September 15, 2025 • 25 mins
Today, we chat with Claire Porter about the emotional storytelling behind her equine photography, the design process of Art~Scarves, and how art becomes a companion. From limited-edition prints to limited-edition scarves, Claire shares the evolution of her creative process and the new ways audiences connect with her art.
- Hosts: Jennifer Hebert, Morgan Nicole Zipperlen
- Contact: Sophia Jagella, WESA Marketing Specialist
- Guest: Claire Porter, Claire Porter Photography
- Website: https://claireporterphotography.com/pages/skarf-art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claireporterphotography/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Foreign.
You are listening to the HorseRadio Network, part of the Equine
Network family.
This is episode 157 of Wisdomby Wesa on the horse Radio Network.
This is Jennifer Hebert.
I'm Morgan Nicole.
And this is Sofia Agela.
Welcome to Wisdom by WESA onthe Horse Radio Network, part of
(00:23):
the Equinnetwork family.
Another August WESA trade showin the books.
Yes.
We just made it now almost amonth after the show.
So I hope everybody has hadsome time to recover and look forward
to the next shows becausewe're working on them already.
Do the January and Augustshows, all the prep behind the scenes
(00:47):
that happens.
Do they overlap a lot?
A little.
Not at all.
They do overlap when we're induring the August show just because
the contracts are alreadyavailable during that time for the
exhibitors to sign up andactually to save if they do sign
up on set.
Right.
But that really is the onlytime when things overlap as far as
(01:08):
timing for contracts, ofcourse, with marketing and the rest
of it.
It's kind of an ongoing cycle anyways.
Continuous.
Yes.
So are there any changes thatyour team has implemented that we're
going to see coming up?
Yes, we are excited toannounce a new show day pattern starting
in August 2026 and then going forward.
(01:29):
So Westa will then start on aTuesday and go through Friday instead
of Wednesday through Saturday.
And hopefully that'll increasetraffic and ease traveling a little
bit more.
Ah.
So to make it easier forexhibitors and buyers because that's
their work week anyway.
Exactly.
And we've also had somefeedbacks about equestrian shows
(01:52):
being specifically in Augustduring that weekend.
So we're hoping without doingSaturday that everybody gets to travel
a little bit earlier, earlierin the and then go back to their
usual days and life.
That's true if you're if.
And there are many, manyexhibitors as well as buyers out
there who also still activelycompete or take mobile units to shows.
(02:14):
By shifting it forward thatextra day, it gives somebody the
opportunity, even if theycan't stay for the entire length,
they can go in there and getthemselves a good day and a half
or even two days to get theirbuying done and things like that.
That's a great idea.
I like that.
Yeah.
So much happening in August,so hopefully this will be a good
change.
So did you implement some newthings for this current 2025 August
(02:36):
show that you think reallymade a difference?
Yes.
We also had a new registrationsystem and that was amazing to have
because now buyers could justwalk in and get their own badges,
which made the whole process alittle bit easier and now we don't
have to mail the badges tothem anymore and sometimes those
get lost and now all you haveto do is just bring your QR code
(02:58):
and use get it on site and youhave your bad right then and there.
And then the exhibitors couldalso scan a QR code on the buyer
badges and then import it totheir data system and stay in contact
with buyers during the show orafter the show.
We're going to keep theregistration system and look forward
to using it again in January.
Yes, I noticed there werenever any crowds.
(03:19):
There were never any, anyunhappy faces at the check in area
which was great.
Yes, we got to cut down onthose lions quite a bit, which is
amazing.
Well, Morgan, we haven't heardmuch from you because Sophia and
I have been gabbing about wesawhich you did not get to attend.
Are you going to be able to goto to WESSA in January, Morgan?
Yes, I will always be therefor January show and with these new
(03:44):
dates for next August, I amsure I will be there too.
So I can't wait.
Tell us about our guest thatwe will be meeting on the show today.
Yes.
Meet Claire Porter, the artistbehind Claire Porter Photography.
Renowned for her equineimages, Claire captures the elegance,
(04:07):
power and grace of the horse.
Now she has taken her emotivephotography a step further with Art
Scarf, so transforming herimages into wearable art that retains
the narrative and soul of her work.
Hi Claire, welcome the podcast today.
(04:28):
How are you doing?
Very well, thank you, Morgan.
Well, we are so excited tohave you today, of course, talking
more about all of yourphotography and even what you're
jumping into now with your art scarves.
But I would love just to startfrom the top, tell me a little bit
(04:48):
about yourself.
I know you're a fellow Texas gal.
Well, I am, but.
And that moving to Texas isreally kind of when my photography
joined with my love of horses.
I moved from Los Angeles about15 years ago and I started riding
horses when I was about 10.
