Sheep etc.

[Ed Sutton]

Royal Lancashire Show today.

It's a funny game, photography. I grabbed this shot through the crowd barrier, thought it looked a promising idea that would be better without the bars. I took seven more of other sheep by poking the lens through the bars. None of them looked as good as this very first frame. This happens a lot to me. More pics and thoughts later.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I've reached an impasse with sheep shows. It's got difficult to find photos that are different, and I've also got sucked in to taking the kind of photos that the sheep folk expect. Not that I mind doing that but it seems to be stopping me seeing other pictures. I set off today with the idea of adopting a different approach but it didn't happen. In part that's because I hadn't realise the gates open to the public just before judging begins. (I could have got an exhibitors pass but left it too late...) so I missed the penning and preparation. There also wasn't a great number of Lonks or Gritstones entered, so not much of interest as far as book type projects goes. It was more of the same old with an odd attempt at something wacky. The pic in the previous post is definitely my 'shot of the day'.





Only three Lonk flocks represented.







Wackyish.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Tenuous link to sheep alert!

Had a short visit to Helmshore Textile Museum this afternoon, and got a one-to-one version of their wool processing tour and talk. An interesting museum it is too, which I'll go back to fo a longer look. Sadly, given the location in Lonk country, the sheep on the information boards is a Yorkshire sheep - a Swaledale. I made an informal complaint!

Apparently the mill's chimney was built across the road, up a hill, as it was cheaper than building a taller chimney at the mill itself. These mill owners were always looking to save money!



The chimney in this picture is another mill's.



The offending Swaledale...



Recreation of handloom weaving and child labour.



Suppression of the Luddites display and video.



Sheepish gifts.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Another low turnout of Lonks today at Garstang. But maybe a couple of decent pics among what I took?

 

[Ed Sutton]

I've been hoping to get a 'sheep among the ruins' pic for some time.

Would this Lonk lamb oblige by posing nicely?



What do people think?





Can't win 'em all.

 

[Ed Sutton]

It's a funny old game. Halifax show on Saturday and I was lacking enthusiasm. Sunday at Trawden and it was altogether different and I took lots more photos. I can't say the results were much better though!

 

[Cloudforest]

I really like the close-up head Dave and LonK Power is pretty good too.

From the previous post "Sheep Among the Ruins", I like the second.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I really like the close-up head Dave and LonK Power is pretty good too.

From the previous post "Sheep Among the Ruins", I like the second.

Thanks Pete.

I've got a few versions of a Lonk Power polo with sheep and people in the background but this might be my best yet.

The close up is going on my next batch of business cards.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Made an incursion into enemy territory today to see an exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum to see the exhibition about 'commons' land use. Photography, video, poetry, quotes from land users/managers, and historic artefacts. I passed some sheep being penned on my way there, but didn't stop because they were Swaledales.

I found the photos and paintings lack-lustre or trying too hard (printing the film edge is pretentious IMO), the artefacts, however, were fascinating. The mixed lighting was a pain. You'd think exhibition spaces would have got it sorted by now.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I could feel autumn in the air today at Hornby Sheep Show, a proper local show for local people. Yes, there were Lonks, but most of my better shots were of other breeds.

Probably my best Lonk pics of the day.





'Country Bred' is an old cross of Lonk with Dalesbred or Swaledale. These days it's pure Lonks that are entered. The only reason the class retains the Country Bred name is the old trophies have it engraved on them. Traditions die hard!



Mules arriving and being washed. The cloth caught mid-throw made lifts this picture I think.



Bluefaced Leicesters.





More...

 

[Ed Sutton]

Gotcha!



Herdwick.



I tried some detail shots but didn't really have a suitable lens but it's given me some ideas.



Lonk close-ups.





Thanks for looking in.

 

[Ed Sutton]

A hectic long weekend with three shows in three counties over four days involving over 300 road miles. All for a couple of reasonable photos!

As a standalone pic from Hope Show, this (rare for me black and white) is probably my best of the lot.



That said I made another conversion from my Hope snaps of the Murmuring Wheel, a hasty attempt at a portrait of a wool spinner and her wheel. It needed more time to get the right amount of blur on the spokes, and probably a different setting/background. The idea is there though. Even rarer than a mono pic is the fact I cropped this to a non-standard ratio to eliminate some intrusions camera right.



