Picture Perfect

Believe it or not, people buy cattle online.  Fifty years ago, the notion would have been ridiculous; but today it's becoming almost common.  A potential buyer sees a good website with some nice-looking cattle posed in a clear picture - and presto!  They want the cow.  It's not a bad way to sell cattle, actually, it works really well.  But in order for it to work well for you, there are a few things you need to know.  Only one, really: take good pictures. 

Doesn't sound that hard, does it?  Depending on the particular animal, it can be very challenging.  Of course, if you have halter broken animals, you can pose them to your heart's content to get the most flattering shot. However, there are lots of cattle out there who were never trained to be on a halter, but who possess desirable traits for breeding. Cute shots of pink noses are fine for photo galleries and personal scrapbooks, but they're not going to sell the cow for you, especially to a breeder looking for quality.  A good photograph can make a mediocre animal look stupendous, while a poor shot will make the best bull in the world look pathetic.  That's just the way it is. 

Next time you grab your camera for an impromptu photo shoot, ask yourself a few questions:

1- Is the animal in good enough condition to be photographed?

These two pictures are of the same cow.  No, I'm not kidding.  Believe it or not, there are only 5 months time between the two shots.  On the left, she looks to have poor conformation partly because of her overly thin condition, and no one is going to give her a second look.  On the right she's very well fleshed, and that makes her appear to have a nice straight topline, deep flank, good depth and a nice hip; enough so that she'd be an asset to any old-style breeder's Hereford herd.

2- Is the animal in a good pose?

As you can tell by the identification stamp embedded in these photographs, these 3 bulls are one and the same.  All three pictures were shot on the same day, within only a few minutes of each other. 

The upper left shot was taken from an angle, the photographer standing in front of the bull's shoulder and looking back toward the hip.  This angle makes the shoulder look coarse and heavy, the hip look light, and gives the illusion of a very short-coupled bull.  Also, the head, looking directly to the camera, appears much too large when compared with the rest of the body.  Some bulls can handle this angle, but they have to be exceptional bulls.  They must have superior length, and a fabulous hip. Most pictures back in the 1950's were taken from a similar, though steeper, angle.

The upper right picture is angled directly at the bull's side, which is good for this day and age.  However, the bull's near hind leg is reaching forward, which gives the viewer the impression of mediocre hip, possible high flank and a short top line.  Also, the bull's head is too high, indicating possible bad temper or flightiness (which by the way, he wasn't).  A minor point is the bull's eye, which is closed and slightly detracting.

The bottom picture is obviously the best, and shows this bull to his highest potential for that day and that condition.  He looks much longer bodied, alert but not agitated, and his hip is looking as photogenic as possible. 

Which photo would catch your eye?

3- Is the light right for taking pictures?

Sunlight plays a huge role in pictures.  Depending on the condition of your animal, you might want to take the light into consideration.  High noon sun tends to highlight every bone, so if your cattle are anything less than chubby it might not be a good time to have a photo shoot.  Late evening sun creates long shadows, and unless you want a silhouette picture right into the sun you're going to have to dance around to keep your own shadow off the cow.  However, that late evening sun can really fill out the side of a cow and make her look good.

Also, watch for dark shadows from nearby fences or from the cow herself.  Those dark lines interrupt the viewer while trying to gauge conformation.  Personally, I've found that slightly cloudy (not rainy) days are the best for picture-taking.  The shadows are greatly softened and the resulting photographs show the cattle to their highest potential.

 

4- Is the location good, and is the animal alone?

Obviously, you're not going to get a very good picture if the animal is half hidden by shrubs, tall grass or behind a wire fence.  The same is true if they're burying themselves behind a few buddies.  The viewer will be able to tell it's a bovine, but precious little else.

And last but not least (and this is a lesson I've had to drill into my own head): a dozen poor pictures will never substitute for one good picture.  You just can't expect a potential buyer to be happy trying to mentally put the head in one picture onto the shoulder in the next along with the hip in a third picture.  They'll go find someone who is willing to spend the time to take good photographs of their cattle.  Is it important?  Yes, if you wish to sell your cattle via the internet.

So grab your camera, head out to the pasture and have yourself a little photo shoot.  You'll soon discover that some cattle are more photogenic than others, and that it can sometimes require a lot of patience to get that one good picture.  But the return can be well worth it.