(05:10):
My, my father was killed in a,in a boat accident and my mother
hooked me up with ourneighbors who were riding horses.
And the father always took hisdaughters to the horses.
So that's when I started myrelationship with horses.
And of course with thatemotional beginning, I developed
(05:30):
a very, very strong emotionalconnection with the horse.
And I showed hunters andjumpers for a while in high school
and then I went back as anamateur owner and then became a mother
and a broodmare.
I have four children, 40 to34, I believe they are, and have
(05:50):
four, four grandchildren.
But I also always had a camerain my hand.
When I was a young girl, mymom took pictures and I would steal
her camera and run around andgo take close ups of flowers and
whatever.
So when I moved to Texas in2012, I moved as a single woman and
(06:14):
I thought to myself, well, Iwant to travel, but what is a good
way to travel where I don'thave to sit on the back of a tourist
bus and hear somebody speakingloudly in the background and telling
me what the sights are?
I didn't want that.
I wanted to be engaged.
So I went on my first photosafari to Wyoming.
(06:36):
And it was literally a, areason to get traveling.
I was gonna do it that way,take my camera with me and go photograph
things all over wherever I wanted.
But it just so happened that Ihad made these wonderful new friends
when I had moved to Texas.
And as soon as I got back, Iwas on their ranch with them and
(07:00):
we were doing things andriding, riding horses and what.
And the woman takes me to herhusband in the mule and he says,
well, Claire, I just want tolet you know that we would love for
you to not only decorate ourlaw offices, but we want you to put
up your photographs on our walls.
And I laughed because I waslike, oh, okay.
(07:27):
And of course I said yes.
And I wong it.
And they purchased about adozen large format photographs for,
from my, from my trip to Wyoming.
And, and then there was a wordof mouth thing that followed after
that and I had a pretty bigfollowing here in the hill country
and decided that it was doingwell enough that I was probably going
(07:50):
to turn it into a business,which is what I did.
So I've been photographingwild mustangs, cowboy imagery and
big herds, etc.
For about, I guess that's 12 years.
And for 10 of these or 11 ofthese, I strictly sold my images.
(08:11):
So I want to bring it backfirst to your traveling.
So I am on your website rightnow and like you had mentioned, you
know, your Wyoming trip.
I love pulling up thiscollections tab and just those first
initial images, I'm seeing theAfrica action, the Arizona.
(08:33):
I mean, you can really seethe, the emotion.
Of course we talked about, youknow, your emotional start to photography,
but kind of take me into howyou're creating that strength and
connection in your images.
What are you really lookingfor when you're out there?
(08:56):
Well, my favorite is action.
And you can see that in a lotof my images.
I'm really wild about findingmustangs who are sparring or a group
of the herd just tearingacross the planes.
That's what really draws me in.
But it's also, you know, I'mlooking for the interesting composition
(09:19):
and light.
I am at home when I'm out shooting.
It is my safe place.
It's my haven.
You had talked about lightingand I personally do a lot of photography
myself and I know theimportance of the light and the timing
and environment.
(09:39):
You know, all of your shots, Imean every single one is exquisite.
I've looked through dozens anddozens of your images.
When you are out there, whatare your days typically looking like,
you know, to get those perfect shots.
Is it kind of a, you know,ordeal or is it really just spur
(09:59):
of the moment?
Well, I usually go on about afour or five day trip wherever I've
traveled to.
And with photographing horsesor photographing in the, in the prime
light, you want to be outthere before dawn.
And you, you really don'tshoot too much during the day.
(10:20):
It's kind of time off andediting and, and culling through
your images from the morning.
And then in the afternoon yougo back out about four and you know,
then you get this beautifulsoft sunset light.
So the days can be really long.
I had one trip in Utah wherewe were staying in a hotel two hours
(10:41):
from the herd.
So in order to get there wehad to leave at like 3:45 in the
morning to get there by 5:40.
Oh my goodness.
And then we.
I know.
And then we chewed during themorning we actually drove back to
our hotel.
I took a 20 minute nap, hadsome lunch and then turned around
and went right back.
They were long days, but thatwas the worst of it.
(11:03):
The rest of the time it'susually about a 5am Wake up call.
Right.
You know those moments of inthe truck right before putting on
your boots to go out there?
I'm sure even just putting thebatteries in your camera, it's kind
of like you're sitting on theedge of your seat awaiting what you're
going to see through your lens.
(11:24):
I love that.
Absolutely.
With all of your travel, howare you really selecting where you're
going and when?
Tell me about that selectionprocess of location.
Well, a lot of people, thereare plenty of other equine photographers
out there and there are a lotof places that are commonly and commonly
(11:49):
photographed and I try to stayaway from those.
