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In the blink of an eye: Tips for photographing livestock By Jim Evans, U.S.A.  "Good livestock photography stands out because of its rarity," Darol Dickinson noted in the introduction to his book, Photographing livestock: the complete guide.  Why? Because photographing livestock is so tricky.  It seems an infinitely complex stew of animals, people, actions, lighting, weather, settings, purposes and other considerations, often requiring action within the blink of an eye. And livestock photography can be downright difficult.  "This was some of the hardest work I've ever done," agricultural writer Lee Pitts once confessed.  "You'd jostle with an obstinate beast for hours to get the pose right, and then a telephone pole would be growing out of its back, the animal would decide to go wee wee or would tire of the whole ordeal and boost you over a fence." Still, we see some fine successes in this effort.  We can look at recent examples, such as:  Andries Gouws' award-winning photo, "Relaxing moment at a cattle show," published in Landbou Weekblad, South Africa. [live link to photo]  This photo was honored with the IFAJ 2005 Photo Award.  John Vogel's award-winning entry in the Nuts & Bolts/Livestock category of the 2005 American Agricultural Editors' Association Photo Awards program. [live link to photo]  It appeared in American Agriculturist. Barbara Duckworth's honored photo that appeared in Western Producer, Canada.  [live link to photo]  It was recognized in the 2005 AAEA livestock photography awards program. Lots of tries - sprinkled with a pinch of luck "I have to admit most of my work is by good luck," Barbara explains. "I am the national livestock reporter for our paper so I am around animals all the time.  I have taken as many crappy pictures as I have good ones." John's experience echoes Barbara's.  He closes his "Tips for better photos: a writer's guide" with these thoughts: "It's been said: 'One picture is worth a thousand words.'  Trouble is, I have to take a thousand pictures to get one that does just that.  Time spent on the farm/in the field is precious, so make the most of it." A few tips for success Clearly, no brief piece such as this can summarize the skills involved in livestock photography.  The techniques you use will depend on your shooting situation.  For example, are you photographing pedigreed sires? Show winners? Dairy cows? Are you covering a livestock producer's operation? Are you shooting rodeo action - bucking, steer roping, barrel racing? Every setting calls for different shooting skills and strategies. Even so, we might pass along a few tips that may apply broadly.  They come from these and other recognized livestock photographers. Be around livestock.  Dan Hubbell, respected professional rodeo photographer in the U.S., emphasized this point in a Western Horseman article:  "First of all: Anybody who's interested in shooting any type of livestock activity should be around livestock, cowboys, and ranchers and learn about stock - before you do any shooting." Decide what to emphasize.  "…often for our paper I am more focused on the person rather than the animal," Barbara Duckworth reports.  "If someone has won the big prize, I focus on them but if the animal was a major champion or sold for a gazillion bucks I focus on the animal looking at its body conformation, reproductive attributes, etc." Consider your purpose.  Are you trying to inspire, maybe by capturing a moment in the show ring (as with Andries Gouws' photo)?  Are you promoting a herd sire?  Featuring a winner?  Revealing an event or livestock enterprise? Use your purpose to drive your shooting strategy. Reveal relationships.  "Once you've established common ground and discovered what's important to your sources, strive to put a face to the story or issue via facial and body expressions," John Vogel advises.  "Try to capture the relationships between the subjects - even man and animal." Be ready.  "No true photographer carries an unloaded camera to a rodeo or other site of real or possible action," Darol Dickinson puts it.  "Some of the wildest and most unusual shots are taken with barely a second's notice.  The experienced photographer grabs a camera and shoots rapidly, while others drop their mouths open and simply watch the sudden explosion of action." Move in.  "Begin shooting livestock images from the distance you feel is right, then gradually zoom in closer," John suggests.  "Some of the best images are extreme close-ups." Use the right equipment for your purpose. "Digital technology is revolutionizing photo-imagery," he emphasizes.  "Buy the best quality of digital camera and lenses you can afford - and the biggest, fastest storage card you can afford.  Lens quality and speed still count with digital SLRs."  Of course, as Angie Denton put it in Angus Journal, the debate between digital and film continues among amateur and professional photographers alike.  Keep watching and learning.  "Study exemplary photos and sit in on contest critiques," John advises.  "Pick the brains of those who shoot the photos that 'Wow' you." Some resources you might use to improve your efforts Check Web sites such as the following that feature livestock photography and professional photographers who emphasize it: www.browarny.com, including www.showchampions.com, by Browarny Photograpics Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. www.arnd.nl   Arnd Bronkhorst Photography, Garderen, The Netherlands.  Features equestrian photos.  www.agrarfoto.com  Agrarfoto.com, Kremsmunster, Austria. Searchable database of agricultural images includes livestock photos. www.horsemagazine.com  The Horse Magazine, Pakenham, Victoria, Australia.        www.grantspix.com  Grant Rolston Photography, Inglis, Manitoba, Canada.   Check resources such as these available in the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center: Angie Denton, "Digital vs. film: the debate continues." Angus Journal, February 2003. Posted at http://www.angusjournal.com/ArticlePDF/ACF5B2.pdf Darol Dickinson, Photographing livestock: the complete guide. Northland Press, Flagstaff, Arizona. 1980. "An uncomplicated but thorough text on how to record the anatomy of horses and cattle." Lee Pitts, "It's the Pitts." Livestock Weekly, April 1999. Interesting commentary about the author's livestock photography experiences. Fran Devereux Smith, "Shoot for the best: 16 tips to improve your photography." Western Horseman. April, 2000. Fran Devereux Smith, "Dan Hubbell, the shootist: he aims his camera to catch rodeo action." Western Horseman. May 2000. John Vogel, "Tips for better photos: A writer's guide. Gleanings from an Ag Media Summit photo critiquing session. Can you suggest livestock photography tips or resources? We know that types of livestock photography vary tremendously, internationally. Please help identify useful guidelines and learning materials from your region. Send them to us at docctr@aces.uiuc.edu and we will make them available to others. Thank you. Jim Evans Agricultural Communications Documentation Center An international resource and service from the University of Illinois Partner in serving IFAJ members Searchable online at http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/agcomdb/docctr.html E-mail: evansj@uiuc.edu TOP