“Smart phones make great tools when out and about in a pasture, to post to social media ...but to make a really marketable photo for a website or advertisement, nothing beats a good quality camera with a good lens.”


consigning cattle to spring sales, especially to those who face cold winters. Taking a photo in February for a consignment deadline with muddy pastures of fuzzy cattle who have been supplemented all winter does not make for the best photo. Planning for sale cattle photos in the late fall, early winter is better than late winter.


These tips and hints have worked well for us. However, the best tool to take to the pasture is patience. Many times, bad photos are taken because of rushing. Always have a camera while walking amongst the cattle in the evening to snap some good photos.


Learn From Those Who Made The Mistakes


Dale Smith of Lago Haven Ranch, Allen, TX “Mistakes were I was standing up and not getting low, having other cows in the picture, cubing the cows while photographing them and getting photos with their mouths’ open. Other mistakes were having the sun behind the cow and not me. I’d try to photograph them midday.”


Dr. Mark Gilliland of Gilliland Ranch, Winfield, KS “The following summarizes my photographic philosophy at the Gilliland Ranch.


1st- I use a Nikon D 3400 with 2 lenses - 18-55mm and 70-300mm. It is a relatively cheap and sturdy camera that gives me a lot of versatility in the automatic mode. While manual settings can produce a better photograph (if you have the patience and time), rapid fire photos in the automatic mode with subsequent editing work better for me.


2nd- I always take my camera with me and use it almost every time I am with the cattle.


I typically take 20-50 photographs, cull 90 percent of them and then download the good ones on my computer. I think potential buyers want as much information as possible before the purchase. Looking at one photograph in a sale catalog is not as good as viewing the stages of development from birth to present time. I always refer them to my Hired Hand website to see multiple photos. The more the better. As a breeder, studying serial photographs educates me in changing colors, conformations, and horn sets over time. It seems like every time I forget my camera, something interesting happens that I missed.


3rd- If I am photographing animals for an ad, eblast, or website, I do it on a sunny day to enhance color and muscle definition. I try to put the sun at my back to minimize shadowing. I also photograph them in a natural pasture setting by themselves or at least with minimal surrounding cattle so that I can crop distractions with editing.


4th- The camera and body positions are important. I get out of the truck and typically squat so the photograph is as close to the center of the body as possible. This angle accurately demonstrates leg and body length, depth, topline, and underline. Photographs taken above from the truck make the animal look shorter.


The head should be UP and turned 90 degrees, looking in to the camera to demonstrate head and ear shape and horn set. Cattle photographed with their heads down are seemingly depressed and do not sell well. Getting the head up can be challenging. I never feed them before a photography session, otherwise their heads are glued to the ground. Sometimes, I have them chase the feed truck for a distance just to get them excited. Their heads are then high with anticipation, and I quickly take photographs of the ones that need updating. Other head raising techniques include jumping, shouting, pushing on them, or waving a flag.


5th- I always leave my dog behind on a serious photographic session. Otherwise, the cattle spend all their time looking at him and never at the camera.


Finally, good photography plays an integral role in portraying Longhorns. It requires patience and a little luck. That said, too much perfection is time consuming and frustrating as eventually the animal must stand on his own merit in person. Each breeder should compare his photos with those found on other websites to ensure they are competitive with industry standards.”


Joe Sedlacek of Lazy J Longhorns, Greenleaf, KS


For leg position, I try to get the front legs somewhat straddled to avoid the “post” appearance. The hind leg closer to the camera should extend backward to expose the genitalia and enhance the hip.


24 TEXAS LONGHORN JOURNAL i APRIL 2017


“When taking photos, avoid if at all possible other animals in the background and try to get their horns with all blue sky behind them. The worst thing you can do for yourself is when you take a photo of your animal to promote and they are looking away or down from the camera. An additional photo that will add marketing value is a good side shot to show horn direction. Sometimes to me, that’s more important than straight on of the horns. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe a good picture is worth thousands of dollars when done correctly for the sale or marketing of a prized animal.”


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