Sunkissed Acres

SANCTUARY at Sunkissed Acres 

Around this time last year, I had the opportunity to work on a project close to my heart — a photo story in collaboration with Sunkissed Acres, a longtime equine rescue based here in North Georgia. It was such a rewarding project, but I wan't blogging at that time - so I wanted to give the project (and Sunkissed Acres) a little spotlight now!

I had spent an October afternoon at the rescue photographing the horses — trying to capture each one in their natural settings, as well as getting my own feel for the energy shared among the herd. Soon after, I returned to sit down with Lori Yonts, the founder and heart behind Sunkissed Acres. Lori shared stories from her over two decades of running the rescue — how it began, how it has evolved, and the many horses who’ve come through its gates. Her compassion and perseverance are inspiring, and her memory for each horse’s story is remarkable.

From our conversations and those images, I created a custom coffee table book — printed in both hardcover and softcover — that wove together the captured images and excerpts of Lori’s story. A limited number of copies were printed for Lori to share with donors and supporters of the rescue.

Below I’m including a selection of images from that project, along with pages from the book that lists the then-current residents of Sunkissed Acres — horses ranging from 27 to 43 years old, each one a testament to care and longevity that few are fortunate enough to experience.

This project reminded me why I love documentary and storytelling photography — it gives a voice to the quiet heroes, both human and animal. I hope to take on more projects like this in the future and to offer select fine art prints from my equine and farm sessions as well.

If you’d like to learn more about Sunkissed Acres or support their work, you can visit their website here to make a donation directly to the rescue: https://www.sunkissedacres.org/