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Arabian Horse Photographers In Focus
Kelly Campbell by Mary Kirkman
1 | A R A BI A N HOR SE T I MES
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“This was at Royal Jaafar, and we had just taken shots in the barn. The background was shaded, so these two grey mares provided contrast. They just looked at each other. It is all about the connection of two horses.”—Kelly Campbell
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arare photography
| A r A bi A n Hor se T i mes
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Kelly Campbell has been a professional equine photographer for six years, a respectable start on a career that is gaining momentum at a dizzying speed. Her biggest challenge, she reflects—apart from recalcitrant horses, inclement weather, and wildly talented competitors—has been her own age. She laughs when she recalls a shoot she went on near her Vacaville, Calif., home. The horse owner, who knew and liked her work, had booked an appointment online, but when Campbell arrived for the early-morning session, she couldn’t get in without a gate code. Finally, she managed to wave down a few people she spotted in the distance. “Are you lost?” one asked her. “No,” she replied. “I’m Kelly, and I’m here to photograph your horses.” “Oh my gosh!” the woman exclaimed in surprise. “There’s a high school on the street over, and I thought you were looking for that!” The quality of her photography rapidly dispels anyone’s reservations, but she still smiles. There is not much she can do about it except turn out good work. She has known that
she would work in the horse industry since she was a child, and has had a passion for photography since her teens; this is where she is meant to be. Campbell was born in Fairfield, Calif., 26 years ago, to a family with no ties to horses. Her father was a contractor and her mother worked in healthcare; she and her older brother, Casey, got into riding when they accompanied friends to a local barn for lessons. She was 5, and the expansive facility, which accommodated nearly 100 horses and hosted shows in three arenas, offered a variety of breeds and disciplines for experience. As they grew up, she and Casey leased horses and showed in local shows, grooming and cleaning stalls to pay for their fun. Quarter Horses, Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds, western and dressage and jumping provided an eclectic background that eventually led them both into a lifetime commitment to horses. While she took up equine photography, Casey became a nationallevel trainer in Miniatures. Campbell’s interest in cameras began when she was a youngster, as she fired off endless
Volume 44, No. 4 |
arare photography
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