The first of many Cotswolds sheep portraits I would take over the next decade.
Shot in September 2017 on 35mm Fuji Film 400H with my Nikon F100. Processed by Photovision.
It was on my first long-distance walk through the Cotswolds, an 8-day jaunt in September of 2017, that I fell head-over-heels for sheep. I had no idea that I could become so smitten with livestock, but I found myself besotted every time I happened upon another field filled with the wooly beasts.
There is something that seems to soothe my soul whenever I encounter a flock of sheep in the Cotswolds, especially when they happen to be grazing in green pastures near quiet waters. It’s all very 23rd Psalm isn’t it? The scene not only brings the Scriptures to life, but reminds me how calm and contented sheep can be when they are safe from harm and enjoying the bounty of their surroundings. I feel very much the same way whenever I am walking through the Cotswolds countryside. There are no large predators that pose as a threat, the terrain is usually quite gentle, and the extensive system of well-marked footpaths is commonly used by other walkers who could provide assistance if the need arose. A village pub or rural church is never too far off, and both of which come in handy as cover from rain and provision of sustenance, be it gustatory or spiritual. As a result of this storybook setting, my nervous system resets and my stress hormones evaporate like wicked fairies banished from a kingdom put to rights.
But back to the sheep.
There really isn’t anything like walking through a Cotswolds field dotted with these docile creatures. Only one word of caution when sheep are aplenty: watch your step!
