On Wednesday 1st April Richard Hodgson, who was born and raised on a Cumbrian dairy Farm, gave a fascinating talk titled “Field to Photo”. Richard has been taking photographs of farm animals for twenty years or so and is one of Britain’s leading livestock photographers. His interest developed when showing his family’s pedigree Holstein cattle. His work, which has taken him all over the country, has included providing images for various farming magazines, working for specialist breed societies, photographing for commercial companies to advertise their products and taking commissions for example when a farmer wants to sell his animals. He likes to take unusual images if possible.
Richard provided a fascinating insight into the difficulties of photographing farm animals outdoors. His job is to make them look good and this is not always easy. Backgrounds and the light may not be perfect. The animals may not be cooperative and it may take up to six people to manage an individual. It requires much patience.
It can also be dangerous, particularly if a cow has calves when his presence may be seen as a threat by them. On one occasion Richard had to resort to taking photographs from the farmer’s Land Rover. Many of his images have also been taking at events such as County Shows and he explained the criteria used to judge the animals.
As well as taking photographs of livestock Richard also enjoys taking images of people, often when they are interacting with their animals and he showed some lovely images of farmers and their children in a variety of situations including at shows when they have to comply with certain dress codes.
His images captured perfectly the affection that farming families have for their animals and the humour of some situations.
This was not just a talk on photography but one that provided an interesting insight into the world of farming.
Julie Walker