115/365 Photo shoot: Sally and Temper

Mom has made some great friends through her horseback-riding group -- the majority of them women -- and Sally is one of them. Sally has been riding for many years (I think it's at least eight if not more than 10), and her hard work is apparent when you see her with her horse, Temper.

Temper is a gelding whose disciplined behavior is incredibly impressive. I'm amazed every time I watch Sally and him together. Even when chaos is breaking out around him, he knows to listen to Sally's cues and return his attention to her. When you watch them together, you can't help but think, "I want my horse to behave like that."

Sally dabbles in photography herself. From experience, I know that often means you end up with few photos of yourself since you're always the one manning the camera. Sally asked if I would photograph her and Temper, and I jumped at the chance!

We met -- nearly at the last minute -- on a beautiful afternoon that provided the perfect fall setting: the turning leaves were at about peak color, some had fallen but most were still hanging on, and the late-afternoon sunlight bathed everything in gold.

I found this spot and captured as many photos as I could, taking advantage of the perfect setup. Temper was a little distracted by his buddies in the pasture nearby and the crunching leaves underfoot, but as always, he knew to listen to Sally and trust her not to lead him astray.

Sally and Temper were fantastic customers. I think we all had a good time!

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/3.5 at ISO 400 and 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 160 at about 5:30 p.m.