A very cliché subject I have to admit. However, how could one possibly miss the opportunity to photography such an iconic breed in their natural habitat? You see huge numbers of images of this breed all over social media, typically edited in a moody dark way and you and 100% see why this is done. The cattle’s coat is perfectly suited for this style of editing. The darker deeper hair coating lighter longer hair on top which looks like highlights. But to fall into this trap would be too easy and you’d end up with photos like everyone else out there.
Young Highland Calf at Sunset - Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides.
So, I set out to try and take images that would do them justice but also try and make them as unique as possible (if it even is possible??).
Highland Cow giving my car a smell - Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides
Obviously, I wanted to try and include their environment as much as possible. The rocks, the white beaches, and the long grass are all features of the land I wanted to feature. An in-context photo if well composed I think is 3917598471x more interesting that even the best portrait – not to say I didn’t indulge in some close-up portraits.
Isle of North Uist, Outer Hebrides.
Light is the challenging addition that of course you want but you can never count on and something I’m finding so true in this month in the Outer Hebrides. The sun is a nice blessing but a nice sunset is something to really treasure and it seems that you can have a nice sunny day all day only for the sunset to be scuppered but a cloud bank on the horizon. So when the light is right you really have to make the most of it.
Farmer Bringing in Cattle - Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides.
When the light does shine though it is truly special and the colours and tones on offer are spectacular.
3 year highland cow photographed in a Glen on the Outer Hebrides.
I tried to invest as much time as possible in photographing these animals and what is nice coming from a wildlife photography background is how willing these subjects are to allow you to take photos of them. Take it slow and easy and they will let you get very close but also they are very inquisitive so they may even come towards you for a stroke.
The Coat of a White Highland Cow.
If you’ve read this far then you’ve already seen the photos and I hope you have enjoyed looking through them. I thoroughly enjoyed taking them even if it did mean car camping for a few evenings to enable me to be this close to this herd.
Highland Herd - Outer Hebrides