Houses Gardens People: From the Horse's Mouth

Norman Brinker, in between chukkers at a polo match. Photo by Walter Workman

Parting Shot . . . I met sports photographer Walter Workman at a couple's engagement party on Saturday afternoon in Burleson, TX. Most engaged couples don't hire a sports photographer to shoot their party, but when the party is a polo match—Bride vs. Groom—with the bride-to-be galloping across the field, white veil flying behind her and swinging a mallet—you want to make sure you've got a photographer who can capture the action. It makes sense. This morning I looked up Workman's website and noticed an old black and white shot of restaurateur Norman Brinker he'd taken circa 1980. Brinker—famous for Chili's, Steak 'n Ale and creating the salad bar concept—helped introduce the sport of polo to Texas when he developed Willow Bend polo club in 1972. I pulled up Brinker's Wikipedia page and saw that today, June 9, is the fifth anniversary of his death. I thought the coincidence warranted a mention of him on the blog. "He was a humble guy who loved the sport of polo," says Workman, who captured Brinker resting on his horse trailer in between chukkers. "The shot wasn't posed at all—his pony all of a sudden angled his nose in the shot, and I backed out to get it."

It was one of the last shots of polo Workman took for more than 30 years, until a few years ago, when he started shooting polo matches again. Meanwhile, the Dallas-based photographer has shot everything from ski races in Europe to the Texas Rangers and Coco Chanel's Paris apartment. But his best work seems to be with horses, and he's shot some dazzling portraits of working cowboys, cattle drives, rodeos and ranch scenes. I won't give away his secrets, but some of it has to do with lighting—even in the middle of nowhere with dust and hooves flying, he'll bring out his generator and hot lights to get the look just right. "My SUV is one big camera bag," full of equipment, he says. "I love what I do. It sounds romantic, when people hear where I get to go and do what I do, but when you're pulling over to the side of the road when it's 20 below, sleeping in the back of the car, or camping out with rattle snakes and mountain lions, it's not nearly as glamorous as people think. But the photos are worth it."

Well said.

Below, a few of my favorites from Workman's website and blog.