Barbara O'Brien Photography News

DOGFACE Book Release Party - October 24, 2014 - Minneapolis, MN

2014-10-21T13:53:00.001-05:00

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Half Way Through my 2014 Shot Of the Day Project

2014-06-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

I am over halfway through with my 2014 Shot of the Day Project.

You can find the project here.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/13495733/2104-SHOT-OF-THE-DAY

It has been a challenge to keep the images interesting and fresh but it has been fun to shoot new work along with digging in my archives for some forgotten imagery. I hope you enjoy your visit.

2014 Large Size Wall Calendars are Here! Horses and Farm Animals for you to Enjoy!

2013-12-08T12:10:00.004-06:00

Pleased and proud to announce the arrival of my 2014 Horse Play, Horse on White and Farm Animal Calendars. Each calendar is proudly printed in Menomonie, Wisconsin with high quality inks, paper and binders. Calendars open up to approximately 11 1/2 x 24 inches with plenty of room to put your important information.

The first one simply titled HORSE features colorful head studies of beautiful bays, blacks, palomino, pintos, chestnuts and paints. Morgans, Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Pintos and Gypsy Vanners and others appear in this large wall sized calendar in a fresh and modern way.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbaraobrienphoto

The Horse Play Calendar features horse at liberty. Running, playing, splashing and resting. Happy horses are yours to last all year long in this large wall sized calendar.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbaraobrienphoto

Down on the Farm is my first calendar devoted to our many devoted livestock fans. Curious sheep and goats, proud geese and ducks, a watchful cat and playful dog, peaceful cows, a rabbit, a rooster, a horse, turkeys and even a sweet donkey grace the pages of this large wall size calendar.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbaraobrienphoto

English Bulldog Pups - Notice the one giving me the stink eye.

2013-09-13T09:27:00.000-05:00

Who can resist the chance to photograph a litter of English Bulldog puppies?

Not me. Enjoy!

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography 2013 We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home www.barbaraobrienphoto.com barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Chair Dog - New Photo Essay by Barbara O'Brien Photography

2013-09-13T09:21:00.002-05:00

All images © Barbara O'Brien Photography 2013 We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell
715 448 3456 home www.barbaraobrienphoto.com barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Article about my work in 2013 September Issue of Professional Photographer Magazine.

2013-09-03T17:31:00.002-05:00

Professional Photographer Magazine was kind enough to feature an article about my work in their 2013 September Issue. Thanks Aimee! Click on the link below to see the whole story.

Article in 2013 September Professional Photographers Magazine

Downton Abbey Inspired Vintage Fashion Shoot

2013-07-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some images from a recent Downton Abbey inspired photo shoot I and my crew did one stormy day in June at the Villa Bellanza Winery in Pepin, Wisconsin.

Launched My Newly Re-Designed Barbara O'Brien Photography Web Site Today!

2013-05-11T20:25:00.000-05:00

After months of hard work, lots of editing and cups of coffee I am pleased an proud to announce the launch of my newly re-designed website today.

See it at www.barbaraobrienphoto.com

New Work for Purina Mills

2013-03-27T20:40:00.004-05:00

Here is a nice ad we did with Colle McVoy - Minneapolis for Purina's new product Hydration Hay

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Wonderful Machine feature Kevin's Kitty Kare Image

2012-12-28T17:33:00.000-06:00

How Kind of WONDERFUL MACHINE to feature my Image on their Weekend Links blog.

http://blog.wonderfulmachine.com/2012/12/weekend-links-122812/

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

A TALE OF TWO MARES

2012-06-13T09:29:00.006-05:00

Ivy and Quincy

My most recent horse rescues were two lovely Morgan mares that came from a Pennsylvania horse auction widely known to be attended by large-scale slaughter brokers. Fortunately, a sales broker who works with the group Forever Morgans, purchased them. Forever Morgans' mission is to find good homes for horses that would have most likely ended up on a slaughter truck.

The first mare, Laurel, arrived in the summer of 2011. She was a 16 year old mare that had been an Amish carthorse. When she arrived, she still had on a full set of driving shoes, which we quickly pulled to let her just be a horse. Although, she had a lovely temperament, she didn’t really understand being a pet. She didn’t know what apples or carrots were and did not understand why we would just come into the pasture and brush her for no particular reason. It took awhile but she soon began to realize that she had a new life here, full of lazy days in the pasture with lots of treats and kind words.

