03/08/2026
An Adventure to Capture Frosty Mornings, Sunlight on Wild Mustangs, and Stardust Under the New Moon.
Each new day presents an exciting opportunity for a photography adventure. It’s not about monetary gain, but rather the sheer joy of being immersed in God’s world and the challenge of capturing the essence of a wild mustang image.
After breakfast, we set off down I-49, our destination for the next three days: The Mowdy Wild Mustang Ranch in Oklahoma. The Outback’s trunk-is full with an abundance of camera equipment. My reason for our visit to the ranch is for me to attend a photography workshop hosted by Brennen Nicole the renowned and master astrophotographer. Mowdy Ranch serves as a sanctuary for wild mustangs, one of four designated by the Bureau of Land Management. Nestled in the hills of southeastern Oklahoma, near Coalgate, the ranch spans an expansive 4000 acres of wooded hills and open valleys. Currently, it provides a long-term home to 350 wild mares. These horses are descendants of the legendary Choctaw ponies. These ponies are known for their toughness and endurance, qualities that were beautifully portrayed in the film “Hidalgo.”
The objective of the workshop is to capture photographs of wild mustangs during sunrise, sunset, and under the Milky Way. February marks the commencement of “Milky Way Season” for astrophotographers; it is akin to the opening day of hunting season for deer hunters. The first new moon in February reveals the core of the Milky Way, which is the most captivating part of the galaxy. The core and the dark horse nebula are visible from February to September, and capturing its first appearance is crucial for those of us who are crazy enough to venture to dark sky locations at 3:30 in the morning, equipped with digital cameras, three layers of warm clothing, and an abundance of hot coffee. Gazing at the Milky Way stretching across the southeastern skies of an open horizon filled my heart with awe and gratitude for the divine creative hand of God who brought the universe into existence.
We arrived at the ranch’s guest lodge for a meet-and-greet with our fellow workshop participants. Participants hailed from various regions across the country. Some had traveled considerable distances to acquire new photography techniques. We gathered our cameras and long lenses and saddled up on the “mules” aka ATVs and headed to the horse fields for some golden hour and sunset photography.
Being in a beautiful meadow with a hundred wild horses is so peaceful and relaxing, even if I don’t get a single good image, it is worth the effort of holding the heavy lens for hours a below freezing temps. What an evening seeing these animals grazing and hearing their soft neighing was an amazing experience.
Saturday morning, our plans to capture the Milky Way were waylaid by clouds, but we did get to sleep late, you know, 5:00 a.m.! Which is sleeping in for nature photographers. We hopped in the mules and headed to another mustang field for sunrise. The horses in this field are a little older and wiser to the cameras and not as curious as the mustangs last night. They were not really interested in the photographer in the field. The field we were in last night was occupied by younger horses; if you sat on the ground and were still, the younger horses would come right up to you to see what you were doing. After lunch, Brennen taught an editing class on Lightroom, Luminar, stacking the Milky Way, and blue hour blending of the Milky Way. This was the primary reason I wanted to attend Brennen’s workshop, and she way out met my expectations. I have taken a few Milky Way pictures. Never did I imagine the level she taught us!
Sunday morning came early at 3:00 a.m., but the loss of sleep was well worth it. The morning was perfect for Milky Way photography. It was cold, so the cameras didn’t heat up taking fast multiple images, and the sky was cloudless. I was so excited, enjoying the perfect conditions, that I forgot how cold my fingers and toes were. Almost risking frostbite to get the image! For sunrise, we headed back to the old gal’s field. This morning, they were more comfortable with the crazy photographers and allowed us to wander through the herd, taking all the photos we wanted. What a weekend! We met new friends and learned a lot of new techniques.
I will be posting many more pictures. I have only begun to go through my pictures. 📸 credit for Tracy Wills for the photos of me and Linda H for help with the story telling.