For instance, I've never shotat the Camargue because I want a
unique image.
So I try to go places wherethey're going to be beautiful horses,
beautiful scenery, and it's.
It's going to be a unique setting.
You know, certainly whenyou're out in the wild photographing
(12:12):
the big herds, that's nature.
That's, you know, the hillsand the mountains behind, and all
of that is going to bespecific and beautiful to.
To that set of images.
But when I travel to France orSpain, they have different horses
there, different breeds, and.
(12:32):
And then they also, you know,have different places where you can.
When you can shoot, forinstance, in the ocean or on the
beach, as opposed to in the prairies.
Right.
Well, and I love too, youknow, in every photo, you're not
only sharing the story, butyou are drawing out every bit of
(12:54):
raw emotion for all our listeners.
If you were to go to herwebsite and open up her gallery,
I mean, the main flying in thewind, the dust, you can almost feel
like the image is trulyspeaking to you.
And I love that, Claire, aboutyour photography with the impact
(13:16):
that these images are having.
I know you started branchinginto a little bit of fashion with
the scarves.
Tell me, you know, what reallyresonated with you on moving to scarves?
Well, I'll tell you that quick story.
But first I want to thank youfor acknowledging my images and describing
(13:36):
them the way that you did withall the movement and the emotional
connection to the viewer.
I actually get told that allof the time that people feel like
they're in my images.
And I want to say that I feellike I credit that to the deep connection
that I have with the Equusanyway, and so thank you for pointing
(13:58):
that out.
It's very important to me.
And it's one thing that makesmy work unique and special to the
viewer.
And then as far as the scarvesgo, guy, it's five, six, seven years
ago, I had the opportunity togo to a 1.2 million acre private
ranch in Nevada that is ownedby some lifelong friends of mine.
(14:22):
And they do many things onthis ranch, including having a large
herd of wild mustangs.
And so I got to go out therefor three days and be driven around
two mountain ranges and two.
No, three mountain ranges andtwo deserts.
It was crazy huge.
And I brainstormed on a waythat I could thank the husband and
(14:47):
wife who got me permission.
And so what I did is I tookone of my images from Nevada and
printed it on cashmere scarf,which is many years ago.
And honestly, I. I really have.
In the last.
Other than the last year and ahalf, two years, I had to take some
(15:08):
years off due to health problems.
And so, you know, the scarvesthing was something that, you know,
I didn't plan, didn't pursue.
But when I got my feet backwet again and started really spending,
spending, working harder on mybusiness, I would say I wore that
(15:28):
scarf with a woman whoactually kind of mentored me to get
my confidence back after myhealth issue.
And that's Maricela Floresfrom Pixie and the Moon.
She sells incredible vintageWestern wear.
And so I, I would go out thereto Round Top to help her a lot.
(15:49):
And one day I had this scarfon, and she.
And I stand up and I walkingin front of her, and I turn around
and she goes, oh, my God.
Where did you get that?
And I was like, oh, I took itin Nevada.
It's one of my photographs.
And she's like.
And we look at each other, andI'm like, I should do more of this.
(16:11):
And that's really kind of howit came into me, that it was just
kind of a brains, not abrainstorm at the moment, but it's
like a realization.
It's like, oh, my God, theseare beautiful.
And so that's kind of how it started.
I, I, I think the next, overthe next couple of months, I designed
(16:31):
from my images probably 40rectangular scarves and started building
a logo and a style and, andselling them to friends and getting
into some boutiques and.
And then I started my firsttrade show a year ago.
(16:53):
Was my first WESA trade show.
Yes.
Wow.
You know, I have to say,Claire, in every moment of your story,
I can.
I mean, the, the heartstringsand the emotion are there even from
you coming back after, youknow, your health issues and coming
back in the true cowgirlfashion of grit and grace and, oh,
(17:16):
my gosh.
And you're gonna make me.
I, I was just hearing youspeak about it because, you know,
there's a lot of people, likeyou mentioned, there's a lot of people
in the industry, but there'svery few that stand out.
And the Claire Porterphotography definitely does that.
And I'm so excited to see theimpact that, you know, your next
(17:40):
journey with the scarves aregoing to be with ladies actually
getting to make yourphotography a part of their wardrobe
and share the story.
I'm a Western fashioninfluencer myself, and so when I'm
going and picking out piecesin my closet or my drawers, you know,
I'm looking for pieces that,again, capture who's seeing it and
(18:05):
really unfold a story.
So I'm excited to see theseScarves come into action.
And you spoke about 40different new ones coming.
Oh no, that was my original,that was my original group of, of
rectangular scarves.
So I have those 40 designs andmaybe it's 45 or 50 at this point.