Saturday's show was at Chipping and while it started dry and ended dry and sunny, the bit in between when the sheep judging took place was WET! I blamed my lack of decent pics on trying to hold and umbrella with one hand and use the camera with the other... The muddy rosette summed things up for me.



Hope was on Monday and it stayed dry. I had no excuses up my sleeve. There was a poor turnout of Lonks but I got two shots that might go in the file for my book.



I liked the wonky Lonk sign, but not much else in this one.



There were lots o Gritstones as it's the breed society's venue for their Champion of Champions show. The judge signing off the results. would have been good for the book. Maybe I can photoshop some horns onto the Gritstone?



If there are any worth showing from Kilnsey I'll make another post in due course.

 

[Ed Sutton]

A short video clip to show how the pros go about photographing the prize winning sheep. The process went on a lot longer than I could be bothered recording!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSGrUnhubWk

 

[Ed Sutton]

Kilnsey Show. Increasingly at these shows attempts are being made to provide information about what's going on for the benefit of the non-farming public.



All the main breeds of sheep had new information boards.



In the sheep pens the show went on as usual.







Judging over the pens were deserted.

 

[Clive K]

Made an incursion into enemy territory today to see an exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum to see the exhibition about 'commons' land use. Photography, video, poetry, quotes from land users/managers, and historic artefacts. I passed some sheep being penned on my way there, but didn't stop because they were Swaledales.

I found the photos and paintings lack-lustre or trying too hard (printing the film edge is pretentious IMO), the artefacts, however, were fascinating. The mixed lighting was a pain. You'd think exhibition spaces would have got it sorted by now.

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I find it sad that you were so dismissive of the photos in the exhibition. If you were to study them and ask yourself why they were selected for display you might pick up on things that would help you progress.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I find it sad that you were so dismissive of the photos in the exhibition. If you were to study them and ask yourself why they were selected for display you might pick up on things that would help you progress.

There's quite a lot of wall text telling the story of the commons. Most of the photos were clearly chosen to illustrate this. There were a few standalone photos that were worth spending a bit of time with. The artefacts were much more interesting for me though.

As an exhibition about the history and future of the commons it's very good. As a photography exhibition (which it isn't) it's average.

There was a much better exhibition of photographs regarding farming in the dales at the same museum in 2017.

 

[Clive K]

If you cannot see what element you are missing from the relevant exhibition photos that are evident to me even at this distance then your photography of country competitions is hardly likely to improve. This is reflected in your comments about how pro's photograph the winning competitors. It is all going over your head.

That's it from me. I won't trouble you again.

 

[Ed Sutton]

If you cannot see what element you are missing from the relevant exhibition photos that are evident to me even at this distance then your photography of country competitions is hardly likely to improve. This is reflected in your comments about how pro's photograph the winning competitors. It is all going over your head.

Perhaps you could enlighten me?

 

[Ed Sutton]

I got invited to something different last night. A Young Farmers' Charity Speed Shear. It wasn't quite what I was expecting!

The shearing competition was as I thought it would be. The disco lights and pounding bass wasn't.

The event took place in the main ring at Gisburn mart in front of a packed house.



Shearing is done against the clock in a few classes, including under 21 and veteran, and not a male preserve.



Time isn't everything, judges deduct points for wool left on the sheep and any nicks to the skin.



I knew it would be fairly dark but the disco lights really played havoc with white balance.



The heats were just one sheep per shearer. In the finals they had to clip two.



On your marks...



A challenging evening as far as the photography for a number of reasons. The light was one, but the way the shearers work round and turn the sheep was another. I'd start off with a good angle to see sheep and shearer's face then seconds later they'd have their back to me. Lesson's learned though.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Bentham Show is held in the auction mart and is very cramped in the sheep pens. There is a 'Black-Faced' sheep class which is usually all Lonks, but this year there were some Scotch Blackfaced sheep entered too. They are descended from the same Heath Sheep as the Lonk, Swaledale, Dalesbred and Rough Fell. The one with the grey nose is the Blackie.




The Judge was a Lonk man and unsurprisingly Lonks took most of the rosettes home. They were the majority of sheep in the class.





I made a slightly better effort of photographing the winner. Great to see the younger generations taking an interest.



The overall champion sheep was a Bluefaced Leicester. Photographed for comedic effect...



...and being congratulated here.



Thanks for looking.