Pastorale, a photo from Schleswig-Holstein, West

Photographer's Note

Like a river, the Schlei winds its way from the Baltic coast to the town of Schleswig, 40 kilometres away. However it is not a river, but a coastal inlet. The water is not particularly deep and as you can see wind blows steadily. The Schlei and its shores are also regarded as one of the most beautiful landscapes in Schleswig-Holstein. But it is not only this landscape that is remarkable, it is the rare view that you can see here: some cattle (cattle prefer grass over other types of plants) are grazing on the banks of the firth. Today nearly all cattle are held in stables because feeding has changed.Feeding grain to cattle is probably for many reasons one of the dumbest ideas in the history of western civilization. Only thirty years ago, grass-fed steers were 4 or 5 years old at slaughter. Today, they are 15 months and it takes enormous quantities of corn, protein supplements and antibiotics. But since it is faster it is more profitable.
But what is most important is the fact that grass-fed beef is lower in overall fat and in saturated fat, and it has the advantage of providing more crucial healthy omega-3 fats. When cattle are taken off grass they immediately begin losing the omega-3s they have stored in their tissues. As a consequence, the meat of grain-fed cattle (and also the milk) typically contains only 15- 40 percent as much omega-3s as that from grass-fed livestock. Scientists are working on a possible relation between the lack of omega-3 fats in food and the risk of incident dementia.

besnard, papagolf21, Bluejeans, ellelloo, fulvio52, gracious, KateinDenmark, Gerrit, phwall, brano14, Vasa, gunbud, saxo042, jmdias, fanni, ciakgiak, JCG, Royaldevon, feather, mikeyeats, Cretense, COSTANTINO, holmertz, alftrek, claudeD, skippy007, daddo, maloutim, ghilain, ikeharel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

besnard (49031) 2009-02-14 2:57

Bonjour Harriet
Un joli cliché tout en douceurs et en nuances.
Merci pour cette belle image et bon week-end.
Nicole

leo61 (0) 2009-02-14 3:03

Hallo Harriet!
An der schlei war ich noch vor meiner Schulzeit in den Ferien.
Dein Bild strahlt eine schöne Ruhe aus und mir gefällt wie diese kleinen Halbinseln in das Wasser ragen.Sehr schöne Grüntöne auch.
Gruß,Leo

papagolf21 (76995) 2009-02-14 3:16

Bonjour, chère amie Harriet,
Quand l'homme n'aura plus de place pour la nature, peut-être la nature n'aura-t-elle plus de place pour l'homme.
[Stefan Edberg]
Air, terre et mer nous devons protéger, car Dame Nature, c'est notre liberté !
Quel tableau agréable à contempler ! j'imagine bien un peintre s'inspirer de ce très beau spectacle offert par la nature.
Bravo !
Amitiés.
Philippe

dta (52250) 2009-02-14 3:42

Hello Harriet ,
What a nice rural scenery ! I like a lot cows , and these ones are wonderfully included in a fine composition : the green landscape , with grass and water is so pleasant to see .
Regards
Denis

npecanhuk (54221) 2009-02-14 3:44

Hello Harriet!
Bucolic, beautiful and pleasant!
Adequate sharpness and correct exposure!
Well chosen pov and smart composition!
I really like it!
TFS - Congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

Bluejeans (64241) 2009-02-14 4:33

Ola Harriet ,
Que beleza de paisagem com esta paisagem cheia de curvas com o rio acompanhar , ficou muito bonito este primeiro plano com estas vacas a pastar , boa profundidade de foto , gostei muito dos tons de verde e da luz , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Bom fim de semana

mikolaj_kawa (0) 2009-02-14 4:34

Hello Harriet! Nice cows, very nice meadows and landscape. Beautiful natural colours. Good work. Well done!

ellelloo (6570) 2009-02-14 5:22

Hello Harriet,
A nice summer view in a well balanced composition and with good natural colours. Also a note with very important thoughts. Thanks for sharing!
Have a nice weekend!
Lasse

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-02-14 7:37

Hi, Harriet.
Feeding grain to cattle qualifies indeed as one of the dumbest ideas in history and probably also as one of the most profitable... As always : money-money-money calls the shots.
Nice picture, those different landscape layers gently fading away in the distance provide great and subtle depth of field. Lovely colors and atmosphere, TFS! Have a nice weekend, I'll be seeing you.
Fulvio.

