Coo
Feb, 2018Views
28
Likes
Awards
Aperture Award
Top Shot Award 22
Peer Choice Award
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo is a personal favourite of mine and was actually taken in a local country park located in the thriving city of Glasgow, Scotland. Pollock Country Park is loved by many, locals and tourists. The 146 acres of land is visited by thousands a year as it offers a great deal of things to do and this is what makes it a great day out.Time
I cant recall exactly which month this photo was taken but i know it was during the cold months of Winter. I chose to go to the park in the midst of winter as I knew there would have been a lack of public which meant i could then search for the perfect shot. This particular photo I believe was take around tea time which is around 4/5pmLighting
Another great bonus of going on location in Winter is the lighting conditions tend to be dark, affecting the whole mood and atmosphere of the subject. Unusual lighting captures the eye of the viewer and helps draw attention to the photograph itself and i believe that is what I have managed to do here.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D5300 using a standard 33mm - 55mm lens, without the aid of a tripod, filters nor flash.Inspiration
The magnificent Highland Cow is a wildly appreciated animal throughout Scotland and my love for them is no exception. When I was little I never knew what they were actually called and referred to them as 'Wild Cows' practically my whole life, it's now an on going joke between me and my family. So, my own personal obsession with these animals and the fact I'd never been this lucky to actually be this close to these beautiful creatures, there's a famous Scottish artist known as Steven Brown who helped inspire this image as he is primarily famous for the 'McCoo' paintings. These paintings feature portraits of Highland Cows but instead of realism, Steven Brown goes in with vivid splashes of colour making these paintings fashionable, attractive to look at and perfect to be placed in homes.Editing
There wasn't actually a lot that was done to this image in post production, mainly minor tweaks. I altered the brightness and contrast just so everything looked how I envisioned. I also de-saturated the original image so there was a lack of colour, this left a tinge of blue which was perfect for what I was going for. What I wanted to portray in this image was the scene in front of me when I originally took the photograph, for the viewer to feel as though they were there on that cold dark day, for them to really feel and see things how I did at the time.In my camera bag
The contents of my camera bag are kept to the minimum when I'm doing random shoots like this one here because having loads of fancy equipment etc doesn't make you a good photographer, you can capture amazing shots with just a simple DSLR and a kit lens, all you need is knowledge, skill and practice. I always take my Nikon D5300, accompanied by a tripod, back up SD cards ranging from 16-64gb just in case I run out of space or one somehow gets damaged as there's nothing worse than a corrupt card. I also carry 3/4 spare batteries at a time because sometimes I just get carried away and stay out for hours in search for great photo opportunities, that carried away that I don't tend to notice my batteries depleting haha! The other items that are usually in my bag are 2 external flash guns, packs of batteries and as i love macro photography I always carry extension tubes, reverse ring mount and a macro lens. The other lenses I tend to carry are 33mm-55m, a 75mm-300mm and a cheap fish eye lens that I just use for fun.Feedback
The weather in Glasgow is slightly temperamental but it is practically cold, dark and wet most of the time, so any time of day/year is perfect to get this type of photo in Scotland. These animals also roam the wild so there is no need specifically to go to a park as I did, just keep a safe distance away because they are huge! Obviously taking photos of living things is harder, especially when it's animals as you are unable to control the movemts, so if you see the perfect opportunity, don't hesitate and always think about composition.
