of shared human interest.” His horse photographs celebrate a diverse range of experiences and environments. It’s impossible to remain unmoved when viewing his gorgeous, near-monochromatic photos of horses galloping in vast surroundings that seem almost mythical.
Along with his dreamlike scenes in the wild, Doggett includes more intimate portraits of horses in Untamed Spirits. With nothing in the background, the focus is on the sheer beauty and unique personality of each separate steed. Their soulful eyes force the audience to recognize the intelligence and emotional depth that we can often strip from animals. He also presents a remarkable range of horses from around the world, including “Icelandic horses beneath waterfalls; rescue horses photographed underwater in the West Indies; the elite horses competing in Wellington, Florida, each year; the wild and free horses of Sable Island; and the ancient, bold, and beautiful, all-white Camargue horses in the South of France.” Each image elevates the art of animal photography, and Doggett’s work demonstrates a timeless aesthetic that plays with light and darkness, as well as form and negative space.
Untamed Spirits: Horses Around the World published by teNeues Publishers will be released on July 2, 2024, but it is currently available to pre-order on Bookshop and Amazon.