(18:28):
And, and then just recently I,I designed some wild rags, some squares,
which I had to figure out howto do on the computer.
Yes.
Now tell me, how are you, howare you selecting those images to
become scarves?
Well, a lot of it depends onthe proportion of the image and how
(18:49):
well it will fit onto therectangular scarf, which is where
I started.
And, and I also look at wherethe action is on the scarf in relation
to how you might style it.
And you know, the scarf, eventhough it's a huge trend today and
it's worn all over your bodyin all sorts of wonderful ways, it's
(19:14):
often underestimated and, butit's really a fashion anchor and
it's the final touch of your attire.
And you know, these scarves ofmine are wearable canvases and they
really transcend seasons andcultures and trends.
They truly do.
So I'm very, very excitedabout them.
(19:34):
I mean, even your scarves holdyour scent and memory and move.
They're very graceful.
So there's a lot of movementwith them too.
Yes.
You know, with the creativityof wild rags and scars.
Right now, just like you said,people are wearing them not only
around their neck, but asbelts and on their purses.
(19:56):
And something I've even kindof dabbled with a little bit is laying
out a scarf like, almost likea table runner.
And people now are evenframing their scarves.
Absolutely.
All art.
Yes.
But I'm on the website againand I'm looking at the photography.
(20:18):
I can obviously see thescarves here.
But tell me how people can getyour photography in their homes.
I think you can purchase your,your prints on canvas acrylic.
Tell me kind of what theprocess is like for one to purchase.
Well, you can contact medirectly and I do a lot of custom
(20:39):
ordering because I can onlyprovide so many options on my website.
And I do have a full Shopifystore set up on my website for both
my images and the scarves thatI offer.
And, and at this point I have,I steadily offer the higher end surface
(21:03):
matte acrylic and then I doalso the canvas wrap and then I do
a fine art print, framed orunframed, depending on, you know,
what the buyer wants.
And so it's very, very user friendly.
You can get there directlyfrom my Instagram page and I Love
the idea of the customizations.
(21:26):
And also I see that you kindof have a few limited edition prints.
Tell me about those.
Well, I, I think my wholecollection falls under the category
of limited edition prints.
1 of 20 or 1 of 25.
And kind of closing us out.
What, what would you like, youknow, in while people carry your
(21:49):
scarves, you know, whatemotional and sensory stories are
you hoping that, that peoplecarry with them when wearing your
scarf?
That's a big question.
What do I hope you know, love?
I, I, you know, a connectionto the horses and, and you know,
you don't.
You can wear one of my scarvesand not be a horse girl.
(22:13):
They fashion at black tieevents and you know, casual events
and beach wear.
And I've definitely worn myscarves as beach cover ups.
I, I took one scarf to awedding in Puerto Vallarta.
1.
It's the Poseidon image and Iliterally wore that every day in
(22:33):
a different manner.
One day I walked out with itwrapped around my waist with a bathing
suit on and everybody waslike, oh my God, you can wear that
for everything.
So, you know, I mean, the, myscarves, the fabric is incredibly
soft.
They're very thin.
I think people are very drawnto the quality of the fabrics that
(22:54):
I've chosen and certainlythey're very drawn to the photographic
representation and printing ofthe scarves.
The quality of the print on,on these scarves is I always get
people coming in go, how didyou get them printed so clearly with
so much detail?
And that's my trade secret.
(23:14):
But so I just think that theyare, you know, wrapped in warmth.
They wrap you in, in theemotion that I carry when I create
the image and people reallyfeel so.
Yes.
Well, Claire, I am so, sograteful that you were on today and
(23:35):
it was phenomenal to hear your story.
I look forward to hopefullypurchasing some art for my new home
as well.
Oo, goody.
Yes.
Now tell us where people canshop with you.
What social media channels areyou on?
My main social media channelis Claire Porter photography at Instagram.
(23:57):
And, and I do have a Facebook page.
It's less prominent.
I certainly have worked on myInstagram account more than my Facebook
account and those are the two places.
Wonderful.
Other than other than going tomy website, which is clairporterphotography.com
yes.
Yes, all of it's definitelyhave that.
(24:18):
All of it's named the same thing.
Claire Porter Photography.
Well, amazing.
Thank you so much, Claire forbeing on Wisdom by Wesa today and
we look forward to having younext time.
Time.
Thanks McMorgan.
I had fun.
Fascinating stuff.
I'm excited about going on.
I I also love the collections.
You me mentioned thecollection section of Claire's website.
(24:39):
That's my favorite section.
