"Hey. I'm watching You."

Happy Friday, everyone.  This is one of my favorite pics from my shoot in Amarillo, Texas a few weeks ago.  Sometimes, cows seem a little smarter than they really are.  I love the way this one stares at me while I am taking this pic, as if to say, "I'm watching you.  Don't make any sudden moves."  This was taken at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.  I wrote a few blogs about it last month and posted several pictures on my website atwww.douggraybealphotography.com.  

I was asked last weekend if I ever did a photo shoot with exotic animals and a model.  "Uh, no.  Why?  You got any?"  I don't have many animal pictures, but not for any particular reason.  The few I have seem to be taken when something inspired me at the moment.  That's one of the things I like about photography.  It can be spontaneous.  It captures a moment in time.  A fraction of a second.  And yet, it can say so much without using words.  I've looked at this picture enough times and come up with a million stories to go with it.  I even thought it might be fun giving it to some kindergartners and asking them to make up a story about it. 

When I was in college I took an art history course on the French Riviera.  Since I was majoring in economics,  I was trying to get a few easy classes down to help my GPA.  We went to the Picasso Museum in Antibbe, France.  It was incredible.  I remember my professor telling us that anyone can paint.  I, of course, thought she was nuts.  Well, she really was nuts but that's a blog for some other day.  Then, a class of kindergartners came in and laid on the floor.  Their teacher gave them paper and markers and they all had to draw a copy of one of Picasso's paintings.  I was in the same room, taking notes for one of our exams and I walked around to see what the children were drawing.  It was incredible.  All of these children were drawing as well as Picasso's originals.  Seriously!

Picasso said he felt like a failure because the limitations in his mind kept him from being honest in his paintings (that's my interpretation, not a direct quote).  He also said that children had no limitations, yet, and he hoped he could get back to that point.  This class of students proved that to me.  As someone who tries to create art with photography, I'm challenged by  my own limitations.  Sometimes we need to let it all go and see what happens.  I went to Amarillo to photograph a model and came back with great pictures of some cows.  (My pics of the model came out great, too.)  Who would've thought?  .....Well, maybe that's the problem.