Silvio1953 (99199) 2009-02-14 8:07

Hi Harriet, lovely and peaceful composition with great colors, fantastic rural scenary, very well done, ciao Silvio

gracious (20025) 2009-02-14 9:29

Gutan Tag Harriet,
Thank you so sharing this beautiful landscape of Schlei! truly great under a good sunny day for the shot! I loved those cows in the fg that taking their own sweet time for the feed!
good depth in this image with nice colour and details
have a wonderful Sunday!
Tony

gilou530 (34) 2009-02-14 9:56

salut harriet
un paysage dans du vert que du vert et des dégradés de vert, les animaux ne peuvent que se régaler dans un tel paysage, photo trés agréable
amitiés
gilbert

KateinDenmark (1634) 2009-02-14 10:08

This is a wonderful scene. I can almost smell the grass and trees. You should probably sharpen the image, but that is a small thing. You have the right POV and a nice balance of colors. I really appreciate your editorial about grass fed beef. It is a message I really hope people hear more because our planet needs people to reconsider how they eat. These cows are better both for the people who eat them and also for the planet. Very nice post!

Sincerely,
Kate

carper (96) 2009-02-14 10:36

Very happy photo Harriet,
Tats a shot from June, I like this time more then the cold day we have now in our countries. I don.t like winter. The winter is for me only good for made photo's because that fantastic light. well taken composition here, very nice place and it looks windy to me. thanks for sharing. have a nice evening
regard jaap

bema (25964) 2009-02-14 10:38

Hallo Harriet,

ein schönes Bild mit allem was die Heimat hergibt, sattes Grün der Wiesen, drauf ein paar bunte kühe und alles eingerahmt vom Wasser, toll..

einen schönen Abend noch.. Gruß Bernd

Gerrit (43745) 2009-02-14 10:59

Hi Harriet,
beautiful and quiet rural landscape. Excellent layering and light,
Great mood.
Regards, Gerrit

phwall (6785) 2009-02-14 13:20

Hello Harriet,
Lovely pastoral scene, in my mind I can hear Beethoven's 6th playing.
Beautiful green grass and very healthy looking cattle.
A very good POV with lovely composition, I love the bright sunlight.
Warm wishes
Peter

brano14 (2514) 2009-02-14 14:18

Hello Harriet,
Great POV,I like how you have captured the river.
Very nice, fresh colors, very natural.
Those cows are like a bonus.
Thanks!
Brano

Vasa (16008) 2009-02-14 15:28

Dear Harriet, friend,

the photo is similar and near by to my sensibility and logic of creation: the life in the first plan and the large background. At least, nice thematic photo. With a little more sharp, that could be really perfect realization. I like very much and so, so glad to see you again. The communication with you motivates me to learn German. To say that the life is short is not a strong excuse...

Friendly your,

Branko

Waylim (22467) 2009-02-14 23:14

Harriet,
This is a very nice country side image, beautiful layers of green field around this lake, Very nice POV showing the natural beautiful of this place. Nice soft tone and very pleasant overall. Thanks.
Way

danyy (0) 2009-02-14 23:52

Bonjour Harriet,
un rien de brume empêche les couleurs de s'exprimer pleinement, et aussi une petite surexposition masque un peu certains contrastes, sinon, cette scène rurale avec ce plan d'eau est de toute beauté, une belle région pour les balades.
Regards.
Daniel.

mauro61 (52527) 2009-02-15 0:37

ciao Harriet,
belle scena campagnola di cui sei riuscita a cogliere e riportare bene l'essenza.
Ottime luci e colori delicati, ben fatto
buona giornata
maurizio

bracasha75 (24443) 2009-02-15 3:17

Halo Harriet
Gruner gehts glaube ich nicht mehr und schones ruhiges feld das die kuhen grass futern kann.Der blick ist echt schon
Viele schone gruse,Bratislav

gunbud (34052) 2009-02-15 4:56

Hi Harriet,
Lovely bucolic scene of this charming family of cows grazing on the lush green spring grass against the lovely blue river that meanders calmly towards the sea.
Regards, Tom

saxo042 (31862) 2009-02-15 6:34

Hi Harriet,
Beautiful, impressionistic colours with an attractive display of water! Cows are always nice here on TE, they seem to create a peaceful mood whenever they are exposed! But maybe your excellent and well-documented note takes the first price here!
Kind regards
Gunnar

