Karingal Herd. Photo by Janet Brooks
Presentation is everything! You wouldn’t try to sell your home or your car with a quick anything goes snap on your phone so why would you try to sell your stud cattle that way?
Why Bother!
Why should you take the time to take great photos when trying to market your cattle? Because first impressions count. Selling into a crowded market place, or to an uncertain buyer means you need to hold their attention. Make the potential buyer want to take a closer look and read on.
With the increase in on line selling outlets for livestock, being able to take good technically accurate photographs is becoming more important.
Videos are also important when you are seeking to attract buyers who may not be in a position to physically sight the animal. You want to see the animal walking to aid in assessing soundness.
Livestock photography for the purpose of selling is not about pretty shots! It is about showing the phenotype of the animal. It’s showing its structural soundness, musculature, condition, length, depth etc. You want your bulls to look masculine and your females to look feminine.
A poor photograph can do more harm than good to your sale prospects and potentially your stud or even the breed’s reputation.
But you don’t have to engage a professional livestock photographer if you are prepared to take your time and follow a few simple tips and tricks.
Equipment
Most smart phones with a high-resolution lens can take adequate photos, particularly if your cattle are halter trained and can be staged appropriately. However, if you are going to be taking your photos in a paddock and you may not be able to get as close to the animal a digital SLR camera with a telephoto lens (80-135mm) may be a sound investment if you expect to be selling cattle on line regularly.
For videos, your smart-phone may be sufficient but you need to ensure the quality and resolution is adequate.
If using your smart phone or iPad make sure you take the image in landscape. Consider using “portrait” mode to fade the background and make the animal the star.
Quality of images is important as it needs to be viewed on a variety of devices and for viewers to be able to zoom in without loss of resolution.
Tips for Taking Quality Photos
Take your time!
Don’t leave taking your images to the last minute and don’t just walk out into the paddock take some snaps and upload them.
Take the time to be able to implement the following key considerations. This may mean choosing the right day and time of day, the right paddock setting, getting assistance, having a paddock mate in place to help settle your subject.
Be patient!
Timing
Lighting is critical to good photographs. Overcast days or the middle of the day may cast the animal in shadows which will make seeing muscle patterns difficult (particularly for dark coated animals). Take the photos in the early morning or late afternoon and make sure the sun is behind you.
Photos taken with the sunset or a soft glow around them may look pretty but they are not going to help sell your bull if he cannot be seen in full profile with muscle, top line, tail set, underline and scrotum clearly visible.
On the subject of timing, try to take your photos when your cattle are clean not covered in mud.
Location
Location is key. Keep the background as simple as possible. No sheds, junk, scrub, rocks, farm equipment in the frame. The animal is the focus. Equally you don’t want the appearance of fence posts, trees or other objects “coming out of the animals back”.
You want uniform backgrounds that will show the animal in contrast.
Ground slope is important. Avoid uneven ground or the animal’s stance and lines will look uneven. The ideal is for the animal to be facing slightly up-hill on a gently rising slope. Alternatively, flat ground is suitable but definitely not downhill orientations.
Ideally shoot in a paddock with short grass so the animal’s feet can be readily seen.
These photographs highlight the importance of location and ground slope.
What not to do. Cluttered background, including power pole coming out of the bulls back. While feed can be used to help the pose, it shouldn’t feature in the photo.
What not to do. Taken on a downward slope too far forward of the animal’s shoulder. Resulting in the animal looking shorter in the front. The udders are also not visible.
Orientation
Where you stand relative to the animal makes all the difference. Ideally take the image from directly off the shoulder. The height of the shot is equally important, you should aim to shoot from a slightly crouched position ideally from around the height of the animal’s head when standing correctly. This may mean you need to kneel.
Avoid optical distortion which can happen when you stand too close to the animal and use a wide-angle setting. Often phones have a slightly wider angle as standard so stand a little further back and zoom-in to fill the frame.
The following image provides an example of the effects or poor orientation and ground slope vs correct orientation.
Photo taken from the front. Distorts profile and does not show top line, underline or udders.
While the background and shadowing are not ideal, orientation shows the animal’s top line, udder and head position in a good light.
Stance
Some say this is the single most important aspect of a good picture. Your stance, perpendicular to the animal, and the animal’s stance will make or break your photo.
The animals pose should be where you can see all four legs comfortably apart, no scissor legs at the front or back. Equally, avoid over or under extending the distance between the front and back legs. They should look comfortable and not slouching.
Ideally position the animal’s inside rear leg slightly back and their outside back leg slightly forward so the udder or testicles will be in better view.
Head placement will also make or break your photo. Your subject should look alert yet calm with the head slightly rotated (but not fully) towards the camera. A three-quarter rotation is ideal.
Ear placement can make all the difference too. Ears pricked forward conveys alertness and for bulls can enhance the masculinity of the head.
Having an offsider standing behind the photographer and slightly to the front of the subject towards the animal’s head and making sounds or movement can greatly assist in getting the alert shot you are looking for. Your assistant can also apply pressure at the front or back to move the animal forward or back but must back of quickly when the animal is in the correct position.