And links for today's show areon the episode Show Notes and you
just go to wisdombywsa.com andyou could subscribe to the WESA podcast
on your favorite podcastplayer like Apple Music, Spotify,
or whichever one you use, andyou're going to be able to keep up
with all the things going onin the equine industry.
The Wisdom by Westa show willbe published on the 15th and 30th
(25:04):
of every month, so you canjoin us twice a month at Westa, where
the industry meets.
Foreign.
You are listening to the HorseRadio Network, part of the Equine
Network family.
This is episode 157 of Wisdomby Wesa on the horse Radio Network.
This is Jennifer Hebert.
I'm Morgan Nicole.
And this is Sofia Agela.
Welcome to Wisdom by WESA onthe Horse Radio Network, part of
(00:23):
the Equinnetwork family.
Another August WESA trade showin the books.
Yes.
We just made it now almost amonth after the show.
So I hope everybody has hadsome time to recover and look forward
to the next shows becausewe're working on them already.
Do the January and Augustshows, all the prep behind the scenes
(00:47):
that happens.
Do they overlap a lot?
A little.
Not at all.
They do overlap when we're induring the August show just because
the contracts are alreadyavailable during that time for the
exhibitors to sign up andactually to save if they do sign
up on set.
Right.
But that really is the onlytime when things overlap as far as
(01:08):
timing for contracts, ofcourse, with marketing and the rest
of it.
It's kind of an ongoing cycle anyways.
Continuous.
Yes.
So are there any changes thatyour team has implemented that we're
going to see coming up?
Yes, we are excited toannounce a new show day pattern starting
in August 2026 and then going forward.
(01:29):
So Westa will then start on aTuesday and go through Friday instead
of Wednesday through Saturday.
And hopefully that'll increasetraffic and ease traveling a little
bit more.
Ah.
So to make it easier forexhibitors and buyers because that's
their work week anyway.
Exactly.
And we've also had somefeedbacks about equestrian shows
(01:52):
being specifically in Augustduring that weekend.
So we're hoping without doingSaturday that everybody gets to travel
a little bit earlier, earlierin the and then go back to their
usual days and life.
That's true if you're if.
And there are many, manyexhibitors as well as buyers out
there who also still activelycompete or take mobile units to shows.
(02:14):
By shifting it forward thatextra day, it gives somebody the
opportunity, even if theycan't stay for the entire length,
they can go in there and getthemselves a good day and a half
or even two days to get theirbuying done and things like that.
That's a great idea.
I like that.
Yeah.
So much happening in August,so hopefully this will be a good
change.
So did you implement some newthings for this current 2025 August
(02:36):
show that you think reallymade a difference?
Yes.
We also had a new registrationsystem and that was amazing to have
because now buyers could justwalk in and get their own badges,
which made the whole process alittle bit easier and now we don't
have to mail the badges tothem anymore and sometimes those
get lost and now all you haveto do is just bring your QR code
(02:58):
and use get it on site and youhave your bad right then and there.
And then the exhibitors couldalso scan a QR code on the buyer
badges and then import it totheir data system and stay in contact
with buyers during the show orafter the show.
We're going to keep theregistration system and look forward
to using it again in January.
Yes, I noticed there werenever any crowds.
(03:19):
There were never any, anyunhappy faces at the check in area
which was great.
Yes, we got to cut down onthose lions quite a bit, which is
amazing.
Well, Morgan, we haven't heardmuch from you because Sophia and
I have been gabbing about wesawhich you did not get to attend.
Are you going to be able to goto to WESSA in January, Morgan?
Yes, I will always be therefor January show and with these new
(03:44):
dates for next August, I amsure I will be there too.
So I can't wait.
Tell us about our guest thatwe will be meeting on the show today.
Yes.
Meet Claire Porter, the artistbehind Claire Porter Photography.
Renowned for her equineimages, Claire captures the elegance,
(04:07):
power and grace of the horse.
Now she has taken her emotivephotography a step further with Art
Scarf, so transforming herimages into wearable art that retains
the narrative and soul of her work.
Hi Claire, welcome the podcast today.
(04:28):
How are you doing?
Very well, thank you, Morgan.
Well, we are so excited tohave you today, of course, talking
more about all of yourphotography and even what you're
jumping into now with your art scarves.
But I would love just to startfrom the top, tell me a little bit
(04:48):
about yourself.
I know you're a fellow Texas gal.
Well, I am, but.
And that moving to Texas isreally kind of when my photography
joined with my love of horses.
I moved from Los Angeles about15 years ago and I started riding
horses when I was about 10.
(05:10):
My, my father was killed in a,in a boat accident and my mother
hooked me up with ourneighbors who were riding horses.
And the father always took hisdaughters to the horses.
So that's when I started myrelationship with horses.
