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SIMONE BONDE, PHOTOGRAPHER

Simone and I did a photo shoot together several years ago when I lived in Milwaukee (how I miss Kopp’s frozen custard, especially their Valentine’s Day flavor, Chocolate Cherry Chunk, http://www.kopps.com/ and Stone Creek coffee, especially their Cream City Ice drink  http://www.stonecreekcoffee.com/). We had met through a mutual friend and somehow came up with this idea of taking photos of me on a horse. Well, it became so much more than that.

We arranged to spend an entire day at Bel Terra Baroque Equestrian Estate where aficionada Cynthia Vasques was raising some of the finest Andalusian horses on this side of the globe http://www.belterrabaroque.com/index.html. I wore my ultra-glamorous bata de cola which was custom made at Maty’s in Madrid http://www.maty.es/, and we shot all over the property -- inside and outside of the house designed by Cynthia herself, in the arena, and on Cynthia’s prized stallion, Cotillon, perhaps the most magnificent horse I have ever had the honor of riding. Bareback. With the heavy cola of my dress hanging down. I can still feel every muscle in the stallion’s back working to keep me up there. What a horse.

Everything was completely impromptu, and here is a gallery of photos from the shoot. Simone is absolutely amazing behind the lens, as can be seen from her results. And she is so utterly lovely to spend the day with.

Please check out Simone's 2 websites and enter into an incredible visual world.  First,  http://www.simonebonde.com/ Dancers in particular will appreciate her Renoir-like series on the Salt Creek Ballet’s "Nutcracker" performance. The final photo in that series in particular captures how each one of us has felt at one point in the dressing room -- that utter despair of some internal choreography glitch while surrounded by glittering costumes that await their bodies.

Simone's 2nd website actually highlights her skills as not only a photographer but also as a doula! How I wish we lived in the same city when I had my kids! http://mamatoto.me/ I'm all choked up  looking through this website.

If you need a photographer anywhere in the Midwest, she’s the one. If you can fly her out to your locale anywhere else, she’s still the one. And if you're lucky enough to be expecting, give her a call!

And… Bel Terra Baroque Equestrian Estate is for sale – spread the word!

Abrazos, Coco