Tony Stromberg’s life work is paying homage to horses through photography
Tony Stromberg spent more than 20 years as a high-end advertising photographer in San Francisco before realizing he was depressed. He seemingly had everything anyone would want – a great job, money, exotic experiences. But he couldn’t find fulfillment in his work.
Stromberg recently shared how horses brought that fulfillment to his life and how he’s continued to make a successful career out of photographing his favorite species.
When did you first become interested in photography?
“Oh, my early 20s. I think I battled with it as a kid. I had a little camera and snapped pictures, but I didn’t take it seriously until I was 23 or 24. I didn’t study it in school; I was self-trained. I dabbled with it for a bit before I dove fully into that world.
“I put together an advertising portfolio and went to ad agencies and design firms looking for jobs.”
What prompted the move to photographing horses? How does one make that switch?
“After 20 years of advertising work, I was extremely burnt-out on the business. I found myself depressed. I was lackluster, lacking direction. I knew I needed a change and didn’t know what it was. I went up to visit a friend north of San Francisco. She spent weekends with horses and invited me. I went around with my camera, and she went riding. I hung out in the pasture with horses. I had a great time and it grew from there. I couldn’t explain it at the time. Something about it made me feel happy.”
It was therapeutic, wasn’t it?
“I learned later about equine-assisted therapy. I got fascinated with that. There are different types of styles. In that type of work, they use horses because horses don’t like incongruity at all. If a person is pretending to be something they’re not, they’ll know right away. They get uncomfortable. They taught me who I was and who I wasn’t. What happened after 20 years of working in advertising was I was a chameleon – not just with work but in general. I realized I could do any type of photography work for anybody. I became a person people wanted me to be, but I lost touch with my true self. Horses brought me to that and taught me who I was. It got me through my depression and back on track. The work I did with horses … initially … I had no intention to make money. It was for pleasure. Now, it’s an homage to horses for what they did for my life.”
How did the horses express to you that you were not being yourself?
“That’s a good question. I’m not going to say I was trying to be macho in the beginning, but I was pretending to have it all together. I was the boss. They saw right through me. They told me, ‘No, that’s not who you are.’ It’s hard to explain how they do that. It’s by their behavior and attitude.”
That must stop you dead in your tracks. How did you react to that?
“I was in Northern California, and I joined a local writing club in the hills of Nevada, Calif. Every afternoon, I would go to my friend’s place to visit the horses. A friend of mine joked about it. She said, ‘This is your church.’ It is a sacred thing for me. I became the kind of guy who they let ride new horses as a guinea pig. I rode quite a bit. I was out in the Redwoods doing some beautiful riding. Something about being the presence of an animal like that is very honest. I learned I can be whoever I am and be completely accepted. It gave me a sense of freedom I wasn’t finding with humans.”
Well, your photography is breathtaking. Is there a big market for that type of work?
“Once I started that type of work, doors started to open from there. I worked with a woman in Arizona; she wrote books on equine-assisted therapy. She introduced me to her publisher. They offered to do a book of my work. It happened effortlessly and easily. It’s very strange that after 20 years of heavily marketing and pushing new things to have doors open, it’s been relatively easy ever since. There was a point when I moved back to Santa Fe (N.M.) in 2000, I got my first book published. People asked me about teaching workshops. I taught an equine photography workshop in 2001, and that has grown. That’s 75 percent of my income. When you stop trying so hard, it finds you. People tell me I have their dream job. I take photographs in wonderful places and get paid for it.”
That’s what they say, right? Find your passion, and it will never feel like work. Where is your favorite place to take photos of wild horses?
“I’m partial to Portugal and Spain. The Lusitano and Andalusian horses are my favorites. I started doing workshops in Southern France, so I have a soft spot in my heart because that’s where I started. I also like variety. I’ve done a lot with wild horses in the United States; that’s near and dear because of their plight. They’re struggling to survive.”
To buy Tony Stromberg’s books or prints, visit: tonystromberg.com/buy-books-prints/
For information on Tony Stromberg’s workshops, visit: tonystromberg.com/workshops/
