Out of the mist and shadow he comes — a black Friesian stallion moving with the fluid, powerful authority of a breed shaped by centuries, his extraordinary curling mane streaming behind him in long dark waves that seem to carry their own momentum through the air. Shot in panoramic format in black and white, the image achieves a tonal depth and atmosphere that color cannot — the horse emerging from a soft, painterly background of gray and silver, every subtle highlight along his neck and shoulder rendered with the clarity that only this quality of light and this quality of animal can produce together. The curling mane is the visual signature of this image, each ringlet distinct and alive, the whole sweeping arc of it filling the right half of the frame with motion and dark energy. Dark Thunder is the most dramatically atmospheric portrait in the Friesian series — where Mane Event is graphic and panoramic in the open coastal light, this one is brooding, intimate, and possessed of a power that builds slowly the longer you look. A fine art print that commands any wall it occupies with quiet, absolute authority. Limited edition of 50. Photo © copyright by Tamara Gooch.

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