It's fair to say most Canberra women dream of being draped in Moxom and Whitney flowers and photographed naked by one of the city's most talented photographers.
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But at the moment, it's a luxury only being afforded to the region's horses. And male horses at that.
Photographer Grace Costa is mid-way through shooting a series of images for new exhibition Blooming. It's a collaboration between Grace and talented florists Loulou Moxom and Belinda Whitney, and so far stars some of the region's most stunning geldings.
The photos are incredible, but behind the scenes, Grace has milliseconds to get the shot.
"There's a reason they tell photographers not to work with animals - especially horses," she says.
"A horse never stands still; as a creature of survival, it's moving every millisecond - from its ears and eyes to restless legs.
"Then add a floral headpiece and you just about have most photographers' worst nightmare. But I love it."
Grace, the daughter of "horse whisperer" Angelo Costa, grew up on farms across the capital and learnt how to communicate with the magnificent beasts as a small child.
As a significant part of Grace's own personal story, horses have become a major focus for her creativity.
Grace's 2016 exhibition at Nishi Gallery - simply titled Horse - featured mares, stallions and geldings she somehow convinced owners to drive all the way up to the Mount Stromlo observatory shell to be photographed.
The inspiration for Blooming came to her while staring at her lounge room wall.
"I wanted two huge portraits, with the horses draped in gorgeous flowers," she says.
"But I had no idea how to pull it off."
Enter Loulou Moxom, the Canberra florist known for stunning freestyle arrangements that can attach to just about anything. When Grace asked Loulou to design a piece "to sit on a horse's head", Loulou didn't even flinch.
The first portrait was so good Grace knew the images would never make it to her lounge room wall.
"I knew I had an exhibition in the making."
For the Blooming exhibition, Grace wants to design "an immersive experience", where people view her horse portraits among live displays of stunning Moxom and Whitney floristry.
In the meantime, it's a huge start to 2019 for the former Defence photographer with the opening of her new film (as yet untitled) on the friendship between dad Angelo and horseman Ray Hawke, and the launch of new series Spotted as part of the Beauty in Difference exhbition at M16 Artspace in late Feb.
