Branding

Branding and taking pictures was one of the most enjoyable times that I have had. My grandpa wanted had me as a helper and not just the photographer so I had to sneak the camera in when we had a few minutes of down time every once in a while. I wouldn't say I have come away with any monumental shots, but I did enjoy taking the ones that I did. 

During the branding there were a couple of minor operations that needed to take place. Above is a picture of an operation in progress. The men had to discuss how it was going to be handled. 

This calf was the next subject. Right away I saw that he had swollen cheeks. I asked my grandpa what it was and he said it was probably an infection of some sort. After we had gotten through with branding grandpa had us take this calf through the shoot again in order to check out his cheeks. It turned out that they were swollen with puss. Which to some is very gross but I really enjoyed watching my grandpa take care of his animals. Farming and ranching is an art that many people don't get to experience on a regular basis. There is an awareness that one needs to have for each and every one of his animals in order to be a rancher. Then they also need to know how to care for the problems that arise. My grandpa showed his knowledge in the below picture when we drained the infection from the calf. I enjoyed taking this picture because I think you can see the relief in the calf's eyes. I would definitely be relieved if two giant pockets of puss were drained from my cheeks. 

All in all it was a good experience. The lighting was not the best but I will know what to look out for the next time I take part in a branding and want to document it.