Documentary C&C please *NSFAR*

ihastakephoto

Sinead, as stated by a few people above, I think the 3rd shot adds a great deal to the series. As an aside, without having seen these shots, I would honestly be unaware that this procedure existed, and assumed that the horns were akin to fingernails (nerveless, not to mention bloodless) well done on the entire. it would be nice to have a shot of the horn(s) alone on the ground as a resultant or of the cows sans horns to close the piece.

pullandbang

^Ditto.
The third shot works for me. The wide story telling angle shows all the people involved in the process. It shows the clutter of the yard - not exactly ideal working conditions for the vet or the farmer.
I think the state of the yard also gives an insight into the mindset of the farmers involved. That coupled with the fact that the bullocks weren't dehorned after birth would indicate that the farmers involved are not exactly professional in their farming practise.

I get around quite a lot of farms and the difference in the quality of farming from place to place is astounding. You can tell a lot about the farmer by how well or how badly the farm is kept and I think your shot captures this setup quite well. It also shows some of the conditions the vet has to put up with in his daily life. As has been mentioned earlier, not the nice clean surgery and a long way from James Herriott.

magicbastarder

i don't have any image editing software on this computer - how does the 3rd shot look in b&w?

LeoB

Excellent work. I have just had a steak and feel fine;).

Really like #1, you can nearly hear the bull roar. Anyway these show what Vets have to do from time to time and and what farmers also have to do, its important that other see what they do also. That is one tough job not that I have done it but I have spoke to a good few who have done it. Like a lot of things that happen around livestock most people find it horrible to look at but we also find what goes on in A & E Horrible but it has to be done and Im sure if you went out again Sineadw you would be more relaxed. Anyway well done

artyeva

dakar wrote: »

I think it's interesting that the people who've seen it all before are expecting maybe a bit more from these shots.

well, i think i was expecting more simply because this procedure seem brutal. not cruel now mind you - but brutal. and yeah, for me anyway these fall short.

dakar wrote: »

BUT I was responsible for the safety of everyone involved as well as the welfare of the animal, and even if Sinead had wanted to go gung ho and get stuck in in front of the bullock's head or just out of reach of my arms as I was drawing back on the wire, I simply couldn't have let her. Cattle are big, strong and unpredictable, especially when stressed, and I wouldn't be comfortable allowing even someone who was experienced around stock get much closer than this. I know that this robs the shot of some of the immediacy and adrenaline of the situation, but I'm afraid it's just the way it had to be.

granted and accepted, you had everyone's safety and the welfare of the animal to consider but i'm not sure i was inferring getting closer to the action in a physical sense.

or was i? no, i think it's more that i don't feel engaged with the scene through the image, or through the eyes of the photographer. that to me is what good documentary photography is. we feel the connection between the photographer and the subject and through that we develop our own connection with the subject, or the subject matter or whatever. for me in these shots there's no connection with the action or subject. as i said [and as sinead has said herself] she was scared and had to leave and return to the scene. war photographers have to get beyond the fear they may feel of being in a warzone and set up the shot and i get no sense that this is a big musular unpredicable beast.

then again i don't want to sound too harsh here, i'm presuming that sinead has oodles more shots that better portray what you do and what you have to put up with from day to day.

seriously - any hand up the cow-bum pics?

humberklog

dakar wrote: »

HK, forgot to answer your question, the horns just get left on farm, very often the farm dog just snaffles a couple as an impromptu chew treat.

I would ask why you are interested, but I'm too scared........:eek:

But is it called Polling?


Anyhoooows....looking at the horn on its own had me thinking that (and if my numbers are correct) about 1600 horns piled together in a car parking space in Tesco's Artane Castle or Roselawn in between two parked cars would look deadly.

sineadw

artyeva wrote: »

seriously - any hand up the cow-bum pics?

Yep. And they're boring

sheesh

its a pity that the horn is a pit cropped in the second picture and i think it would look good as a series of photographs showing the whole gory process.

I love more saturated colours too but thats just me.

ihastakephoto

humberklog wrote: »

..about 1600 horns piled together in a car parking space in Tesco's Artane Castle or Roselawn in between two parked cars would look deadly.

ok, I apologize and I know its off topic, BUT : ) why only those two tesco's or why those two selected tesco's...*intrigued*

humberklog

ihastakephoto wrote: »

ok, I apologize and I know its off topic, BUT : ) why only those two tesco's or why those two selected tesco's...*intrigued*

Just the setting's right. Sure when it's right it's right.

Also the underground car park in Lidl off the SCR.

sineadw

humberklog wrote: »

Just the setting's right. Sure when it's right it's right.

Also the underground car park in Lidl off the SCR.

Just catching up after holidays - Neil you are truly bonkers.

artyeva

sineadw wrote: »

Neil you are truly bonkers.

:pac::pac::pac:

a genius is never truly recognised in his own lifetime