And of course with thatemotional beginning, I developed
(05:30):
a very, very strong emotionalconnection with the horse.
And I showed hunters andjumpers for a while in high school
and then I went back as anamateur owner and then became a mother
and a broodmare.
I have four children, 40 to34, I believe they are, and have
(05:50):
four, four grandchildren.
But I also always had a camerain my hand.
When I was a young girl, mymom took pictures and I would steal
her camera and run around andgo take close ups of flowers and
whatever.
So when I moved to Texas in2012, I moved as a single woman and
(06:14):
I thought to myself, well, Iwant to travel, but what is a good
way to travel where I don'thave to sit on the back of a tourist
bus and hear somebody speakingloudly in the background and telling
me what the sights are?
I didn't want that.
I wanted to be engaged.
So I went on my first photosafari to Wyoming.
(06:36):
And it was literally a, areason to get traveling.
I was gonna do it that way,take my camera with me and go photograph
things all over wherever I wanted.
But it just so happened that Ihad made these wonderful new friends
when I had moved to Texas.
And as soon as I got back, Iwas on their ranch with them and
(07:00):
we were doing things andriding, riding horses and what.
And the woman takes me to herhusband in the mule and he says,
well, Claire, I just want tolet you know that we would love for
you to not only decorate ourlaw offices, but we want you to put
up your photographs on our walls.
And I laughed because I waslike, oh, okay.
(07:27):
And of course I said yes.
And I wong it.
And they purchased about adozen large format photographs for,
from my, from my trip to Wyoming.
And, and then there was a wordof mouth thing that followed after
that and I had a pretty bigfollowing here in the hill country
and decided that it was doingwell enough that I was probably going
(07:50):
to turn it into a business,which is what I did.
So I've been photographingwild mustangs, cowboy imagery and
big herds, etc.
For about, I guess that's 12 years.
And for 10 of these or 11 ofthese, I strictly sold my images.
(08:11):
So I want to bring it backfirst to your traveling.
So I am on your website rightnow and like you had mentioned, you
know, your Wyoming trip.
I love pulling up thiscollections tab and just those first
initial images, I'm seeing theAfrica action, the Arizona.
(08:33):
I mean, you can really seethe, the emotion.
Of course we talked about, youknow, your emotional start to photography,
but kind of take me into howyou're creating that strength and
connection in your images.
What are you really lookingfor when you're out there?
(08:56):
Well, my favorite is action.
And you can see that in a lotof my images.
I'm really wild about findingmustangs who are sparring or a group
of the herd just tearingacross the planes.
That's what really draws me in.
But it's also, you know, I'mlooking for the interesting composition
(09:19):
and light.
I am at home when I'm out shooting.
It is my safe place.
It's my haven.
You had talked about lightingand I personally do a lot of photography
myself and I know theimportance of the light and the timing
and environment.
(09:39):
You know, all of your shots, Imean every single one is exquisite.
I've looked through dozens anddozens of your images.
When you are out there, whatare your days typically looking like,
you know, to get those perfect shots.
Is it kind of a, you know,ordeal or is it really just spur
(09:59):
of the moment?
Well, I usually go on about afour or five day trip wherever I've
traveled to.
And with photographing horsesor photographing in the, in the prime
light, you want to be outthere before dawn.
And you, you really don'tshoot too much during the day.
(10:20):
It's kind of time off andediting and, and culling through
your images from the morning.
And then in the afternoon yougo back out about four and you know,
then you get this beautifulsoft sunset light.
So the days can be really long.
I had one trip in Utah wherewe were staying in a hotel two hours
(10:41):
from the herd.
So in order to get there wehad to leave at like 3:45 in the
morning to get there by 5:40.
Oh my goodness.
And then we.
I know.
And then we chewed during themorning we actually drove back to
our hotel.
I took a 20 minute nap, hadsome lunch and then turned around
and went right back.
They were long days, but thatwas the worst of it.
(11:03):
The rest of the time it'susually about a 5am Wake up call.
Right.
You know those moments of inthe truck right before putting on
your boots to go out there?
I'm sure even just putting thebatteries in your camera, it's kind
of like you're sitting on theedge of your seat awaiting what you're
going to see through your lens.
(11:24):
I love that.
Absolutely.
With all of your travel, howare you really selecting where you're
going and when?
Tell me about that selectionprocess of location.
Well, a lot of people, thereare plenty of other equine photographers
out there and there are a lotof places that are commonly and commonly
(11:49):
photographed and I try to stayaway from those.
For instance, I've never shotat the Camargue because I want a
unique image.
So I try to go places wherethey're going to be beautiful horses,
beautiful scenery, and it's.
It's going to be a unique setting.
You know, certainly whenyou're out in the wild photographing
(12:12):
the big herds, that's nature.