Buin (42088) 2009-02-15 7:05

Hallo Harriet!
Wenn der Raps blüht, werde ich wieder dort sein... ;-)
Ein wunderschönes Foto einer wunderschönen Landschaft - auch wenn mir Berge grundsätzlich mehr zusagen. Hier muss es doch richtig Spaß machen, Kuh zu sein ;-)
Zusammen mit dem Kommentar wieder ein Klasse-Beitrag!
Grüße aus dem noch verschneiten Siegerland!
Frank

gildasjan (38442) 2009-02-15 10:12

Bonsoir Harriet
Les vaches c'est paisible et cela habille bien les paysages de campagne.
Bonne soirée
Amicalement
gildas

jurek1951 (35765) 2009-02-15 10:45

Hi Harriet,
Well composed and great perspective on your shot. Colors are natural and point of view interesting. Excellent daily life shot.
Georg

jmdias (46240) 2009-02-15 11:05

harriet

waters are so calm that we can thing they are another especie of grass.hahaha. beautiful light and nice view of the cattle, very peaceful scenery. beautiful colors, framing and pov. the note is very interesting. Here in Brazil most of cattle is createated eating grass and then, when they are becoming older they can receive some of cereals mixed with sugar cane to get more quantity of meat and be sold in few weeks. Animals living in open air get more health and their meat has a nice flavour opposite that ones living all their lives inside a stable

hugs

jorge

hugs

jorge

fanni (13874) 2009-02-15 12:52

Hi Harriet,
photos of "cows" have been a hot potato on the Forum these days, as far as I can see ;) Well, I judge photos only by their qualities and by the impression they make on me :)
Very light, pleasant colours; very well balanced composition, with more or less sharp FG and blurry BG (though I would try sharpening the photo a little after resizing).
and quite a curious Note to the photo!
Best regards,
Elena

ciakgiak (30337) 2009-02-15 13:44

Hello Harriet,
I'm very happy to know you, and to have the opportunity to admire your beautiful images.
This is a magnificent and bucolic scene, I love it.
Have a great week dear friend.
Warm regards
Giorgio

Longroute (19390) 2009-02-15 13:57

Hello Harriet,

I like this gay landscape where water, grass and trees mix together. And i like the sequence of several grounds given by the long focal lens. A very dynamic composition where the cattle act like main focal points. Bright and sharp.
Best greetings,
Donato

JCG (35129) 2009-02-16 2:15

Hi Harriet,

Second photo on the cows that I see this morning with our friend Gildas (gildasjan). It is really a very beautiful area that you show us here and I notice that these cattle appreciate all that nature gives them. Very beautiful and nice composition with good light. Nice look and thank you for the note.

With all my friendships and a very good week,

Jean-Charles

Royaldevon (18361) 2009-02-16 3:11

Hello Harriet,

This is a very relaxing rural scene, created from the contented nature of the animals and the soft, tranquil greens.
It is very well balanced by the arrangement og the trees, the grass and the water.
Perhaps could do with a tad more sharpness but otherwise, perfect.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

feather (51128) 2009-02-16 8:31

Interesting note about the cattle. Remember the Mad Cow Disease in the UK? (It might be about 15 years ago now) They thought it was caused by the content of the feed for cattle indoors. Since then we see more cattle out in the fields again like I remember from my childhood.
This is an unusual rural scene because of the water making a pattern with the strips of grass. I think the image needs a bit more contrast, but it is a very interesting post.
Kath

Polonaise (5796) 2009-02-16 9:37

Hello Harriet Excellent idea, marvelous work. Nice landscape . Good capture. Very nice lightness and brightness, perfect contrast. Original shot of the rural life. Wonderful animals.
Well done!

Cretense (68663) 2009-02-17 3:34

Hi Hariet!

Beautiful place, beautiful daily life scene in nature, great POV, framing and composition, great light managment and colours. I like the little "fiords" in the background! Congratulations!

Hercules

COSTANTINO (42760) 2009-02-17 9:11

Hello Harriet
What a lovely place to have some rest..
What a beautiful photo in this peaceful place..The postcard is dreamy with the cows
adding something special to this scenery..
Great inspiration,natural colours and this greengrass is breathtaking...
regards and compliments
Costantino

holmertz (27216) 2009-02-18 8:31

Hello Harriet,
There is an interesting, almost shocking contrast between your as always very interesting note and the idyllic scene on the photo. This is a lovely view of the peacefully grazing cows among grass, trees and water. However, to be honest I find the picture a bit pale and would really have preferred the colours rather more saturated and the lightness slightly lower. But maybe it's just my monitor, since nobody else has complained.
Best regards,
Gert
PS I made a quick workshop to show you what I mean.

[workshop] [compare] +

dumbo (4541) 2009-02-20 4:46

Hello Harriet,
I like the pleasant and warm summer mood in this photo. The colors and composition are also great.
Well done!

Regards,
EEino

alftrek (3270) 2009-02-20 16:54

Hello Harriet,

Your note is certainly very informative and helpful. I never know that grass fed cattle is better than grain fed. But what can we do? The cattle farmer needs quick cash.

This landscape shot is definitely very attractive and I suppose you can shoot hundreds of them in a place like this. I like the fresh green grassland interspersed by the blue inlets. The cattle makes a perfect FG subject here. Wonderful work.

