By Jim Patrico
2019 First Place Winner, Pictorial Category
To my mind any photo assignment that involves craft beer has “happy” written all over it. So, this story comes with a built-in happy ending.
The Progressive Farmer editor-in-chief Gregg Hillyer called one autumn day and asked if I’d take photos for a Barb Anderson story about a cattle feeder who uses brewers grain in his feed ration.
Cattle feeder Joe Boston and I made arrangements for a day when the forecast called for sunshine and October blues skies. I met Joe at his place in Fosterburg, Illinois, early in the morning when the light was still slanting and warm.
I’d given the assignment some thought and had brought along a simple glass beer mug. Joe brought a six-pack from the craft brewer who sold him brewers grain. The idea was to combine in the photo the two key elements: beer and beef cattle. It was not an original concept, but if I executed it well, it should make a striking image that would stop readers and entice them to read the story.
Joe gave me a short tour of the farm, and we did portraits of him and his cattle on pasture. When we got to one of the feed bunks, I knew luck was on my side. It was a concrete bunk open at the southeast end, which meant I could position the props with an unobstructed view of beer, grain and feeding cattle. The still-climbing sun would light the scene with no distracting shadows, and the shoot would come off as planned.
I set up for a low angle and was pleased to find I’d have mostly sky in the background, which meant a nice clean image. We experimented with setting up a filled mug and a can of beer but decided that the shot was less cluttered with only the mug. Joe put some brewers grain in the bunk, I poured a beer and the “models” edged nervously through the open gate and into the scene.
Any group of cattle has a boss. In this group, it was a steer who wanted to be in the front and near the mug of beer. He seemed to enjoy having his photo taken and hovered near the camera, chewing grain and looking quite pleased with himself. In one frame, he licked his lips as if truly enjoying his yeasty snack. Click. That was the winning image.
I shot a few more photos to give the art department choices, then Joe and I headed to his grain supplier–the Old Bakery Beer Company and its attached restaurant in nearby Alton, Illinois. After a brewery tour, some photos and a chat with the owner, we settled in for a cozy lunch. I had a crisp pale ale and an exceptionally well-made Rueben sandwich. Now that’s a happy ending.