If you thought your job was hard, spare a thought for Dean Malcolm, who has to make cattle look not just good, but great.
The Auckland-based photographer was at the Taieri A&P Show in Mosgiel on Saturday taking pictures of the best-looking cattle in Otago and Southland.
Mr Malcolm took high standard photographs of the bovines for his clients to use for marketing and advertising purposes.
He said it was a very specialised field, and there were only about 20 people in the world that did it.
"People employ me to get the best photo of the animal.
"It’s taken me to several countries and it’s been amazing."
He boasted a record of never being kicked during his 30-year tenure, in which he had taken more than 40,000 pictures of cattle.
Mr Malcolm always handled the posing of the rear feet of the animals himself because it was a very delicate area.
"If you don’t have the right people doing it, they just won’t stay on the blocks.
"You’ve got to know what the limits are. Other people try to manhandle them, and animals don’t want that."
He said he loved cows because he used to be a dairy farmer.
He got into photography when he began taking pictures for a magazine he started in Australia called Crazy Cow in 2003.
After spending about three months assisting a photographer taking photos of cattle in America, he returned home and started teaching himself how to do it.
It was Mr Malcolm's first time at the Taieri A&P Show, and he was impressed by the standard of the stock there.
Thousands flocked to the A&P show throughout the day and enjoyed a showground packed full of stalls and entertainment.