Regards
Alfred

batalay (32930) 2009-02-21 5:52

Hello Harriet,

Indeed, I can hear Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony (#6) in my mind's ear. Very good shot from last June, when the lush green and flowers were in bloom. Excellent note as usual.

Warm regards and have a good weekend,

Bulent

jimkilgallon (0) 2009-02-21 17:47

Hello Harriet
This grabbed my attention from your intro page. Looks like you grow fine stock over your way, no need for the kiwis to sell there stuff. Beautiful compo, rich green saturations with a lovely DOF.
Regards
Jim

claudeD (24601) 2009-02-22 6:30

Hello Harriet,

very nice picture showing a typical rural scene.This picture has very fine color tones.I like the image very much.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

Jean-Claude

skippy007 (12504) 2009-02-24 0:13

Hello Harriet, This is a very common sight in Australia where cattle a left to roam & feed on grass, I think the view is lovely & I can imagine they would be happy cows but I didn't know the benefits of eating grass were so great. Lovely nature shot with natural colour.
regards
Santo

Angshu (51432) 2009-03-01 21:02

Hello Harriet
Nice pastoral scene. I think this picture could do with some sharpening & contrast. Gert has done a good WS for you. Interesting note as well. This looks different because of the presence of water. Well done!
Best Regards
Angshu

daddo (18635) 2009-03-02 5:21

Hi Harriet. Gentle on the mind and pleasing to the eye. Beautiful shades of green.Lovely light adds to the mood of contentment. Regards. Klaudio.

pablominto (53744) 2009-03-03 3:41

Hello Harriet,

Can a scene possibly be more rural and peaceful than this..?
The countryside summer atmosphere is well captured, cows in a green meadow will for ever be a picture of peace & quiet..!

Greetings,
Pablo -

Miha2ou7 (5048) 2009-03-08 13:56

Hey Harriet,

Nice scenery. I bet it`s a simple joy strolling around these little lakes and meadows. Maybe you could improve the contrast just a bit. Otherwise nice.

Best regards.

maloutim (8750) 2009-03-20 0:00

Hi Harriet!
What a beautiful , comprehensive post!
What I first saw was the grazing cattle which gives the picture such a peaceful feeling! The calf is so cute! I also like the mixed breeds of cows. Herds where all the cows are alike may look fine, but mixed races is the answer for health!
Then of course, there is the beauty of the landscape! I have never been there, but I remember some of my geography lessons at school. Your photo illustrates these lessons perfectly!
As for the note about organic meat, it's most interesting!
Soon I am to sow some seeds of portulaca which Xuaxo sent me through the post. That plant became famous because it grows wild in Crete (and in Portugal it seems), It's supposed to be one of the reasons why Cretans live the longest in Europe, because of the amount of omega3 and alphalinoleic acid it contains! (see my post 69); So, I am going to see how it grows in wet Brittany!
Thank you for your very interesting post!
Have a good day!
Marie Louise.

ghilain (1714) 2009-05-28 12:40

Guten Abend Harriet,

Ich kannte diesen Ort nicht. TE Danke, danke Harriet.

Zuerst Dein Foto ist sehr erholsam, dann schätze ich besonders Ihre Ausführungen!
Gesundes essen!

Danke auch für deine Nachricht auf meinem Foto "conquest".

Gut zu dir

brigitte

ikeharel (38090) 2010-05-11 9:32

A very calm atmosphere in scene: good to be a cow overthere...
An excelent POV with good color's comp.
Ike

fds (5497) 2010-11-21 13:26

very nice rural image i love it
with very nice landscape from north germany

MJR (3214) 2011-02-13 14:53

Harriet
Another grey wet day here today, so am enjoying a short respite looking at pictures of sunnier times. And how could I ignore this little gem. This is SOooo like an English scene, I can't get over it.. A lot of your others with buildings in are definitely 'foreign' but your landscapes...
Anyway back to your sunshine.. I love it ! Such a summery view, and your use of aperture/focus to give the soft heathaze in the background, lovely !
Kind regards
Martin
PS I do you great dis-service. So taken was I by your sunshiney picture, I had not read your brilliant note. Factual, and pretty sharp ! I like it ! But I'm off to buy some omega-3, right now - whatever the source. Thanks for the info !

korbee (6305) 2011-12-04 9:26

Hallo Harriet,sie zeigen uns mit ihr fotoos ein shones
und stilles land,imer viel grun und wenig oder kein leute darein.
Deutchland ist glucklich noch immer sehr sehenwertig.
Danke!

jan

mjw364 (4038) 2012-06-08 5:25

Hello

This is like a painting by Constable! And such healthy fat free cows too! It could almost be the UK! Though I live opposite an abbatoir so the cows I see are not so content looking!

Thanks for the image! Mike