In December of 2011 we rescued, again through Forever Morgans, a 17 year old mare we call Ivy. She had had some success in the show world and then had been sold to the Amish to be a carthorse and broodmare. She had been run trough the auction with her six month old filly who was sold separately and unfortunately did not make it. She was a flashy big bay with a graceful long neck and big expressive eyes. When I rode her, it felt like I was going like a freight train, but her trot was as smooth as silk. Remembering her early life as a show horse, she was appreciative of the treats and good food and lots of love so she settled quickly into her new life with us.

Laurel

The winter of 2012 was mild here in Wisconsin and passed without a fight. Laurel did well all winter. With her heavy winter coat, and 24/7 access to hay she gained weight quickly and was looking good. But, no matter how much grain and hay I fed Ivy she did not seem to be gaining as quickly I would have liked.

Even though she was ribby, I noticed her belly getting wider and wider. It was then I suspected that she may be pregnant, but no… that couldn’t be. She was sold as open (not bred) so she couldn’t be pregnant… could she? So I increased her feed just in case and kept an eye on her to see how she progressed.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when on April 1^st, I noticed the first signs of eminent foaling. She was all bagged up, meaning her udder was developing in order to nurse a foal. I was happy and excited. We had not had a foal around for years. How fun to have a surprise one and most likely a purebred Morgan at that! I prepared a stall for her and began the waiting game.

After many restless nights spent checking on her every few hours, on April 10 she had a beautiful, healthy bay colt. As a firm believer in imprinting newborn foals (the practice of familiarizing a newborn foal with humans) I spent the next few hours carefully touching every part of his silky soft body and tiny little hooves.

Ivy and Newborn Quincy

Newborn Quincy

Ivy proved to be an excellent mother and it was evident that she had done this many times before. She was calm and let me handle the foal with no sign of nervousness or stress. We decided to name the foal Quincy, as it seemed to suit the friendly colt’s exuberant personality.

Laurel, who was in the paddock with Ivy all along, proved to be an excellent auntie. She gave Ivy plenty of space with the foal but stayed near enough to make her and Quincy feel safe as part of a herd. When Quincy was a little older he naturally, as colts do, began to pester Laurel. She, being the good-natured mare that she was, would gently reprimand him and teach him important horse manners.

One morning when Quincy was about a month old, I was surprised to find Laurel missing. Ivy and Quincy greeted me like usual, but Laurel was nowhere to be found. There had been a thunderstorm the night before and I checked the fence to see if she was frightened by something and ran off but it was working just fine. It was then I found her behind the barn. She was covered in mud and in obvious pain. She grunted and rolled and I knew right away we were dealing with a bad case of colic. Horses cannot burp or release excess gas through their mouths and so whenever they get a stomachache or a blockage it needs to go through their whole system. I called the vet and then went back and got Laurel up and began to walk her. Walking helps get their systems moving again. There was nothing to do now but wait.

When our vet, Dr. Tom, arrived he treated her with medication to ease her pain and help her muscles relax. We also tubed her with mineral oil to ease her digestion. We were instructed to keep an eye on her and see if her symptoms and her pain subsided. Laurel's condition turned out to be what was most likely torsion colic or a twisted gut, a much more serious case, where part of the gut gets twisted, like a kink in a garden hose. We planned on giving her the night to allow the mineral oil to work but when I went to check on her about 8:00 that evening she was thrashing in her stall. My heart sank as I realized Laurel was not going to recover, and it became clear to me what I had to do. I called Dr. Tom and asked him to come out and put her down, as she was suffering and I knew she wasn’t gong to recover. I went back out and led her out onto the grass to wait for Dr. Tom. It was then I let out a short sob, which startled Laurel and even in her pain she leaned her head into me as if to say are you ok? Her attention made me cry even harder. She was finding it hard to walk so I just stood with her, and a moment later she lay down in the cool spring grass. She was breathing heavily as I knelt down and stroked her head. “You can go now,” I said. “You can go.” With that, Laurel looked at me one last time, her eyes soft and warm. She heaved a last big sigh, and then she was gone. I wept while I petted her, not wanting to leave her, but I knew I must Tell Dr. Tom that he did not have to come after all. I finally went inside, thinking how courteous she was, saving Tom a trip in the dark night and me an additional vet bill.

