Get to Know
Ray Duval
Ray Duval Photography
My Life’s Calling:
Horses, Humans & Their Stories
To capture your story with your horse — that’s why you’re here.
But, maybe you want to know a little about my story, too. Why I’m deeply passionate about telling the uniqueness of your bond with your heart horse through photos.
Photography and horses didn’t exactly come first for me. Marketing, sales and transforming company culture is what I did vocationally for years. But, that seems like a lifetime ago. What I do now—THIS is why God put me on this beautiful earth. To help you tell your story through images. First, let’s go back a bit.
My foray into horses and photography started about the same time, almost 20 years ago.
When my dad retired he got involved in breeding and raising Standardbreds. My daughters were enthralled with the horses from day one, even having a foal named after them.
Of course, I couldn’t escape the magic of the horses. Much like you, I learned horses are the cure for the chaos in our world, a safe place to talk, a friend you can always trust.
That was the inspiration for my first “real” camera. Countless hours were spent perfecting my skills, trying to catch their artistic moves when the horses were out to pasture.
I studied each step at liberty, learning what each movement meant. That time of waiting and watching taught me to not rush the moment. I learned it’s possible to showcase each horse’s special personality.
Little did I know, that was the start of Ray Duval Photography.
The Moment Everything Changed
The night my calling to capture the unshakable bond between horse and human was cemented in my heart will stay with me forever.
I got a call from the parents of a precious 4-year-old girl who had Stage 4 cancer and had been told she didn’t have long to live. They wanted images of her with her equine best friend, Midge.
None of us expected what would happen that night.
When we placed her near her horse, she reached out and put her arms around her neck, resting in the safety and care of her friend. After some time, she turned to her mother, letting her know she had talked with God. He said that she would be around for a long time to come and not to worry—she was going to be alright.
That precious girl is cancer-free and still alive more than 13 years later! (Read her parents’ retelling of this moment here on my Facebook page.)
Her family still has the images from that miracle-filled night hanging in their home.
That experience was a turning point for me. How I approached my craft changed.
I could feel the energy and emotion of the moment.
That raw emotion is what came through in the images.
When My Passion Became Personal
Over the past few years, my daughter has been on her own healing journey, tightly intertwined with that of her heart horse.
God gifted her a miracle that allowed her to rise from a wheelchair after a year and a half and take her second set of first steps. (See video below.)
As she painstakingly yet powerfully made her way through the barn aisle to walk him to his stall, I watched as her horse Troy patiently waited, stopping as often as needed for her to catch her breath and gain her strength.
Those moments helped me truly understand the bond between my daughter and her horse. And, they confirmed my passion for helping you display the deep friendship between you and your horses.
THIS is why my approach to photography is focused on telling your story. The real story of the bond between you and your horse.
I can’t wait to meet you—and your heart horse, of course.
Ray Duval
Ready to create images that tell the story of you and your horse?
Giving Back:
Images of Hope Tour
Through storytelling photography, Images of Hope Tour will document the powerful bond between humans and horses as a force for healing.
We invite the critically ill and medically challenged as well as first responders and veterans to share their story of hope and healing with horses through images.
Every approved participant receives a free equine session with Ray Duval Photography, including a customized album that tells their unique story.
“All I can say is the images are simply breathtaking.
When I look at the images of my heart horse, I don’t just see a picture, I see HER – all the details, the personality and the innate kindness in her eye.”
~ Sharon S.
“All I can say is the images are simply breathtaking.
When I look at the images of my heart horse, I don’t just see a picture, I see HER – all the details, the personality and the innate kindness in her eye.”
~ Sharon S.