Some people (lots of people) say that digital photography has made it easy for anybody with a good camera to take a good photo. To some extent this is true. But one of the most difficult things to capture with any kind of equipment is the connection that connects people to animals. We see it and many of us feel it, but there are few photographs that evoke it, at least in my experience. Today I got lucky. Maria opened the barn doors so that she could brush the donkeys in the shade, out of the strong sun. We snuck them a bit of train also. Their love and trust for her grows daily, and today, in the soft and indirect light of the barn – strong light behind them, soft light inside – I felt I caught a slice of it, with a 70-200 mm zoom, taken from about 20 feet away.

I have to say I love this shot. The donkeys are quite sweet and my wife is profoundly loving. They connect.