In support of my New Venture (to be more fully explained in a later post) I spent yesterday afternoon at the ever picturesque Buckwheat Blossom Farm, where I made the afore-mentioned discovery that obtaining a good photo of sheep being idyllic is harder than it looks. I was lulled into a false confidence by the photos Amy took of the 2011 spring shearing, full of artfully posed sheep looking tranquil and interesting and sheepy.
Photo credit to Amy Burchstead, Buckwheat Blossom Farm
Expecting to be able to come up with something similarly arty and interesting, I set off to take my own photos, only to be hampered by the presence of the very large, slightly skittish young steers sharing the sheep pasture.
Amy had warned me that the cattle were easily spooked, and given that they were penned behind temporary wire sheep fencing (electrified, but not enough to cause a scared steer to pause in flight) and clearly ready to dash off at a moment’s notice, once I found an okay place to take photos from I was reluctant to move any more that was necessary. Also, unlike children or dogs anyone else I’ve tried to photograph, the sheep were simply uninterested in my presence and could not be lulled into the sort of curiosity that would cause them to look at me for more than the fleetest of glances before they returned to eating.
We are ignoring you.
Which is a shame, because they have lovely faces. Thankfully, Amy is as generous as she is skilled and so I have her photos as back-up should I need them.
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