by Fairytale-Like Horses Captured By Photographer Roaming Iceland’s Epic Landscape’s
One of the most famous fashion photography artists is Drew Doggett of South Carolina. He now travels the world seeking inspiration and photographing stunning landscapes and portraits of people, communities, and cultures. His early career in this field enabled him to master the best techniques, as shown by his photographs. He traveled all over the world and his travels took him to fascinating and remote places, such as the Himalayas, Ethiopia and recently to Iceland. He is currently fascinated with the legendary Icelandic horses, which has resulted in an expedition to this mystical land. During his stay there, he captured the beauty of horses and the incredible landscapes where they roam and sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ.
During his time in Iceland, Doggett stayed on a farm with hundreds of horses. He was initially drawn to the enchanted landscape by tales of folklore. Such takes included the famous, eight-legged Icelandic horse named ‘Sleipnir’ who is believed to be the spirit animal of the mythological God, Odin. The stunning equine series highlights the relationship between the majestic breed of semi-wild horses—who are believed by some to be the “real-world” descendants of Sleipnir—and the extreme environment that they live in.
Reminiscent of a utopian world, the landscape features snow-covered expanses, roaring waterfalls, black sandy beaches, and icy lagoons. The majestic horses gallop, graze, and stand proud against the otherworldly backdrop, exhibiting their regal resilience to the extreme elements. While Drew usually shoots in black and white, he decided to use color for this series. The “In the Realm of Legends” series is filled with the unique beauty of horses in their natural element, which gives viewers the ancient world of imagination and myth, so they can, even expect to encounter the Vikings as well. The Icelandic horse was brought to Iceland by the Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries and is currently one of the oldest horse breeds in the world. In these areas, for almost 1000 years, no other breed of horse has stepped forward, contributing to being protected from the various ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇs suffered by horses in other parts of the world, and creating an impeccably pure-bred equine. According to Iceland law, it is forbidden to import any horse, and once a horse is exported, it can never be brought back.
The incredible photo series captures snow-white and beautiful brown horses contrasting against the pale, glacial blues and the dark shades of the sand and rocks. Each image visualises the horses’ powerful but calm natures amidst a wild landscape in constant ᴄʜᴀᴏᴛɪᴄ motion. “The waterfalls are thunderous and almost ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴛʟʏ beautiful, yet the horses were calm, standing mere feet from the millions of gallons of rushing water,” Drew stated. “Other times, we’d be shooting in thigh-deep snow in windy conditions as the horses stood completely still.”
