Cow of the Volcanoes
A lone cow with a face covered in flies pauses for a cautious look outside Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
A lone cow with a face covered in flies pauses for a cautious look outside Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
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Nov, 2016Views
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Awards
People's Choice in All about Cows Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Genius
Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
I encountered this wonderful cow near the village of Kinigi just outside Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park- famed home of mountain gorillas.Time
I was leaving a small party around 3:30 in the afternoon when I spotted this cow among a small herd of grazing livestock.Lighting
The late afternoon natural sunlight with some clouds provided really exquisite light for this shot.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 20D, my first real DSLR, and an inexpensive Canon 18-55 mm zoom lens, handheld without flash.Inspiration
I would see cows almost everyday but rarely would be inspired to snap any images. I was leaving a party where I'd been shooting a few snapshots but the combination of lighting, the shininess of this cow, and the backdrop of Mt. Sabinyo with a cloudy sky made this irresistible. As a bonus, we were on very uneven terrain so I could easily get a lot lower than the cow for this angle.Editing
I've done minor burning and dodging to adjust the tones and I cropped a little of the left edge.In my camera bag
When I took this it was only my 20D (with obligatory battery grip) and a long and short zoom lens along with extra batteries, memory cards, etc. I prefer to be that light but now sometimes carry an old 5D as back-up for the newer Mark IV I now shoot with. When I'm out shooting wildlife I don't even bother to carry a wide angle lens as my pocket Canon Powershot and even my phone can both shoot raw files. I do sometimes use a macro lens for close-ups and love my Slik tripod, but rarely have the opportunity to use it. I also toy with a circular polarizer sometimes but otherwise avoid filters.Feedback
With the exception of the specific mountain in the background, this would be an easy shot to replicate with a charismatic cow and some decent lighting. I think this is a pretty good example of creating a nice shot out of a relatively routine subject using just and eye for basic composition and lighting.
