"Bovine Blizzard"

Same storm, same cows, NO truck, tells a different story. Burrrr.

Thanks for the visit amigos.

Susan, this is amazing! I really like the feel of severe winter here! Really nice work! Regards, Doug

7/7 This really deserves it...just fantastic!

Greetings Doug, we've had a pretty mild winter here in Montana until last week, bad weather or good the cows need fed.

 

Welcome to PN Richard, you're very generous. Those poor cows weren't thinking the weather was too fantastic.

Excellent, an absolutely beautiful winter capture... love the photo, not sure I'd like the weather! :-) We had 1/2 inch this past weekend, and it was the most in the last 8 years! Keep clickin' and hold on to your hat! Mike

 

Susan, just looking at it, makes me cold...;-)) We don't have a winter like this one( only in the very north) Its impressive and Well composed.

Great shot and yes a different story unfolds. the cattle look more obviously like cattle in this one. You know the wind chill is up when the snow is travelling horizontally.

I'm curious -- is this close to full frame or did you have any more room around those cows in the original file ?

Poor cows. This is a different image. On a purely art level, I like this one better. But from the storyline standpoint, the other may be better. Also, the cows here are a little more visible and that makes this one a bit less abstract. I like this one a lot.

Wow, Susan!! I just love this. Gallery material!! You have captured so much

here. Even the red tags on the ears add so much to this photo. You can all most

feel how cold it is. Love the movement of the blizzard. Fantastic shot!!

Hey Mike, I could box up some of the white stuff and send it your way! Thanks for the nice comment, it really is a portrait of winter here.

 

Thanks Pnina, working on a ranch keeps me out in the elements year around, I just wear more layers of clothing on days like this and hope my truck doesn't break down or get stuck in the middle of nowhere.

 

Yes Gordon, this is FULL frame, nothing's been cropped out, I wish I'd gotten all of the face of the cow with her head lowered, she really portrays the suffering of the cold and wind, and a little more space to the top would give some "air" to this.

 

David, you're my hero, thanks for the gift PN membership! You've unleashed a monster I fear, I've got LOTS of B&W stuff (and a few color ones) waiting in the wings for posting. I like this one too, a little more sharper detail, less abstraction. Without the truck the image becomes a story about the suffering of the cows when mother nature's on a rampage. But I keep them well fed and they survive.

Hello Andrea, you snuck in while I was replying to the fella's and Pnina. I haven't printed this one yet but will 'cause this year I'm having a gallery show and the title will be "Cowgirl With A Camera" and this image is a given. Without the black cows you wouldn't be able to see the blowing snow, sure add's some drama huh?!

Okay, now I believe the 'Blizzard' portion of the story!

This one does it for me! My favorite of the series.

Really good shot Susan. What is on #2 from the rights back?

I really don't know how you take the cold. But I sure appreciate what you do with it!

J

Outstanding and without the tags the same scene from a hundred and fifty years ago. What the old cowboy from then must have witnessed with only the promise of a semi-warm bunkhouse, some hot, bitter coffee, or maybe a shot of the last swallows from a bottle of whiskey. Bravo for capturing this image, Susan. ~Sky

Well Shawn the temps have warmed up, we've gone from 20 below yesterday to 20 above today except there's a full scale blizzard blowing right now, I can't see the big shop building from the house. And I got the feed truck stuck twice today and had to shovel myself out.....come on Spring.

 

Good eye Janis, I was wondering if anyone would notice the little touch of rust color on that cow. In the Fall after we ship the calves, we check all the cows to see if they're bred and we mark the bred cows on their shoulder with a bleach paste, if they're not bred the mark goes on their hip and they're sold, the mark wears off eventually but this ol' gal must of gotten a big dose of bleach. I tolerate the cold way better than I do the heat, I wear really good insulated coveralls.

 

Sky, those old time cowboys got caught out in this weather a bunch, people tell stories around here all the time of folks gettin' froze to death trying to get back home. If I get the feed truck stuck and can't shovel myself out, and the weather's toooooo cold to hike back, I just sit and wait for the boss to come looking for me when I don't show up at dinner time.

These winter images are just wonderful, all of them. This is particularly fine. The hard-blowing snow settling on the shoulders and backs of the cattle, the bright red of the tags, the faded gray/brown of the prairie grass -- all give a real sense of winter on the plains. Yes, wonderful!

I can understand the cold part....you can't just walk around naked in the summer can ya...well...can ya?! At least in the winter you can dress for it. That middle age thing doesn't help either, in the summer anyway, I am there~!

Naked and horseback makes for a lot of discomfort. I hate to admit it but I think I'm beyond middleage now, if only 60 WAS the half way point! My bio picture is 10 years old, that's my granddaughter!

Well, I have been dying to put a 15 to 20 year pic on here and I just know that wouldn't be right!! I am going on 49 and have 3 granchildren. SO WHAT!!

ANd Inever considered horesback.....scratch that!

Another excellent shot with these poor frozen cows. Wonderful composition and a huge sense of cold... It's great for me to see through your images this world of real cowboys/girls which I had seen only in movies. :-)

Oh my...they need some hot chocolate. Love this image, very well done!

Okay, that does it - I'm lighting a fire! I haven't played in horizontal blowing snow in a while - and that's just fine by me. Goes to show the most interesting photos aren't always found on a pretty day. Best wishes, Jerry

We won't go "there" Janis....

 

Howdy Teresa, it's warmed up for the last few days much to the cows relief but sounds like we've got another nasty storm headed this way.....burrrrr!

 

The cows won't get any hot chocolate Cynthia but on days like this we increase their feed....I get the hot chocolate.

 

I'd be happy Jerry if someone would just fix the heater in my feed truck! Any day's a good day for photography!

This is fantastic.

 

Pete

Thanks Pete, as we speak I've got a terrible blizzard raging around my place, hopefully the cows are all huddled down in a coolee somewhere, temps are way below zero and I'm snugged in playing on the computer!