May 5, 2021 //  Commissioned Work

On the day of the shoot: Kimo had arranged for two police officers to meet us by the harbor. Here we have a guaranteed big audience and can hopefully find some extras. Our camera crew and the cavalry are gathered, Kimo starts to film as the officers ride on our pre-planned route.

Several people stopped and gazed at the whole scene— first the horses, then at the police officers, and then at our camera crew. They just stood there, frozen in utter disbelief. But as the scene progressed, the first bystander broke from his hypnosis. He took one step fourth and reached out his arm out to pet the horse standing closest to him. His gesture got well-received and turns into a golden shot, as everyone followed his example. Suddenly there are people swarming around and surrounding both horses. Their expression was floating in-between astonishment and euphoria.

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One of the more difficult shots was the one made of the police officers riding on patrol duty in front of the City Hall. The challenge here was to take a photo where the City Hall was in view in the background but didn’t overcomplicate the composition. I managed this by letting the light bleed in behind the police officers and by snapping the photo at just the right moment and exposure. Any closer to the camera and the police were completely overexposed; further from the light source, they were completely in the dark. My friend Fabian Zalo carried the light source and held it high from the perfect angle. We both had to walk backwards and focus on the marching cavalry in front. Fabian occasionally peeked behind us, so we didn't stumble on any bystanders. We managed to constantly remain the same distance from our subjects. Photographing this way helped me get the exposure right.

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