The next morning, I let Ivy and Quincy out into the paddock. They quickly realized that Laurel was gone. Ivy called for her but after awhile, she went back to eating her hay.

I noticed Laurel’s grooming kit with the extra soft brush for her face and the empty hook where I hung her halter and I began to cry again for my poor mare. As all animal lovers can attest, it is never easy to lose the one you love.

Laurel

While I openly wept for my beautiful mare, I tried to console myself that Laurel had a good life here. There was always food, there was always pasture, there was no work or a harsh smack from a whip, and there was plenty of attention from children, who were only too happy to brush her coat and comb her mane. I had to tell myself that at least we did what we could for her and both our lives were better for having found each other.

At that moment, I felt something come up behind me and nibble on my shirt. It was little Quincy, trying to get my attention. He jumped and snorted as I turned and then came up to me again, cheerfully demanding to be scratched and fussed over. Hey, I’m still here. He seemed to be saying. You still have me to love. And that is just what I am going to do.

Country Living 2012 June Issue

2012-05-21T14:25:00.004-05:00

An image I took of Jan Anderson's Gypsy Vanner/Drum Horse Filly is being featured in the 2012 June Issue of Country living Magazine.

Sneak Peek from the Harris Hawk/Red Tail Hawk shoot from today

2012-03-06T23:09:00.003-06:00

Did you see Target's Sunday Circular Ad this Week?

2012-02-21T22:12:00.002-06:00

It was so much fun to reach for the Sunday paper and see the Target circular insert. For many years I have been providing animal actors for Target (and still do) but this is the first time I actually was the photographer for an ad. I did not shoot the product just the dogs and cat but I am pretty happy with results.

Kevin's Kitty Kare

2012-02-15T13:18:00.003-06:00

Kevin's Kitty Kare is a spoof on the recent phenomena of Doggie Daycare. A total of 17 cats, two trainers and assorted crew, (who proved to be surprisingly good at cat herding) were used to create this series of images. The morning drop off, feeding time, grooming time, playtime and nap time, are meant to mimic what happens at Doggie Daycares around the country.

The most difficult part of the shoot was keeping the cats interested and engaged on set. Ok, I admit it, the most difficult part of the shoot was keeping the cats on the set.

Through this series, I am hoping to showcase my ability to photograph numerous animals at once while showing a fun playful side to my work. Big thanks to my awesome crew and out location, Shelter Studios, Minneapolis, Minnesota for their help with this shoot,

Morning Reception Time

Feeding Time

Play Time

Bath Time

Nap Time

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography. We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Woman and Her Dog both Wearing Coats

2012-02-12T18:27:00.001-06:00

Here is another image from my recent open call audition. This lovely woman came in with her little dog and I couldn't get over how much their interesting coats and the woman's amazing hat. I asked if it was an ushanka ( a russian hat usually made of fur) and she expressed amazement that I knew what it was. She said it was very old and starting to wear out, but I think that it what made it so wonderful. She graciously agreed to let me photograph her and her dog together. I am really drawn to her enigmatic smile and I think it makes the shot.

Fashion on the Farm gets Another Nice Mention.

2012-02-12T16:38:00.000-06:00

Click on the image to see the story. It looks so much better properly scaled. So much fun to see Hollie Mae Schultz and my project moving around the internet.

Girl and Corgi Dog From my Last Open Call Audition

2012-02-11T21:40:00.001-06:00

I held an open call audition in last month in Minneapolis, Minnesota. People who live in the area and can bring their dogs to be photographed and tested on the set to see if they like the experience well enough to become animal actor through my agency, The Animal Connection. I photographed over 50 dogs that day, some of whom will grace this blog in later posts and some who will surely go on to be featured in ads for companies like Target and Purina and the like.

When a young girl accompanied by father brought in a wonderful little Corgi named Ziggy I took one look at her stylish jeans and Converse tennies I just knew I had to get a shot them together.

I love how she is just starting to walk and he is standing still entranced by something off set.

Here is another shot so you can see just how darn cute he is!

