Modes

At the country show I attended today there were a couple of photographers working for the local press. Both were operating the same way: two bodies with a short zoom and flash on one and a long zoom on the other. Nice and simple, covers all bases indoors or out. If that's the set up they use all the time, literally day in day out, then they'll be totally familiar with it. As they should be to avoid the sort of cock-ups I make all the time!

What I wouldn't be able to bear if earning a living from taking photographs would be having to take the safe route. If you are working to a deadline then you have to get something quickly. And that is one difference between news photography and documentary work. Photojournalism has longer deadlines than news, but even that has a deadline. Long term documentary doesn't have to have a deadline at all. But as I've said often enough in the past, having no fixed end point to a project can lead to it dragging on forever without getting completed.

There was a lot going on at the show as far as animal judging was concerned. Kirkby Lonsdale being sheep country there were plenty of them and few cattle. There were also lots of horses. so much so that I got a bit distracted from the poultry because I like looking at new things. The ritualistic dressing of the heavy horses, plaiting stray in their manes and tails held my attention for some time.

Rather than post a few pictures I made two galleries of the day's efforts. They should both appear below, or click here and here to see them bigger.

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