Cows

The rolling pastures, cold mist and fog, and beautiful cattle along Old 127 just north of Lansing reminded me of scenes from several British movies I have seen. After getting into position for making this photograph, I only had to wait three minutes for the cattle to spread out and make a gorgeous pattern in front of me. F6.3 at 1/160, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 105mm

Sometimes collegiate rivals like to call Michigan State University the "Cow College." MSU is that, and a whole lot more. I, for one, am especially proud of MSU's agricultural heritage and the University's ongoing contributions to improve farming and veterinary science. I also think cows, like this Holstein in an MSU pasture, are a whole lot cooler than many of MSU's critics. F6.3 at 1/400, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

Our family raises Shorthorn cattle. The white roans are my favorite. On my walk around the farm this evening, a young calf chased after her mama to join the herd.

While visiting with my sister, Gretchen, we noticed part of a double rainbow appear. We raced to the field, and I got in position to include a couple of our Shorthorn cattle.

My niece, Lucy, and my daughter, Kasey, spent time washing and walking their steers together in the show arena. Tomorrow is the big day! All the kids’ hard work with their beef and sheep comes down to the show.

It is hard to beat the magic light and clouds of fall. Soon, our cattle will be moving from the front field. It seemed time to make a final image of our front yard view.

I don't know what looks more impressive, the long-horned, longhaired cow or the brilliantly colored sumac along 72nd Avenue near Hart, so I decide to feature both. The Highland cow's long coat, besides being gorgeous, will keep it warm during the winter. F2.8 at 1/800, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

These cows along Countyline Road are a bright spot in a sad day for me. I am on my way home from Manistee, where one of my best Coast Guard friends, Tom Rau, died today. I taught Tom how to take better pictures for his boating safety articles. Hopefully, he would approve of this shot. F4.0 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 135 mm

Three years ago, we had an orphan heifer calf. The kids helped bottle-feed her. She was named after my daughter, Kasey. To differentiate between the two, we call her Kasey Calf. This year was her first-year calving. She had a little heifer today. The kids decided to name it Pumpkin.

Driving rural roads west of Free Soil, Michigan in a frantic search for a country sunrise scene to photograph, Brad and I encounter this lone bull only a few yards from the edge of the roadway. The scene is a showstopper for me. I pile out of the truck, lie down in the grass and make a silhouette portrait before he loses patience with me. F4.5 at 1/250, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

My dad and I used to photograph the black and white “Oreo Cookie Cows” in this field on South Lakeshore Drive near the hydro-electric plant. Now the family that owns this farm has beautiful brown and white cows. The huge old maple trees have always made this farm extra beautiful as well.

I have shot “The Triple Trees” from the opposite direction four times for this project. It seemed fitting to capture the lane and favorite spot from this view. The kids and I have walked this lane many times in our lifetime. We are so blessed to have the farm to explore and create memories.

At first curious about the human visitor to OK Farms north of Clare, a Holstein suddenly shifts its attention to the bird that has landed on a wire right in front of the cow's face. Cows are very curious creatures. F9 at 1/250, ISO 200, 300mm lens at 300mm

It took over an hour for these cows to make their way over towards me. I mooed like a cow and crawled on all fours, but nothing worked to get the cows to come over and surround this old abandoned home. Finally, I got my iPhone out to play some music. Apparently, cows really enjoy Kelly Clarkson. F8 at 1/250, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 22mm