New exhibition inspired by beauty of horses

Never work with animals or children,” was the advice of the great 20th century comedian WC Fields and it has become one of the most quoted rules in the world of entertainment, for obvious reasons.

But, according to Claregalway photographer, Martina Regan, rules are made to be broken, and she is doing that with her latest business enterprise and a stunning new photography exhibition which has horses as its central theme.

Martina, whose exhibition, Majestic Spirit, opened at the G Hotel on Wednesday night and will run for the rest of Race Week, says she could spend her life photographing horses, she loves them so much.

Claregalway born Martina, who previously worked in the publishing industry in the US, became a professional photographer a little over 10 years ago, specialising in lifestyle and fashion photography. Since then, she has established a successful career in a difficult and generally, male-dominated business, regularly documenting social events, including weddings, with her camera.

Two years ago Martina decided to set herself a fresh challenge, one that would allow her to combine her love of photography and of horses.

The results can be seen in the 19 outstanding equine pictures that comprise Majestic Spirit, which are on show at the G from now until Sunday to celebrate the Galway Races. The exhibition was officially opened by Leo Purcell of The Irish Field.

Unique lighting, as well as Martina’s creative eye, is what makes these photos stand out, but that is only part of the picture. When she began, two years ago, Martina’s first task was to get the horses to co-operate.