Scruffy Hoggets
Hoggets with their Summer fleeces.
Hoggets with their Summer fleeces.
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Jan, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the sheep yards on my home farm here in the Otago region of New Zealand. I was home over University break and was wandering around with my camera. The sheep are in the yards to empty out in preparation for shearing the next day.Time
This was taken at between two and three in the afternoon, sometime in November, as that's when we shear the hoggets. I remember because it was after lunch, yet before my younger siblings had arrived back from school.Lighting
Sun in New Zealand is very harsh, due to the high amount of UV light due to the hole in the ozone. As a result, a lot of images end up seeming over exposed, which is very tricky to fix (atleast for me). Luckily, it was slightly cloudy, not enough the block out the sun but enough to atleast dim it a little.Equipment
A Canon Rebel T3i, and I think a 100-300mm lens. Nothing else. The rest of the specs can be viewed beside the photo.Inspiration
Usually the sheep aren't so white once they get in the yards, they get dirty and dusty, so it was a quick opportunity to take some pictures while they were a bit more photogenic. Though I think it was more that I had been away from the farm for a few months and wanted to take pictures of the animals and countryside again, rather than buildings and plants from city gardens.Editing
Honestly, only some very minor colour correcting and a bit of cropping. I was still learning the basics of photography at this stage and had yet to invest in any photo editing software. I cropped it to better fit the rule of thirds, there was another rail across the top of the image, and the ear of another sheep from the left hand side in the original picture.In my camera bag
Then, I just had a camera around my neck and took photos until the battery ran out, or the memory card was full. Now I still have the same camera, but now have 18-55mm, 100-300mm and 50-500mm lenses, a rode microphone, 0.45x wide angle attachment, Rebel T3i camera, manfrotto tripod, all the cords, atleast 2 extra batteries and three more sd cards. A box of matches, a knife, generally rope of some kind, a first aid kit, a few ration bars and a safety blanket, so I can grab the bag and go anywhere at very little notice.Feedback
Sheep respond more to movement and colour than most animals. These are not pets, they will move away from you if you spook them. Try standing still, outside the pen and taking photos from there, don't try chasing them into the ideal corner, as all you'll get is their behinds and that makes for a far less attractive photo. Definitely get the farm owners permission to be there. Beware of other hazards (more sheep, dogs, vehicles etc). If the sheep get sick of you come back in ten minutes or so after they've settled down.
