Where it all Began

4005 Images began with one unforgettable mustang mare from the Cold Springs HMA in the Oregon High Desert. After she was gathered in 2016, she was given a freeze brand, her last four numbers were 4005. I first saw her at a BLM holding facility, and when she turned and looked at me, everything else seemed to fall away. I took one photograph, and her image stayed with me for weeks. In the end, 4005 became more than an image. She became Liberty, my mare and my companion. Bringing her home was both unexpected and inevitable. I even kept her a secret for six weeks before telling my husband!

My journey into wild horse photography grew from wanting to understand her world, wanting to breathe the same desert air she grew up with, walk the ground she once ran across, and stand in the landscapes that shaped her. That search led me to the wild horses of Carrot Island, Onaqui, and back to the Oregon High Desert, which has become the place I feel most connected to.

My work is quiet, grounded, and observant. In the field, I photograph quietly and with intention. I spend long periods watching before lifting my camera, letting the horses set the pace. I’m drawn to the small details most people miss, the way sagebrush moves against a horse’s coat, the shift of posture in a band, the subtle communication that happens when the land is still. I work with natural light, wide open spaces, and the respect these animals deserve, always mindful of distance, behavior, and their autonomy.

My goal is to create images that feel honest to the moment: simple, true, and grounded in the reality of the horses and the land they live on.

4005 Images is more than a name.
It is the number that started my journey and the story that continues to shape everything I create.

Jessica + Liberty