Nancy Armstrong
July 2024 - Agriculture
About the Image(s)
I took this photo in May of this year on a cattle ranch while visiting Central Kansas. It depicts the biannual task of branding and vaccinating new calves that were born on the ranch in recent months.
I was impressed with the fact that it took all of the family members plus a band of traveling cowboys to get it accomplished. I’ve titled it ⬓A Family Affair⬠as Mom, Dad, and any child over the age of 10 or so had clearly assigned duties in the process.
I know there are lots of things wrong with this photo, mostly to do with cutting things off at the edges that I wish I had more of in the frame. There was always a lot going on wherever you pointed your camera! I tried to fix what I could by cropping and cloning, but I hope I get another chance at some point to try this again.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
12 comments posted
Beautiful image. Thank you for sharing. The story became very pronounced because of the monotone. I only wish the calf was a little more clearer in the image. Posted: 07/06/2024 07:44:09
Thanks Saran. I agree it would have been great to have more of the calf in the photo. I am going to look through other images of the process to see if there are any featuring more of the calf. Posted: 07/08/2024 17:12:01
I like your creative "non-vegetarian" interpretation of agriculture. I agree it is hard to take a rodeo photo that isn't filled with all sorts of interesting things to look at. Since your photo is about cattle branding, I tried cropping to get the branding iron near the center. Then I "removed" somebody in the background. Vignetting. Lightened the darks of the cattle to see it better. A long skinny picture might be too odd looking. But it was fun trying! Posted: 07/06/2024 21:57:20
Thanks Carole - I do like your version much better! I need to go back and look through my shots with a different perspective. I heard someone watching the process say it looked like a ballet, and I completely agreed. There were many moving parts, but it wasn't really hectic. It was all very coordinated. But in a still photo a wide shot of the scene does end up looking rather frantic. Posted: 07/08/2024 17:18:43
(Groups 6 & 41 & 74)
Nancy - I love this one. This process has sure changed with the years. Gone is the irons stuck in the fire. And pneumatic vaccination machine? - wow. I do wish more of the calf was showing. But I love the people in the background - I only wish they wre watching the proceedings. I think mono is the only medium for this shot - color would be too distracting. Posted: 07/08/2024 15:18:28
Thanks Melissa. I'm getting some really good perspectives and wanting to see more of the calf is consistent.i'm going to look through my other photos to see what else I can find. Posted: 07/08/2024 17:22:05
I love this Nancy, and love the choice of black and white for the image. I am wondering if you could do some adjustments with highlights and shadows to tone down the shirts and maybe bring out the calf a bit more. I especially like the boy kneeling and watching while holding the second calf. Posted: 07/08/2024 19:02:48
Thanks Lisa. I've gotten a lot of great advice on this one including yours so I'm going to go back and either crop this one in much tighter or possibly look for another image with a little different perspective. Posted: 07/08/2024 20:07:31
In a live action shot like this we can't control all the elements in the scene. You got a good exposure with tonal range from pure white to pure black somewhere in the photo. The whites are not blow out, nor the blacks blocked. The main action is well focused. The four main people make a nice circular arrangement for the eye to travel, keeping the viewers looking at the action. I tried to make some of the suggested adjustments. Used Viveza to bring out detail in the calf and to tone down the brightness and detail in the 'audience' in the back. Then used the burn tool to further darken the background. Posted: 07/12/2024 18:19:53
Connie, thank you so much for your comments and your edits. They are subtle yet made a big difference in the photo. This is such a great group, I'm so glad I landed in it. Posted: 07/12/2024 22:58:28
This is a great journalist shot and black & white is perfect. Tells a story with lots to look at. The smoke/dust adds to the drama unfolding. Yes a bit more of the calf would have been good but you still have a good story. I like Connie's version too as slightly toned down the brightness. Good job! Posted: 07/16/2024 16:02:07
I played with dodging and burning quite a bit based on everyone's feedback. Thanks to all Posted: 07/19/2024 17:48:12