Cows on Tha Khao Beach
An early morning stroll for Momma and Baby Cow on the tidal flats of Tha Khao Bay, Thailand.
An early morning stroll for Momma and Baby Cow on the tidal flats of Tha Khao Bay, Thailand.
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Dec, 2012Views
641
Likes
Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Jaw Dropping
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 2
lisadawn
January 27, 2013
59 views and not one comment... hmmm, I would love to know what everyone likes or dislikes about this shot! :)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on Tha Khao Beach(love the Khao/Cow irony) on a small island called Koh Yao Noi in Southern Thailand. This particular beach has super low tides, which gives the image this vast sandy, almost desert look.Time
At the time that I took this photo I was 9 months pregnant and was having trouble sleeping. I decided to take advantage of this early rising to head down to the beach to capture some photos of the sunrise. This photo was taken at 6:45am.Lighting
As the sun popped up from the horizon a striking, long shadow appeared behind the farmer which I loved and then I noticed this lens flare on the cows which gave them almost an spiritual aura.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D300, 10-24mm Nikon lens.Inspiration
In Thailand farmers move their cattle often to find new grass to eat around the Island. Normally they would pull them along on the road just off the beach. I was touched that this particular farmer almost seemed to want the cows to experience the beauty of the morning light on the beach. Also being 9 months pregnant I was inspired by the Momma and Baby cow walking together.Editing
When I saw this image in Lightroom later I knew it would be better as a black and white image as most of the color was blown out by the haze and shooting directly into the sun. I wanted to bring out the lens flare by stopping down the exposure so the farmer and cows were silhouetted and the flare gave a mystical feel. The long shadow was important to me so the blacker it was the better the image felt to me.In my camera bag
I always carry a huge amount of equipment with me because of my days shooting on the ski hill where you ski to each location all day long and the images are unpredictable. Even now, off the ski hill, it's a hard habit to break! In my super heavy bag there is a D300, D800, 2.8 70-200mm lens, 2.8 60mm lens, 10-24 3.5 lens, 50mm 1.8 lens, my lensbabies and SB900 flash.Feedback
This day I was going for the soft beautiful light of the morning sunrise with golden and rosy colors. This unplanned image appeared to me out of nowhere and with it's sharp contrast and moody monochrome, I totally fell in love with this style of beach photography. In fact this image inspired me to shoot more dramatic monochromes of the beach instead of your typical blue water, white sand tropical feel photos. I am a self taught photographer and typically go out without a plan in place and because of this I am rewarded with new learning experiences every day. Follow your eyes they will lead you to amazing images.
