Taking pictures of champion livestock is a lot like taking pictures of swimsuit models.
The subjects aren’t wearing much, and they’re groomed to the max – even if it’s with a hair dryer that resembles a car vacuum hose.
“And they both like to look at themselves in the mirror,” said livestock photographer Allan Browarny, who on Thursday posed and photographed 50 steers and their exhibitors at the Junior Market Beef Show at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, including grand champion Husker, a 1,315-pound dandy exhibited by 15-year-old Stetson Copus of Burkburnett, Texas.
“You try to bring out their best features,” said Browarny, of Calgary, Alberta, who has been taking pictures of ribbon-wining steers and their young exhibitors at the National Western since 1988. “You see their strengths and hide their weaknesses.”
You want steers stretched out, not coupled up. You want to capture that long, sleek back line. You want to be able to see all fours.
And you want them to be wide-eyed and alert.
That’s where Roxana Palacios comes in. She tries to get the steer’s attention by holding a 1-foot by 2-foot mirror a few feet from its head. She’s seen her share of big, runny noses up close.
She coos, she clucks, she buzzes like a bee. She makes kissing sounds. Sometimes, she growls.
“I try to make different animal noises to see which one the steer will respond to,” Palacios said. “Some animals are more sensitive than others.”
Enthralled by its own image, the steer holds his pose and … flash – the perfect profile. Thirteen hundred pounds of pure beauty.
“This is the Super Bowl of stock shows,” Browarny said. “It’s a status symbol to have that animal pictured under that (NWSS) sign. There’s more steers this year because it’s the 100th anniversary. There’s more competitors wanting more memorabilia.”
Status or not, some steers simply don’t want their pictures taken. One was a 1,190-pound brute appropriately called Dynamite.
He decided enough was enough and bolted from 14-year-old Case Rundel of Levant, Kan., creating temporary havoc in the arena.
“His ears are sore,” Case explained later. “They ear-tagged him yesterday. He’s not too happy.”
For most of the steers photographed Thursday, their celebrity moment before the flashbulb was their last stop before the slaughter truck.
That wasn’t lost on one teenage exhibitor who was having a hard time smiling for the camera.
In fact, she was crying.
“This is really hard for me, OK?” she said. She declined to give her name.
“They really get attached to their animals from working with them everyday,” Browarny said.
Husker was the day’s celebrity. Livestock veterans say he could bring $100,000 when he is auctioned tonight.
Stetson says he’ll use the money to attend Texas Tech University or buy a Hummer.
Staff writer Dave Curtin can be reached at 303-820-1276 or dcurtin@denverpost.com.
Junior Livestock Champions
Junior Market Steer
Grand Champion: Husker and Stetson Copus, 15, Burkburnett, Texas
Reserve Champion: Afterthought and Cassie Silveira , 16, Sanger, Calif.
Junior Market Swine
Champion: Queen Bee and Cody McNally, 15, Guthrie, Okla.
Reserve Champion: Little Boy and Dakota Crissman, 10, Bells, Texas
Junior Market Goat
Champion: Lucky and Taylor Morgan, 15, Stephenville, Texas
Reserve Champion: Matt and Brittany Estes, 13, Orange Grove, Texas
Junior Market Lamb
Champion: Burson and Kashen Urban, 19, Roosevelt, Okla.
Reserve Champion: Felix and Kaylee Turner, 17, Elgin, Okla.
