Look, for example, at her photo of a dark horse frolicking in the waves. This shot, which Carol took in the wild, vividly shows the horse's delight in splashing in the water. It appears that all four hooves are in the air, adding to the speed the horse enjoys. By the unusual body stance, we see the horse at full movement, bending his body with a wonderful athletic suppleness. At the same time, this perfect composition features the horse looking right at us. The wind in his

Also note the fabulous color combinations in the photo "Stallion Watches" and in the shot of the roan dancing in the desert. The colors of the horses echo the colors of the environment, underscoring that these wild horses belong in their natural habitat.

Carol's work is both astonishing and abundant. In fact, she recently published her first book, Wild Hoofbeats: America's Vanishing Wild Horses, available this month. This beautiful book contains160 pages in a large format, full-color paperback, and includes more than two hundred of Carol's incredibly moving wild horse photos.(Wild Hoofbeats: America's Vanishing Wild Horses, costs $29.99 US and is available through her website.)

The artist's long association with photography helped make her the master that she is. "I have been taking pictures since I could hold a camera at age four," says Carol, "And animals have always been my favorite subjects. I have been photographing wildlife for over 25 years around the world." Formally, she studied at Smith College and continues to study and take classes and workshops for the past 20 years.

For a decade Carol has specialized in equine photography. (She also specializes in shooting photos of wild animals.) Why horses? The same reason horses inspire so many talented artists: "I have loved horses all my life, and owned horses since I was 12 years old. Horses have been a very big part of my life, and when I left psychology, I started the horse

Asked to describe a breakthrough moment, Carol answered "When I have waited hours watching wild horses and, and they are ignoring me and doing some natural behavior, such as playing or challenging another stallion, and the true beauty of the horse and the relationship shines through. I love being with the animals or horses, and capturing their spirit and spending time in the wild places alone with the wild horses best."

Carol's process in creating an image reflects the nature of her shots.

"I shoot on location only, so my workplace for photographing is other people's barns or farms, or in the wild. I do all my image processing and printing in my home office which is a converted garage. The first thing I do is check for the sharpness of the image, then I consider what I can do to improve the image - but minimally - I am not a big fan of over photoshopping images - I like a very realistic look."