James Silliman
May 2022 - Friends
About the Image(s)
I do some part-time work for a local bourbon distillery. We have a small herd of longhorn cattle on the property. They tend to take on the role of pets or mascots at the distillery. We feed them “spent mash” or what distillers call “backset .” Having been a former resident of Texas, I have always been fascinated with longhorns.
My entry for this month was taken a few days ago while photographing the herd after work. The original image was taken at a wider angle and conveyed more of a confrontation between two members of the herd. This is a cropped version of the original image. I thought this image portrayed more of an element of curiosity between two friends. I tend to be drawn to the eyes of two cattle.
Post exposure was done in Lightroom with a minimum of adjustment. I was using a Nikon 610 with a 70-200mm lens set at 200mm. Camera settings were: f/5.6 @ ISO 800 and captured at 1/1600 sec.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
4 comments posted
Thanks for the background on this image. It is fun to see these animals butting their horns and the story-telling adds impact to the shot. The soft blurred background really makes the animals pop for me and I find the tight crop pleasing. I enjoy seeing the tuffs of fur on their heads. My eye is drawn to the one at camera right because more details are revealed compared to the one at camera left.
I wish I could get a better look at their eyes and more detail in the black regions of their heads.
It is great fun to admire these fine animals. Thank you!
Posted: 05/09/2022 12:50:16
Interesting unusual subject you were able to capture and share.
I especially like the shadow of the horns on the left cow as it leads me up to the interplay of horns at the top - then down the head of cow on the right. Effective also is the close crop you mentioned as it does show the communication between the two creatures.
Good job.
Janet Posted: 05/09/2022 15:02:44
(Group 65)
Like how the two horns are crossed tying the two together. Like the background but wish it was toned down, so to project more attention on the subjects. I'm sure it was not possible, but I wish there were catch lights in the eyes. Posted: 05/15/2022 15:45:32