New Sheep Tee Featuring one of my Images

2012-02-10T14:25:00.000-06:00

Farm Boy Farm Girl Brand is using one of my sheep images on their new line of tees. So fun! Farm Boy Farm Girl Brand is owned by Dan Adamson and Brian Goldman and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Their clothing lines are so fresh and fun!

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Happy to be Included in Wonderful Machine's Recent Email Promotion

2012-02-10T13:19:00.000-06:00

Was happy to see that I had been included in Wonderful Machine's most recent email promotion.
Wonderful Machine is a group of dedicated people who are helping me and many other photographers promote our work and find new clients.

See the Wonderful Machine email blast here.

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Barbara O'Brien Shoots Fashion?

2012-02-10T11:34:00.000-06:00

I am excited to share that project I did with creative art director/stylist extraordinaire Hollie Mae Shultz of HMS Styling is being featured in the February 2012 issue of VECU Magazine.

It was amazing day last October when Hollie Mae and her crew of models, stylists, hair and makeup people and my crew of photo assistants, digital techs and animal wranglers all met for a day of high fashion shooting down on the farm.

Our first shot was with our lovely model, Kelly was with six Irish Wolfhounds that were provided by my good friend, Beth Renstrom. Our poor model was outweighed by at least 6 times by the 4 dogs she was holding. It is amazing she was able to hang on! Although it didn't make it into the spread, I still really like it.

We next moved to the cornfield for the beauty close up. I discovered photographing people alone is much easier than photographing them with animals. At least people understand what you are trying to do.

We next went to the barn where Kelly our model posed with Hank, my Cheviot sheep. We had to keep shooing my many cats away as they wanted to be in the shot as well.

We moved to the interior of my 100+ year old barn and shot Kelly with a beautiful swan named Sundra.
Sundra was an old pro at his as she had recently modeled for Hotel Bel Air - Los Angeles photo shoot.

By then, our star animal model had arrived. An incredible Friesian horse named Jupiter who is owned by my friend, Andi Carter. Everyone was amazed at how this very big and spirited horse behaved like a perfect gentleman for Kelly our model.

We then did some shots of Kelly walking down the road with Louis, our sweet elderly Morgan horse. I love how the fringe on Kelly's clothes mimics the horses mane.

By now we were losing light and we quickly grabbed our pony Dixie to pose with Kelly for our last shot.

All in all it was an amazing day and I am thankful to Holly Mae and her crew and to mine, Larry Hunt, Heather Byington, Michael Karns, Kevin O'Brien, Suzie and Molly Goossens, Elizabeth Hoey, Hannah Rivard, Sarah Slater and Cory Avery for all their hard work in making this happen.

all images © Barbara O'Brien Photography We are located in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin but have camera and will travel. Images are available for reproduction. Please e-mail or call with intended usage, size of print run, distribution. Barbara O'Brien Photography 612 812 8788 cell 715 448 3456 home barbara@barbaraobrienphoto.com

Nice Shout Out From COMMUNICATIONS ARTS MAGAZINE.

2012-02-09T16:14:00.003-06:00

Nice Shout out from Communications Arts Magazine.

Last year I had the pleasure of working with KICK!, (formally Hartung Kemp) of Minneapolis, Minnesota on their new line of packaging for Blackwood Pet Foods.

The article can be found here:

http://www.commarts.com/exhibit/blackwood-pet-food.html

THE GOODNESS OF GOATS

2012-02-03T07:46:00.000-06:00

A few years back I had an assignment to photograph a small goat dairy near Winona, Minnesota. I happily documented the owner and family with the milk goats and even managed to get some nice images of their massive billy goat who was the undisputed leader of the herd.

They also had many adorable baby goats and I had fun feeding them bottles and watching them play. I noticed that three little white goat kids had escaped from their pen and mentioned this to the owner. She laughed and told me not to worry; those three are always getting out. I finished shooting and was beginning to load up my gear when a small white kid goat jumped into the back of my open mini van.

“Hey!” I shouted, and was reaching towards him to pull him out, when the other two kids goats jumped in one right after another. They were duplicates of the first goat. All white with big perky ears, and short wagglely tails. “Hey!” I said again, laughing. The owner came over and stated, “You may as well take them. They are too small for the butcher. “

She explained that they were triplets, and although weaned and ready to go, they weren’t worth anything at the sales barn because they were on the small side. They were males and although she’d like to, she can only keep the females or does for her dairy.

