capturing images, make sure the shearing or fit job is smooth, and the sheep is uniformly clean, including the head and legs. LINE IT UP • Position your sheep so its front end is positioned slightly uphill, rather than downhill. • If you’re holding the sheep, avoid setting its legs up in a hole.
• The front legs should come straight down from the shoulder, with back legs squarely under the body, rather overstretched beyond it, especially to the point where rear pasterns may look soft. • Stagger front and back feet so all four feet can be seen in the sideview. • Balance the weight. Make sure the sheep’s weight appears equally distributed on all four corners of its body and not with legs overstretched beyond the body or hunched in under it. • Aim for a straight topline. Gently push down on the topline if the loin is “roaching” like the profile of a cockroach. Or, if the topline is sagging behind the front shoulders, have a helper or the person holding the sheep rub or gently scratch the Suffolk’s belly to lift the topline as needed. • If one person is holding the sheep and another rubbing its belly and stays in the photo, watch for the placement of the belly rubber’s hands and feet so their hands are out of sight and not hanging below the sheep’s belly or their feet aren’t distracting from the view of the sheep or its feet.
• If you are placing your sheep on astroturf for photos, place a 2x4 or 2x6 board that’s several feet long underneath the astroturf. Then place the front feet on the astroturf covered board to slightly elevate the front end. • Capture images to bring out the best visual traits in your sheep. • Take side views, rear views and three-quarter views of the sheep, as well as front views, especially if your Suffolk is clean-fronted. SET IT UP • If possible, have at least one person available to hold the sheep, one to set legs and one to photograph. If you have a fourth person, have them stand off camera in front of the sheep to get the sheep’s attention either by holding another sheep, a dog or a waving an object to get the sheep’s head and neck up and ears in natural position. • Get it straight. Make sure the front and back legs are squarely under the body, not stretched out beyond it, which can cause the topline to sag.
high color contrast backgrounds work best. • Instead, consider a solid-colored background like a red barn, evergreens or green bushes, or green grass to show contrast with the black head and legs and white fleeces of Suffolks. • If you’re capturing videos of the sheep standing in green grass, mow the grass or pasture at least a day before you film so it’s not uneven or weed-filled and the clippings have time to settle. Make sure the grass isn’t so deep that it visually buries the sheep’s feet. About 2-3 inches of grass length in lawns usually works best. BRUSH IT OFF • Make sure your sheep is free of debris. If you’re recording or filming in unwashed fleece, brush off any hay, straw or wood chips, or manure, especially from the legs, belly, front end and head, and on the side closest to the camera and rear view. • If you’re shearing, fitting or washing your sheep before
“Capture images to bring out the best visual traits in your sheep.”
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