mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Any love for this photo? Thanks.

Cow Tongue

(Download)

Terrym9 Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

yes, it just needs a caption from Gary Larsen. The cow in with its head up definitely has something to say

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

LOL... it was also the only cow without a number tag on his ear. Not sure if that's good or bad? Perhaps his days aren't numbered yet? Thanks for your comment.

Dan821 Loc: Traveling........

Either the tag was not attached securely and came off, or this animal could be a new addition to the herd. Since the tags are for animal tracking purposes, the rancher may have removed the original tag after purchase, and will replace it with one of his own, using his number/tracking system.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Thanks for the education... I know absolutely nothing about ranching, farming, cattle tending, etc.

Any comments about the photo? comp, impact, technical?

Dan821 Loc: Traveling........

I like it! Love the Bokeh of the background, the soft focus of all of the herd except the central cow!
I like the composition, which displays a true rendition of what is called a "feeder lot". And the colors are great!

Terrym9 is right! It looks like the cow is trying to make a statement! :)

What I know about cattle comes from several years working for Dairy Farmers of America "Got Milk?", supporting all of their network, servers, workstations, lab equipment, and process control systems in their 83 plants.
My team visited all of the plants, farms, dairies, and feeder lots, installing and upgrading networks, servers and equipment, at least 4 times a year. It was great work, good pay!

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Thanks! Wow, you do have a lot of experience in this field. I thought it was interesting that the cows were all lined up feeding right off the road. I assumed that the hay was dumped there because of the road access. This shot was taken from my car window with a 24-70mm lens. I pulled over, rolled the window down, said "mooooo" to get their attention and snapped. Thanks for your comments. -Mark

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Well you asked a straight forward question there so you I assume want a straight answer.
I like rather than love the idea behind it but you may upset the odd vegan.
But I should not worry they generally are an odd bunch!
However none if seems to be in focus and you have lost me with the very strange colors on the fence. I keep looking and wondering if I am missing something here?
Im a simple guy so what should I have seen that my dull old eyes do not register?

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I like the photo but don't love it. If I had taken it I sure would not delete it however. I do like the composition and it does sort of beg for a caption. I like the colors of the fence and my guess is it was a wet day and that gives the fence the colors we see. The cows also look soaking wet. I think the cows are in focus but that you used a very large aperture as the depth of field looks very shallow.

Dennis

magicray Loc: Tampa Bay, Florida

Ditto!

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

Hello Mark, I think you missed an opportunity here. If you had stepped out of the car the cows, being very curious beasts, would have all raised their heads and given you a variety of alluring poses.
I'm not at all keen on the softness, it looks to be the product of a plugin, Topaz or similar?

Graham

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Indeed Graham! Thanks for your comments. I was driving on a rural country road when I spotted the cows. There was nowhere to safely park. I should have made more of an effort. I had just finished photographing the subject of my quest that day---a herd of elk. It was wet, cold and muddy that day (Portland's finest). I do have several shots of the cows in different poses. My car window was maybe 20 feet away. Had I gotten out of the car, I'm not sure my angle of view would have been much better, but it would have certainly increased my odds.

In post, I used an Orton effect from an "action" I modified in PS. It did soften the image quite a bit, and I realize many don't care for this. Also, because it was a so-called "grab shot", I didn't check my camera settings. I was shooting in aperture priority mode at f/2.8, but quickly realized that my shutter speed was down to 1/45s with my focal length being 70mm. The lens has no stabilization. It was a good learning experience.

Again, thank you so much for your feedback Graham. I am a huge admirer of your B&W photography! Best wishes. -Mark

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

LOL. :-)

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Billy - thank you for your honest reply. I greatly appreciate ALL comments. I learn best with constructive criticism.

Your eyes are not deceiving you---the image is blurry. Mostly due to the Orton effect, but partially due to my camera settings. My son told me that my images lack creativity, so I've been trying to be more creative. Regardless, simple guy or not, your comments are spot on. Thank you! -Mark

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Hi Dennis - you are correct in every aspect. It seems many like it, but don't really love it. After hearing all the feedback, I agree. It's very hard as the photographer to be unbiased when evaluating for impact. It was a VERY wet day. In fact, this was right before a major storm moved in and cause some flooding in areas. The cows were wet. I thought I could get away with using an Orton effect to hide the slight focusing issue I had with my camera. You guys are way too perceptive---f/2.8 was probably not the ideal aperture setting. However, like you, I like the fence color saturation and out of focus area behind the cows. Your comments are much appreciated. -Mark