Photographing Horses at Dryhead Ranch in Montana

Back from the Dryhead Ranch in Montana with a Camera Full of Images

I just returned from one of my favorite photography trips of the year… the Dryhead Ranch, located in the Pryor Mountains of Montana, just outside Lovell, Wyoming. This trip was part of our lineup of Cowgirls with Cameras equine photography events, and the experience was everything we hoped it to be.

We had all the weather you could hope for… chilly mornings, moody skies, warm afternoons, and a full 360-degree sunrise sky that wrapped around us with color. Every day brought something different, and every change in light gave us something new to work with behind the camera.

The Dryhead Ranch is a working cattle and horse ranch with a deep western history, and it’s known for its rugged landscape, wide-open skies, and a string of working cavvy horses that are becoming old pros at being photographed. If you’ve ever dreamed of photographing authentic ranch life, this is it. From the steady ranch hands to the wild beauty of the sage-covered hills, the scenes at Dryhead feel like they’ve been pulled straight from a classic Western.

One of the things I love most about returning to the ranch year after year is watching the kids grow up. The next generation of this ranch family is truly impressive. They’re handy, respectful, funny, confident, and already contributing in meaningful ways to daily life on the ranch and the training of home grown horses. It’s a privilege to photograph them and witness the way they step into their roles with so much heart.

We spent our days photographing ranch horse cavvy, cowboys and cowgirls at work, scruffy working dogs, and early morning scenes that started with bumpy ranch vehicle rides out into the sagebrush before the sun was even thinking about rising. Those early drives are full of laughter, layers of jackets, and the best kind of photography talk. Networking and sharing at it’s best.

One of my favorite moments of the week was watching a group of horses move across the horizon with Bighorn Canyon in the distance and dust rising around their hooves. It was the kind of moment that stops you in your tracks because you know it can’t be replicated anywhere else.

This trip also gave me time to breathe and refocus creatively. Even though I was on the road, I got so much work done. I came back to Florida with a collection of fresh images for stock photography, editorial use, and future projects, along with a head full of new ideas I can’t wait to bring into my equine portrait work in Florida.

You can read more about the retreat and see additional photos in the recap written by my good friend Kimberly Beer over on our Cowgirls with Cameras blog:

Dryhead 2025: Challenging Light Makes for Spectacular Skies

If you’ve been dreaming of images that tell the story of your life with horses—whether you live in the wide open spaces or the green pastures of Florida—I’d love to help you create them.

– Cara Taylor Swift

Fast Horse Photography

Equine and equestrian photography in Northeast Florida including St Augustine, Elkton, Palatka, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Daytona, Ormond Beach, Palm Coast, Reddick, Ocala, Stark and any other city in between.