I remembered my husband, Kevin’ s prior agreement with me that sheep were ok, but no goats! Goats, from our experience, were nothing but trouble. You can’t keep them in their pen, they like to jump on cars (at least the pygmy goats do) and they eat everything in sight.

But when their three little faces peered out at me as if to say. “Well? Let’s get going,” I knew I was done. Being an animal person, I always have an empty crate in the back of my van, so I loaded the goats in it.

My four sons were thrilled when the goat kids jumped out of the crate and ran right up to them to be petted. Kevin… not so much. “Goats,” he sighed, shaking his head. “I thought we agreed. “

“They were going to be butchered.” I told him. “I couldn’t let that happen.” As if on cue, the goat kids ran to Kevin, pushing on him with their heads and wagging their short tails. “Ok.” he said to them, while he scratched their heads. “You’re here. You may as well stay.”

The younger boys promptly named them Marcus, Aralias, and Tiberius. They tend to name animals after what they are reading and it happened to be about the Romans at the time.

I set the goat kids up in a horse stall with an old calf hut for even more shelter. It wasn’t long before they figured out that they could crawl under the bars of the gate to freedom.

They became our constant companions. Whether it was chore time, where they insisted on stealing corn from the chicken feeders, or haying time, where they jumped on and off the bales as I tried to move them around, or just hang out in the yard time, where they tried to nibble on the book I reading, they were always part of what we were doing. When a crew came to insulate the house, the goats managed to sneak into the back of their open truck and had to be locked up for the duration.

We have learned that we can forget about trying to keep them in their pen. There is an old saying, that if your fence can hold water it can hold a goat. We have found this to be true.

Just when I thought I had closed all the gaps large enough for a small goat to crawl under, they learned to jump right over it. I watched in amazement as they jumped straight up and over, one right after another, like small deer. I wonder why nobody has started the sport of goat agility like they do for dogs. I think goats would be excellent at it.

And forget about having a garden; although the goats do eat weeds, they also eat all the good plants and shrubbery as well. I remember the first spring we had them, I had a lovely plot of tulips that were just about ready to bloom. The goats had escaped again, and it only took them moments to eat the tops off of every tulip.

I won’t say they’re all bad though. Now that they are full grown, topping out at 75 pound each, they protect the sheep and will drive away dogs they don’t know. They are good company and are always curious about what we are doing. Being white, they photograph well, and are easy to find in the dark. And finally, they are always guaranteed to make me smile.

Of Geese and Men

2011-12-15T09:10:00.000-06:00

Regular readers of my column know that my husband Kevin really loves his animals. The horses, sheep, goats, ducks, cats, and dogs all thrive under his watchful eye and tender care. He calls them by name and they respond eagerly. The horses hope for the apple treats in his pocket, the goats and sheep hope for the pen gate to swing open, the chickens and ducks hope for some kitchen scraps, the cats hope for an early dinner, the Border Collie and the German Shepherd hope for a stick to be tossed, and the Aussie hopes for the magic word: “Sheep”. And they all hope that Kevin can be convinced to turn their hopes into reality.So it’s no surprise that the latest additions to the farm have fallen for Kevin.

A few months ago we were asked to provide some Canada Geese for a commercial. They had to walk back and forth across a golf course putting green and look as destructive as possible.

I located a breeder in the SE corner of Minnesota. Kevin and I drove down to buy the geese. We pulled into a beautifully kept farm with a century old barn that gleamed in the late afternoon sun. The elderly owner and his son came out to greet us. The geese, over one hundred of them, were in a penned area that spanned two acres and had a big pond in the middle. As soon as they saw the owner many of the geese ran over to him with beaks open and heads bowing up and down. The owner spoke quietly to them and they followed him around. The owner and his son selected two pairs of geese, caught them, and loaded them into the crates in the back of our van.Everything was done with great gentleness and patience and I was impressed with how tame the geese were. The owner and his son had taken great pains not to stress the birds and they seemed to respond by staying calm and undisturbed.

