This was taken at the anual Cattle Fair in Kanfanar, Istria, Croatia. It’s a special breed of cattle and they are judged on “beauty” and there is also an old style ploughing contest. Comments welcome.
I have looked at this image for a while and am still unsure what to think about it. Certainly I have little or no technical criticism of it which is worth passing on. It is fairly well shot, has interesting lighting and all the details tell quite a story about the event the image records.
I think that I’m struggling to accept it for what it is – a good representation of a ploughing match in Croatia. There are strong retro elements in the image (the oxen ploughing) but it is not a retro image. There are modern elements in it too (the people’s dress, etc). This retro/modern combination doesn’t really combine or contrast for me. But I really feel that that is just my subjective tastes. (As my profile states, retro is one of my favourite photographic subjects.)
Hi Bertie,
Thanks for the comments – much appreciated! Yes, I can see your point about retro/modern not combining too well. It never occurred to me before. I have some more pictures (including the winning cow) from that day; I must scan them when I get a chance.