Stefan Official
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 p.1 #1 · Highland Moo-del on the Rocks | |
At an altitude of 2,500 meters, the cows roam almost freely – with the majestic mountain scenery providing a unique backdrop for extraordinary photos. For me, it’s something completely different from shooting with a telephoto lens down in the valley on smaller pastures. I wanted to create images that feel new – less like studio shots and more spontaneous, direct, and unposed.
I spent over an hour slowly approaching them until they hardly noticed me anymore. At first, they are cautious, but with time you just blend in and they lose interest in you – and that’s when you can get really close. Still, you should never forget that these are not zoo animals. A cow weighs between 700 and 800 kilos, and every year more people are killed by cows than by great white sharks.
I took these photos with the Sony Alpha 7R V and the Sony FE 14 mm f/1.8 GM – shot at 14 mm, f/3.5, 1/320 s, ISO 100. With an ultra-wide lens, however, you need to get extremely close – sometimes only about 15 cm from the cow’s muzzle – and crouch down low. Most of the time they just keep eating grass – which, to be honest, can get incredibly monotonous. You wait and wait, holding that tiny distance, hoping for the one special moment. It’s always risky – being that close, that low, with 800 kilograms towering above you. And the cow with horns, the boss of the herd, must never be ignored. If she sees you as a threat, the mood can flip within seconds.
Would I do it again? Probably not in the near future. I don’t want to push my luck – being that close and low will always be dangerous. But that’s exactly why these photos feel unusual: fresh, new, and spontaneous.
Sometimes you just have to let go and try something different. With a telephoto, I could have taken some nice shots as well, but I wanted to see what happens when you do it in a completely different way. That’s the only way to create truly fresh and unusual photos and perspectives.
We also visited Lake Braies and the Three Peaks, which are also located in this region.
Here are a few stories about them:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1915166/
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1915534/
The Three Peaks themselves were, of course, the highlight and the main reason for the trip. In a few weeks, when I have a little more time, I will report more about where else we went.
 Highland Moo-del on the Rocks by Stefan Zimmermann Official, auf Flickr
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