Photography · Film · Aerial
Stories shaped
by place and motion.
Visual work by John Harrer, created with patience, instinct, and a clear point of view.
Explore the workFeatured reading
The Education
of a Horseman
The Horsemanship Years
I didn’t plan on becoming a horseman. I didn’t even plan on becoming a guy who owned a pair of decent boots. Horses slipped into my life sideways. First through my wife, Ranae, then through a half-acre lot with a fence held together by hope and rust, and eventually through a line of horses who taught me far more than I ever taught them.
Latest chapterRun Off.
The first thing I learned about the horse business was that nobody in it seemed especially interested in explaining horses.
EssayThe Long Con
A break from writing about horses to tell you about a friend.
Selected work
Stories from the ground
and from the air.
Field notes
01FAA Part 107
licensed drone pilot
Commercial aerial photography and cinematography, handled with preparation and care. See the aerial work →
02Monterey Museum
of Art Biennial
“Reflection on Lake Ming” was selected for the museum’s first Biennial in 2025. See the photograph →
Stories & audio
A life with horses,
told over time.
The serialized memoir The Education of a Horseman, alongside an ongoing archive of conversations with horse people.
Listen and read Visit The Whoa PodcastHost of The Whoa Podcast · 12+ years of horsemanship conversations & 270+ episodes