That's, you know, the hillsand the mountains behind, and all
of that is going to bespecific and beautiful to.
To that set of images.
But when I travel to France orSpain, they have different horses
there, different breeds, and.
(12:32):
And then they also, you know,have different places where you can.
When you can shoot, forinstance, in the ocean or on the
beach, as opposed to in the prairies.
Right.
Well, and I love too, youknow, in every photo, you're not
only sharing the story, butyou are drawing out every bit of
(12:54):
raw emotion for all our listeners.
If you were to go to herwebsite and open up her gallery,
I mean, the main flying in thewind, the dust, you can almost feel
like the image is trulyspeaking to you.
And I love that, Claire, aboutyour photography with the impact
(13:16):
that these images are having.
I know you started branchinginto a little bit of fashion with
the scarves.
Tell me, you know, what reallyresonated with you on moving to scarves?
Well, I'll tell you that quick story.
But first I want to thank youfor acknowledging my images and describing
(13:36):
them the way that you did withall the movement and the emotional
connection to the viewer.
I actually get told that allof the time that people feel like
they're in my images.
And I want to say that I feellike I credit that to the deep connection
that I have with the Equusanyway, and so thank you for pointing
(13:58):
that out.
It's very important to me.
And it's one thing that makesmy work unique and special to the
viewer.
And then as far as the scarvesgo, guy, it's five, six, seven years
ago, I had the opportunity togo to a 1.2 million acre private
ranch in Nevada that is ownedby some lifelong friends of mine.
(14:22):
And they do many things onthis ranch, including having a large
herd of wild mustangs.
And so I got to go out therefor three days and be driven around
two mountain ranges and two.
No, three mountain ranges andtwo deserts.
It was crazy huge.
And I brainstormed on a waythat I could thank the husband and
(14:47):
wife who got me permission.
And so what I did is I tookone of my images from Nevada and
printed it on cashmere scarf,which is many years ago.
And honestly, I. I really have.
In the last.
Other than the last year and ahalf, two years, I had to take some
(15:08):
years off due to health problems.
And so, you know, the scarvesthing was something that, you know,
I didn't plan, didn't pursue.
But when I got my feet backwet again and started really spending,
spending, working harder on mybusiness, I would say I wore that
(15:28):
scarf with a woman whoactually kind of mentored me to get
my confidence back after myhealth issue.
And that's Maricela Floresfrom Pixie and the Moon.
She sells incredible vintageWestern wear.
And so I, I would go out thereto Round Top to help her a lot.
(15:49):
And one day I had this scarfon, and she.
And I stand up and I walkingin front of her, and I turn around
and she goes, oh, my God.
Where did you get that?
And I was like, oh, I took itin Nevada.
It's one of my photographs.
And she's like.
And we look at each other, andI'm like, I should do more of this.
(16:11):
And that's really kind of howit came into me, that it was just
kind of a brains, not abrainstorm at the moment, but it's
like a realization.
It's like, oh, my God, theseare beautiful.
And so that's kind of how it started.
I, I, I think the next, overthe next couple of months, I designed
(16:31):
from my images probably 40rectangular scarves and started building
a logo and a style and, andselling them to friends and getting
into some boutiques and.
And then I started my firsttrade show a year ago.
(16:53):
Was my first WESA trade show.
Yes.
Wow.
You know, I have to say,Claire, in every moment of your story,
I can.
I mean, the, the heartstringsand the emotion are there even from
you coming back after, youknow, your health issues and coming
back in the true cowgirlfashion of grit and grace and, oh,
(17:16):
my gosh.
And you're gonna make me.
I, I was just hearing youspeak about it because, you know,
there's a lot of people, likeyou mentioned, there's a lot of people
in the industry, but there'svery few that stand out.
And the Claire Porterphotography definitely does that.
And I'm so excited to see theimpact that, you know, your next
(17:40):
journey with the scarves aregoing to be with ladies actually
getting to make yourphotography a part of their wardrobe
and share the story.
I'm a Western fashioninfluencer myself, and so when I'm
going and picking out piecesin my closet or my drawers, you know,
I'm looking for pieces that,again, capture who's seeing it and
(18:05):
really unfold a story.
So I'm excited to see theseScarves come into action.
And you spoke about 40different new ones coming.
Oh no, that was my original,that was my original group of, of
rectangular scarves.
So I have those 40 designs andmaybe it's 45 or 50 at this point.
(18:28):
And, and then just recently I,I designed some wild rags, some squares,
which I had to figure out howto do on the computer.
Yes.
Now tell me, how are you, howare you selecting those images to
become scarves?
