Photogenic filly: Summerlin photographer turns lens on Bonnie Springs horse

From dramatic skies over the mountains of Red Rock Canyon to shots of wildlife in their natural habitat, Summerlin resident Tom Knapp has photographed it all. His latest project involves a rare Arabian filly who was born Jan. 25 in the Bonnie Springs area.

The filly belongs to Cathy Springer, owner of Al Anisah Arabian LLC. The horse was christened Dardesha Al Zahara (Talker of the Desert), or Dash for short.

“She knows her name, Dash, already,” Knapp said. “I’ll be across the field, call her name, and she’ll turn her head (to look), almost like, ‘Who’s calling me?’ “

Dash was foaled by Miss Universe, better known simply as V. As V was inseminated, the birth window was known. The ranch grew excited as the time drew near.

“We made a (betting) pool, and everyone pitched in a dollar, trying to guess the date,” Springer said. “One of the ranch hands, Robbie, nailed it. He got to work early that day and got to (assist) with the birth.”

Knapp learned of Dash’s arrival that day while having lunch with his friend, Alan Levinson, who owns Bonnie Springs Ranch, 16395 Bonnie Springs Road. Knapp hurried out to start shooting photos of Dash with his Canon equipment.

“He was off and running with it,” Levinson said of Knapp. “When he sees something cool, he just starts taking pictures of it. … He’s into the West, the natural stuff. He does some pretty nice stuff.”

Arabians are all white, but they are born chocolate brown, the better to blend in with dirt — a protective measure of nature. Dash will turn entirely white as she grows.

And grow she does. At birth, she weighed roughly 95 pounds, and at two weeks, approximately 125 pounds. She is expected to eventually weigh between 700 and 1,000 pounds and will turn all white by fall, like her mother.

Knapp plans to follow her into adulthood with his camera for a photo essay.

“Tom was out there day one, photographing her,” Springer said. “He got lots of cute, animated shots of her.”

Knapp gained his photographic training in a unique way. He was a law enforcement officer in Largo, Fla., for seven years. The staff there was not large, so in addition to his patrol functions, he was trained in forensic photography. Shooting a crime scene required taking a lot of pictures.

“Forensics is quite a big difference,” Knapp said. “… You never knew when a different angle or slightly different lighting might bring out the evidence, the evidence that didn’t (reveal itself) to the naked eye.”

He said that line of work did not afford him any creativity. He’s been doing professional photography for about six or seven years.

“I enjoyed photography, and when my wife and I were on vacations, we’d tend to have contests — who would take the best pictures,” he said. “So I always had an interest in photography, and I like being out in nature.”

He captures subjects with his Canon system, including a 100-400mm telephoto lens. His shots are mostly of landscapes, flowers and wildlife — birds and the wild burros that hug the roadside. His work has won awards and has been featured in Nevada Magazine, Nevada Travel Guide and wordriver, an international literary journal. His shots have also been seen on the Travel Channel and in galleries and private collections.

Next up for him are the wild horses of Nevada. He said he plans to travel to an area northeast of Tonopah for that project.

“The herd management area I’m particularly interested in has a horse called a ‘curly’ horse,” he said. “… Think of what a poodle looks like and transfer that to a large horse. It’s real thick fur that they have. I’m told that even their eyelashes are curly.”

Knapp already has begun some of the photography for that project near Goodsprings.

“A lot of people don’t understand that Nevada has more wild horses than any other state in the nation,” he said. “They’re a treasure, and I want people to be able to see that there’s a treasure right in their own backyard.”

Knapp’s photography is for sale in the gift shop of the Visitor Center at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. To see more of his work, visit tukphotography.com.

Contact Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.