30 Captivating Images Showcasing Nature, Taken By Photographers From Around The World

Bored Panda reached out to Aga Karmol, a UK-based fine art equine photographer, whose stunning horse portraits made it to the finals of the 2023 TIFA. The jury awarded her images with bronze for "The Hug" and gold for "Angel's Hair."

The photographer behind these winning shots studied art and earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. As mentioned on the TIFA website: “Karmol cooperated with the biggest Polish national equestrian magazine, Kon Polski, regularly publishing photo stories from horseback travels across the world. Her photos and articles with an equine theme were also printed in Forbes and National Geographic Traveler. In 2005, Aga relocated to London and became a correspondent for the magazine. In 2014, she moved to Somerset and shifted her focus to fine art photography.

To learn more about the impressive photo of two fighting stallions that Aga skillfully captured, we asked the photographer what led her to choose this specific moment as the subject for her shot. Here’s what we found out: “I am passionate about horses and their natural behaviours. Even the breeds that don’t exist in the wild still carry the need of their ancestors' way of life in their genes.

Horses are highly social, and sparring matches are a norm in the wild, they are a play and a way to establish who is to be a leader. So, when a yard owner decided to put two stallions together to give them a little play, I couldn’t miss that moment. These are horses in their most natural state, doing what happy horses would do.”

When asked to describe the experience of being present during the shoot and to share the emotions she felt as she captured the action, Karmol told us: “Being there so close and watching them was uplifting and very emotional. They may seem violent in the photographs, but they were not trying to kill each other! There was a lot of prancing and showing off, and the moments of them getting together were very short - just a few seconds - so I had to watch them carefully through the viewfinder and react quickly.”

The photographer added that the size difference between the two horses made the entire scene even more dramatic: “The pearl-coloured Andalusian was much bigger than the black Welsh Pony - but it was the Welsh who was the feisty one, provoking confrontations all the time. It was exciting to watch, especially knowing that they were closely supervised by their owner (a horse behaviourist and trainer), so they were safe from incidental injuries.”

Curious to learn more about Aga’s personal philosophy on the relationship between horses and their natural behaviors, we asked the photographer, and she shared: “Personally, as a horse owner, I think that we should give our horses the possibility to live as close to their natural way of living as possible. This means open space, pastures, interactions with each other, and not stable boxes most of the day. Horses are animals of big open spaces and big herds.”

Lastly, Karmol shared details about upcoming equine photography projects that she’s excited to explore: “In my work, I photograph a lot of staged scenes since the breeds of my choice don’t live in the wild. Sometimes I capture feral horses of Exmoor or Dartmoor (England) - but one of my dreams would be to photograph wild mustangs of America.

Right now, I am heading to capture wild Yilky Horses of Turkey, who live in Cappadocia. And soon after, the most beautiful Andalusians in Spain.”

We’re excited to see more of Aga Karmol’s future work, as she recently took home another prestigious award, winning 1st place with her stunning shot “Silver Dancer” at the International Photo Awards. If you’re eager to view more of her breathtaking photography, be sure to visit her Instagram and Facebook pages.