Well, a lot of it depends onthe proportion of the image and how
(18:49):
well it will fit onto therectangular scarf, which is where
I started.
And, and I also look at wherethe action is on the scarf in relation
to how you might style it.
And you know, the scarf, eventhough it's a huge trend today and
it's worn all over your bodyin all sorts of wonderful ways, it's
(19:14):
often underestimated and, butit's really a fashion anchor and
it's the final touch of your attire.
And you know, these scarves ofmine are wearable canvases and they
really transcend seasons andcultures and trends.
They truly do.
So I'm very, very excitedabout them.
(19:34):
I mean, even your scarves holdyour scent and memory and move.
They're very graceful.
So there's a lot of movementwith them too.
Yes.
You know, with the creativityof wild rags and scars.
Right now, just like you said,people are wearing them not only
around their neck, but asbelts and on their purses.
(19:56):
And something I've even kindof dabbled with a little bit is laying
out a scarf like, almost likea table runner.
And people now are evenframing their scarves.
Absolutely.
All art.
Yes.
But I'm on the website againand I'm looking at the photography.
(20:18):
I can obviously see thescarves here.
But tell me how people can getyour photography in their homes.
I think you can purchase your,your prints on canvas acrylic.
Tell me kind of what theprocess is like for one to purchase.
Well, you can contact medirectly and I do a lot of custom
(20:39):
ordering because I can onlyprovide so many options on my website.
And I do have a full Shopifystore set up on my website for both
my images and the scarves thatI offer.
And, and at this point I have,I steadily offer the higher end surface
(21:03):
matte acrylic and then I doalso the canvas wrap and then I do
a fine art print, framed orunframed, depending on, you know,
what the buyer wants.
And so it's very, very user friendly.
You can get there directlyfrom my Instagram page and I Love
the idea of the customizations.
(21:26):
And also I see that you kindof have a few limited edition prints.
Tell me about those.
Well, I, I think my wholecollection falls under the category
of limited edition prints.
1 of 20 or 1 of 25.
And kind of closing us out.
What, what would you like, youknow, in while people carry your
(21:49):
scarves, you know, whatemotional and sensory stories are
you hoping that, that peoplecarry with them when wearing your
scarf?
That's a big question.
What do I hope you know, love?
I, I, you know, a connectionto the horses and, and you know,
you don't.
You can wear one of my scarvesand not be a horse girl.
(22:13):
They fashion at black tieevents and you know, casual events
and beach wear.
And I've definitely worn myscarves as beach cover ups.
I, I took one scarf to awedding in Puerto Vallarta.
1.
It's the Poseidon image and Iliterally wore that every day in
(22:33):
a different manner.
One day I walked out with itwrapped around my waist with a bathing
suit on and everybody waslike, oh my God, you can wear that
for everything.
So, you know, I mean, the, myscarves, the fabric is incredibly
soft.
They're very thin.
I think people are very drawnto the quality of the fabrics that
(22:54):
I've chosen and certainlythey're very drawn to the photographic
representation and printing ofthe scarves.
The quality of the print on,on these scarves is I always get
people coming in go, how didyou get them printed so clearly with
so much detail?
And that's my trade secret.
(23:14):
But so I just think that theyare, you know, wrapped in warmth.
They wrap you in, in theemotion that I carry when I create
the image and people reallyfeel so.
Yes.
Well, Claire, I am so, sograteful that you were on today and
(23:35):
it was phenomenal to hear your story.
I look forward to hopefullypurchasing some art for my new home
as well.
Oo, goody.
Yes.
Now tell us where people canshop with you.
What social media channels areyou on?
My main social media channelis Claire Porter photography at Instagram.
(23:57):
And, and I do have a Facebook page.
It's less prominent.
I certainly have worked on myInstagram account more than my Facebook
account and those are the two places.
Wonderful.
Other than other than going tomy website, which is clairporterphotography.com
yes.
Yes, all of it's definitelyhave that.
(24:18):
All of it's named the same thing.
Claire Porter Photography.
Well, amazing.
Thank you so much, Claire forbeing on Wisdom by Wesa today and
we look forward to having younext time.
Time.
Thanks McMorgan.
I had fun.
Fascinating stuff.
I'm excited about going on.
I I also love the collections.
You me mentioned thecollection section of Claire's website.
(24:39):
That's my favorite section.
And links for today's show areon the episode Show Notes and you
just go to wisdombywsa.com andyou could subscribe to the WESA podcast
on your favorite podcastplayer like Apple Music, Spotify,
or whichever one you use, andyou're going to be able to keep up
with all the things going onin the equine industry.
The Wisdom by Westa show willbe published on the 15th and 30th
(25:04):
of every month, so you canjoin us twice a month at Westa, where
the industry meets.
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