The Rural We: Natalie Buck
Aussie Natalie Buck is a five-time Australian Ice Dance Champion who moved to the U.S. to train with Russian coaches in Connecticut. After she retired from her skating career, she stayed in Litchfield County and now has a thriving photography business in Bridgewater, Conn. Although her camera focuses mainly on maternity, newborn and portrait photography, she has lately been capturing the images of wild horses both in this country and Australia. Her series, “Untamed Beauties," opens at Enchanted Realms Gallery in New Milford on Saturday, Jan. 16, with a reception from 4-6 p.m.
After my last year as the Australian ice dancing champion in 2005 — we missed going to the 2006 Olympics in Italy by one spot — my partner went off to do shows and I was coaching and photographing. Photography is something I’ve always loved to do, and now I do it full time.
I grew up in Australia listening to the tales of the wild Brumby horses. I’ve always loved wild horses and a friend who was into horses and I have traveled to Assateague and Chincoteague (small islands off the coast of Maryland) to shoot the wild Assateague and Chincoteague ponies on the beach. Those are the photos that will be in the exhibit at Enchanted Realms.
In the last four or five years, whenever I’ve gone back to Australia for a visit, I’ve gone camping with my father. He goes trout fishing and I go in search of the Snowy Mountain Brumby ponies. In November we spent a week in the Snowy Mountains of Victoria and New South Wales. It’s hard to get out there; you’re literally in the bush. The Brumbies are hard to catch — they’re very wild. But we were able to see a couple of them, and some of the photographs from that trip will be in the exhibit.
I chose to stay in Connecticut after I stopped competing because I love the whole vibe. I feel like I can be in the country and with great, artsy people at the same time. I like being outdoors, and I enjoy hiking with my dogs. I still coach and teach skating, in Danbury and Brewster, NY. Right now I have a couple of kids competing at the regional level.
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