Portugal, the land of sunny beaches, Pastéis de Nata, and welcoming people. In the summer of 2019 I visited my friend Barbara Da Costa from Equestrez. She showed me her wonderful country and introduced me to the beautiful Lusitanos.

The Lusitano, now popular all over the world, is an Iberian breed that was developed in Portugal. They are intelligent, trustworthy and loyal and it was an honour to meet their character and owners.

Portugal 2019

The bravest

The shape of light

July 31th, 2019

On the first photography day we set out to photograph our first Lusitanos. We had the privileged to visit Lusitano d'Atela who have been breeding the breed since 1989. They were incredibly welcoming and prepared some of their stunning stallions for us. Upon scouting locations the one that immediately caught my attention was actually the place where the stallion was being brushed. The courtyard where they keep their horses had amazing arcs and I saw how the light fell upon the horse. The atmosphere highlighted the perfect curves and shapes of the horse.

Photoshoot 1.

STALLIONS OF DATELA

Brothers first

August 1st, 2019

The next day we woke up early to catch the soft morning light. Brother David and Diogo were ready with their pretty horses to drive to a unique location. On the beautiful estate stood a beautiful tree blooming. The stallion was still young but he was incredibly well-behaved.

With the golden light in the background and the blooming purple flowers in the foreground it created a complementary color scheme in the photo.

Photoshoot 2.

Brothers on horseback

A place to evolve

August 2nd, 2019

In the evening we visited the other estate of Lusitano d'Atela. The place where they have acres of ground and where they keep their mares and foals. As unplanned as this was, we spend hours just walking in the field, catching intimate moments between mom and foal and enjoyed the golden light rays. These might be my favorite sessions as the silence of herd brings you much needed peace.

Photoshoot 3.

Foals in gold

Only darkness has light

August 3rd, 2019

As we walked on the estate of Ortigao Costa I had an overwhelming feeling of how beautiful it was. The architecture, the history, the atmosphere was typical Portugese. Ortigao Costa is famous for their pure black Lusitanos. We made many photos just on their estate as there were many possibilities. As we almost wrapped up the sessions for the day there was a horse being prepared for riding. As the horse was just standing in the hallway the light coming from the door illuminated him perfectly.

Photoshoot 4.

Black pearls

Fierce

August 5th, 2019

On the last day we visited Lusitano Academy. The place had a lot of beautiful ones who were all very eager to show their moves to us. They jumped, ran, sprinted like they were playing with the wind.

This concludes the trip to the origin of the Lusitanos. I am counting the days until I am able to go back again.