Guardian of the Flock, near Bishop, California, 2004 photo

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19-OCT-2004

Guardian of the Flock, near Bishop, California, 2004

While driving through the Sierras in a pouring rain we saw this soaked Great Pyrenees protecting his flock of sheep. Using a 432mm telephoto lens from the open window of our parked car, I photographed this sheep dog as it stared back at me through the sagebrush. None of the sheep even knew I was there. But this dog did. The key to the shot is the dog’s expression and the fact that none of the sheep are looking my way. Only the dog sees me, and it never let me out of its sight. It was doing its job, and using my camera to capture this particular moment in time, I was able to do mine.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/160s f/4.0 at 72.0mm iso80 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	19-Oct-2004 22:38:00
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ20
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	72 mm
Exposure Time	1/160 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent	80
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

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Guest		12-Nov-2006 14:31
WOW!!!

Phil Douglis		27-Feb-2006 03:10
You are the first to notice this, Christine. It is no accident -- I guess the similarity makes the sheep feel right at home.

Guest		26-Feb-2006 22:22
It is interesting to note how similar the dog's fur and size look compared to that of the sheeps'. Perfect camouflage. The only difference is the face. Christine

Phil Douglis		27-Dec-2005 02:08
Yes, Lara. The fact that the sheep dog looks at us, while none of the sheep pay attention to it, us, or each other, is incongruous.

Lara S		27-Dec-2005 00:20
also, the sheepdog being the only one looking at you makes it inconguous. no? :)

Phil Douglis		28-Sep-2005 17:33
I do not rate my images as better or worse than each other, Ramma. Each of them does whatever it is intended to do, as well as I make them do it. Thank you for recognizing the value of this image -- it is the moment that counts. The dog looks away from the sheep, right into my lens, and he is there, once and forever.

ramma		28-Sep-2005 12:06
One of the Best pic's. Simply Superb timing, composition and sharpness

Phil Douglis		18-May-2005 05:04
Thanks, Anna -- you picked up on the very elements that drew me to this scene. It is like a vintage pastoral painting -- timeless. I waited until the dog and sheep comoposed the image for me, by gathering in this tight, rainswept grouping. The key, of course, was when the dog turned away from the sheep to look right at us. Yet without the screen of wildflowers in the foregound, it would not have worked.

Anna Pagnacco		18-May-2005 01:11
A pastoral painting_ like_ image! I love the warm tonalities and composition a lot The foreground with those wildflowers is somethingand the dog is delightful... Ciao, Anna

Phil Douglis		08-Dec-2004 03:53
After spending four days and three nights in Oak Creek Canyon studying incongruity with me, I would hope you would make that connection, Lara. If just one sheep was looking at it us, the point of this picture would vanish.

Lara S		07-Dec-2004 14:46
That's what someone I know would call an incongruous image. The dog is the only one looking at the camera at the perfect moment.

Phil Douglis		07-Dec-2004 06:38
This is an image that expresses the nature of a sheepdog's responsibilities. It is doing its job and doing it well. It never took its eyes off me as long as my camera was sticking out of the car window. As soon as I pulled the camera back into the car, it turned away. Thanks, Anna, for being first to notice this image, and the incongruous relationship between the dog looking my way and the sheep looking elsewhere. And no, it's not a "capture." This photo was created by patiently waiting for the sheep to all turn away and the dog to move into a dominant central position.

Anna Yu		07-Dec-2004 05:49
Maybe he thought you might be a big bad wolf in photographers clothing. Just shows how observant the dog is compared to the sheep. Nice the way the animals are grouped together. I try this with people shots, getting a face in a crowd, with varying degrees of success. Fun, tho. I won't use the C word, promise.

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