Cows

Let's be honest — nobody expects the cows to be this photogenic. But if you've ever driven through the rolling dairy pastures of Humboldt County at golden hour, with the fog starting to roll in off the hills and the light turning everything warm and amber, you understand immediately why I keep stopping the car. These animals are everywhere out here, and they have absolutely no interest in being self-conscious about it. They just stand there, occasionally stare straight into the lens with tremendous dignity, and let the sunset do its thing behind them. The results, as it turns out, are a-moo-zing.

This collection is one of my favorites to share with people, partly because of the images themselves and partly because of the reaction — nobody walks into a gallery expecting to fall in love with a cow portrait, and then they see Bessie, or the group of girls enjoying their evening out, or the herd gathered at the dairy ranch under a sky that looks almost too good to be real, and suddenly they get it. I think we can all agree these ladies are truly outstanding in their field. Humboldt County's dairy farming heritage is woven into the landscape here just as much as the redwoods and the coastline are, and these images are my way of tipping my hat to the animals that make it all possible — and making sure they get the credit they de-steer-ve.