DSC_1913Like mother like son,#Highlandcattle,#nature,#peakdistrict
Dec, 2015Views
1354
Likes
Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Fall Award 2020
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Love it
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken at Great Longstone Edge in Derbyshire. There is a small herd of Highland cattle consisting of five cows and one bull. They are very friendly and know my partner and myself very well. This is the mother on the right and her young son who was four months old here. As per usual, a very steady approach is required and slow movement in all your actions. This allows the cow to see that you are no threat to her and her calfTime
It was at 6.20pm in the evening with the sun starting to drop giving great lighting on the cattle.Lighting
I know the area very well and I had been waiting for the ideal evening to get the shot within the golden hour. It was May 2015 and the lighting at this time of year gives a real glow to my shotsEquipment
The shot was taken on my Nikon D7000 hand held.Nikkor 18-35mm f4.5 lens.The shot was taken in aperture priority 23mm focal length, ISO 100, f16,1/60th sec I wanted the depth of field to show the light on the cattle's backs so I dropped the WB down two stops and gain full detail which for me makes the shot.Inspiration
The bond between the mother and calf is very very close in the early months. I drove upto the edge with my partner Rachel and realised the lighting was just what we wanted and I was lucky in so much that there is only one spot to gain a clear view behind the cattle on the Edge. I wanted a clear background so the viewer is totally locked onto the relationship of mother and calf which is clearly shown in this tender moment.Editing
I don't use photoshop as I hate to mess with my shots. I'm old school ;) I only use Picasa 3 for cropping purposes and adding/removing contrast if needing a tweekIn my camera bag
I have two Nikon cameras, a D7000 for all close up work in portraiture and a D800 for landscape and all long range wildlife along with a Tamron f6.3 200-500mm. My favorite lens been the Nikon 18-35mm f 4.5 S full frame with the D800 for landscape which is in a different league, the detail is superb and has opened a new window in my photography giving ultra sharp images. I use the Cokin Z pro series ND filters a lot along with a Manfrotto 055 tripod which gives me a tremendous height advantage when doing close up work using the big Tamron lens. I suffer with a bad back and this was a necessity aid to help me. The stability is superb and the ability to place in virtually any position is second to none.I carry all my gear in a Tamrac Expedition 7 rucksack for all my field equipment which is so rugged and totally waterproof. I use a Nikon SB900 which gives me total control over flash requirements if I'm shooting a wedding to off camera wireless wildlife shots. I use a Dorr wireless remote for the majority of my tripod mounted wildlife shots which is a tremendous piece of kit which has a range of 100 mtrs to keep me well out of range of what I'm shooting and getting undisturbed shots.I have all the usual cleaning kit spare battteries/memory cards etc.Feedback
I class highland cattle as wildlife, it's a very big annimal with huge horns. Never ever loose your concentration when photographing these annimals and if at all possible have a friend with you to watch for any other cattle moving into your blindside. Always ensure that if the cattle make a sudden move towards you then you have a clear escape path, these cattle can easily outrun you I always park my 4x4 as close as possible to these cattle with both a front door and the opposite side rear door open if needed to get away quickly. As always, common sense applies and with a steady approach to these annimals and building up their confidence to show you are not a threat then and only then should you start shooting. I have never used flash with these animals and never would unless testing them out from a safe distance. Always have this respect for any dangerous annimal.
