Photographic Visions: Inspiring Images and How They Were Made

An Excerpt by Author Marina Cano

When they saw me, they all came to the edge of the shelter and looked out at me. For only a few seconds, they formed this fantastic, symmetrical composition right in front of me, each one of them steadfastly staring at me.

I took this image in Cabárceno Wildlife Park in Cantabria, Spain. It is the largest wildlife park in Europe. The animals live in semi-free conditions in an extraordinary environment enclosed by a spectacular landscape.

The Watusi cattle are originally from Africa. In Cabárceno, they usually spend their days grazing on the hillside. The day I took this photograph it was raining, so they went into a shelter in their section of the park.

While I was setting up my tripod and camera, I was not even considering that I would take this picture. I did not expect this magical moment to happen. I had my camera on the tripod, and had just a little time to change the aperture to f/9 to get all the cattle into focus. The setting and situation only lasted for a few seconds.

The background was naturally dark and the very low light illuminated only their heads and horns, while their bodies were enveloped by the darkness of the shelter.