View this post on Instagram Here is the second image from Allowed to Grow Old that debuted in today's issue of the Observer/Guardian. Buddy, an Appaloosa horse, age 28, was surrendered to the @catskill_animal_sanctuary when his guardians could not properly care for him after he lost his sight. He endured debilitating panic attacks, which took months of training to overcome. Buddy suffered significantly from iritis. Because he was already blind, his eyes were removed to resolve this painful condition. I confess that I was quite uncomfortable when I first met Buddy. I had met many blind animals by this point, but I had never encountered one who had his eyes removed. But then I spent a morning watching Buddy and I appreciated that there was so much more to him than his disability. I watched him frolic in his pasture with other horses who were not blind and he seemed as happy and playful as they were. And then I watched him interact with the staff at the sanctuary where he resided. He immediately came to any staff when they entered his enclosure to seek treats or affection. It was clear that he adored his caregivers. I wanted to create an image that showed how much Buddy enjoys his life, which is why I selected an image of him seeming peaceful and orienting toward the warm sun. It was important to me that the image be beautiful, because I wanted the viewer to try to have the same realization that I had after spending time with Buddy: that he loved his life, that he was a survivor and that he should not be pitied. I had taken images of Buddy that had focused mainly on his face, but I did not use them because they felt exploitative to me. I endeavored to create a portrait of him that respected his dignity. #allowedtogrowold #animalrescue #someonenotsomething #vegansofig #photography #artistsoninstagram #blackandwhitephotography #horses #horsesofinstagram #everyanimalmatters A post shared by Isa Leshko (@isaleshko) on Feb 10, 2019 at 12:58pm PST
Here is the second image from Allowed to Grow Old that debuted in today's issue of the Observer/Guardian. Buddy, an Appaloosa horse, age 28, was surrendered to the @catskill_animal_sanctuary when his guardians could not properly care for him after he lost his sight. He endured debilitating panic attacks, which took months of training to overcome. Buddy suffered significantly from iritis. Because he was already blind, his eyes were removed to resolve this painful condition. I confess that I was quite uncomfortable when I first met Buddy. I had met many blind animals by this point, but I had never encountered one who had his eyes removed. But then I spent a morning watching Buddy and I appreciated that there was so much more to him than his disability. I watched him frolic in his pasture with other horses who were not blind and he seemed as happy and playful as they were. And then I watched him interact with the staff at the sanctuary where he resided. He immediately came to any staff when they entered his enclosure to seek treats or affection. It was clear that he adored his caregivers. I wanted to create an image that showed how much Buddy enjoys his life, which is why I selected an image of him seeming peaceful and orienting toward the warm sun. It was important to me that the image be beautiful, because I wanted the viewer to try to have the same realization that I had after spending time with Buddy: that he loved his life, that he was a survivor and that he should not be pitied. I had taken images of Buddy that had focused mainly on his face, but I did not use them because they felt exploitative to me. I endeavored to create a portrait of him that respected his dignity. #allowedtogrowold #animalrescue #someonenotsomething #vegansofig #photography #artistsoninstagram #blackandwhitephotography #horses #horsesofinstagram #everyanimalmatters
A post shared by Isa Leshko (@isaleshko) on Feb 10, 2019 at 12:58pm PST