The geese did well in the commercial. We fenced off the perimeter of the shot and used corn to keep the geese located in one place. Gently, we encouraged them to walk where we needed for the shot. Their wings had been clipped shortly after hatching, so they were unable to fly and we did not have to worry about losing them. Hand-raised and bred from a long line of hatchery Canada Geese, they would not have fared very well in the wild.

After the commercial was over Kevin and I took them home to our farm. We turned them into a pen to keep them safe and help them understand that this was their new home. Kevin spoke gently to them as he fed them. “This is a good place,” he told them. “We have corn for you and there is plenty of grass to eat. You can make friends with the ducks…I think you will like it here.” The four geese were promptly given names by my sons that honored their country of origin: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, and Nova Scotia. They are impressive creatures with gray backs, long black necks, and thoughtful but sharp dark eyes.

Since I usually do the chicken chores, I was the one who fed them and filled their water. They soon learned to defend themselves from the chickens who tried to steal their corn. The geese always regarded me with suspicion. They eyed me cautiously as they came up to drink and made certain not to get too close to me.But all that changed one day when Kevin came to help me. They made a bee line to him and stood about only a foot or two away. “Why, hello, goose grease,” he said in a friendly tone. “How are you ladies and gentleman today?” The lead goose nodded his head up and down and bowed low for a moment and back up again. Kevin mirrored the goose, and then the goose did it again. “Well, hello,” Kevin said again. The other geese also waggled their heads up and down to greet Kevin. He laughed. “Look,” he said to me. “They like me.” “I don’t know why they should,” I replied, a little put out. “I’m the one who feeds them.” Kevin laughed again. “Maybe you don’t know how to talk to them like I do,” he said teasingly.

After a few days we let them out of the pen so they could walk the farmyard and eat all of the bugs and grass they wanted. They stayed pretty close to the barns and didn’t venture up near the farmhouse.

The next morning Kevin was near the farmhouse working on the tractor when he heard the loud honk of a Canada goose. All four had made their way up from the barn and were standing behind him bowing and waggling their heads. He greeted them, and then tried to shoo them away. But no, they had decided that he was their leader and that was that. Whenever Kevin went outside they would meet him and watch patiently while he completed whatever it was he working on. Even when Kevin walked out to check the fields, the four geese marched happily along behind him.

A few weeks ago I was the photographer on a large fashion shoot. My farm was the location for the shoot. There were models, stylists, hair and makeup people, and a large crew. Our geese, I assumed, would keep their distance from the visitors and commotion, not to mention the six Irish wolfhounds we were using in the shot. Guess again. While Kevin helped to set up the lights, the geese were by his side. When any female member of the crew tried to approach them, the geese quickly backed away, feathers ruffled and wings outstretched. But they came right up to Cowboy, our digital tech, when he bent down to snap their picture.

It was then that I remembered that the geese had been raised by quiet gentle men who were careful not to upset them. Their affection for Kevin and preference for men over women made sense to me.

Our Canada Geese still do not think much of me. They will come a lot closer to me now that some time has passed and they recognize me as the giver of things good, corn included. But it is Kevin they adore. As I write this column, I can see the four of them clustered just outside the open window of our farmhouse. They are waiting for Kevin to come out. Every so often the lead goose honks loudly to remind Kevin that his geese are waiting for him.

2012 Horse, Chicken and Barn Cat Calendars are Here!

2011-09-28T12:17:00.001-05:00

I am so excited. Just picked up the first run of 2012 Large Wall sized calendars from my printer in Menomonie, Wisconsin. They are all crisp and have that new paper smell.

This years offerings are HORSEPLAY, BARN CATS, and CHICKENS-LIGHT AND DARK.

You can find them on my Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbaraobrienphoto or if you are close by I will hand deliver them to you just so we can have a cup of coffee and catch up with each other.

It was so much fun deciding what to shoot and what to put into the calendars this year. The little yellow chicks in the Chickens - Light and Dark calendar almost didn't make it. Lucky for me they were hatched the day I had to turn the artwork over to the printer. Kevin was outside doing chores when he spotted the mother hen with her brood and told me to come quick. We quickly locked up the cats, (who would happily had the chicks for lunch) grabbed the baby chicks, set them on the hay bale, and got the shot. We then put the Momma hen and her babies in an old calf hut with a gate across the front so they could grow a bit bigger before turning them out with the cats.

FUN!