Sophie & Minstrel

An evening shoot with Sophie Bird and her horse Minstrel on the beach at Sand Bay. There's a personal connection — Minstrel was produced by my wife Alex, so it was a pleasure to photograph the two of them together.

Sand Bay, North Somerset, UK July 23, 2022

Black and white photograph of a rider on a dapple grey horse cantering directly toward the camera across a vast, flat beach with a moody overcast sky.

A smiling young woman in a black riding helmet and gilet stands beside her grey horse, both facing the camera with an overcast coastal sky behind them.

Sophie crouches on the pebbly shore, cradling Minstrel's lowered head in her hands and smiling softly at him against a muted seaside backdrop.

Sophie leans forward bareback on her standing grey horse, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug on the wide sandy beach under dramatic clouds.

Close-up of Sophie laughing with her eyes squeezed in delight as her grey horse nuzzles into her while she sits on a rock on the beach.

Sophie with her long blonde hair loose gazes up adoringly at Minstrel, who stands tall beside her, with warm sandy dunes softly blurred in the background.

Sophie sits on the sand in a flowing navy dress, smiling softly as her dapple grey horse Minstrel lowers his head into her lap, with wild yellow gorse blooming in the background.

Black and white photograph of Sophie in a long flowing dress standing face to face with Minstrel on the pebble beach, the horse's tail and dappled hindquarters prominent in the foreground.

Close-up black and white portrait of Sophie and Minstrel's faces side by side, both looking towards the camera, with Sophie smiling and the horse's expressive eye and bridle in sharp detail.

Sophie leans forward with a beaming smile while riding Minstrel bareback on the beach, her navy dress draped over his dapple grey coat, with moody skies and green hills behind them.