REGINA -- A photography company is giving producers at Canadian Western Agribition the opportunity to get a photo taken of their animals for marketing uses after the event wraps up.
"We’ll walk them in, walk them around, and you'll see the show stick and the handlers stroking them with a show stick just to calm them down. You just got to really be ready,” ShowChampions Photography President Allan Browarny said.
The company, based out of Calgary, takes professional photographs of livestock.
Browarny has been taking professional livestock photos for almost 30 years. He’s following in the footsteps of his father, who took photos at the first ever Agribition.
“I don’t think I’d be a professional photographer if it wasn’t for my passion of livestock,” Browarny said.
The team is made up of two key roles, the photographer and the attention getter.
"My job is to distract the animal from what the person is doing with their feet. So, it kind of takes away from them freaking out or getting to distracted and kind of moving around too much,” attention getter Callie Anderson said.
"The attention getter is a very important part of capturing a good photo. We really want to make sure the animal is looking alert and the ears are forward and the neck is stretched out,” Browarny said.
In order to distract the animals, Anderson makes use of any tools available.
"I use kazoos, dog toys, and umbrellas work. A mirror, or we have a show stick with a little bit of tinsel on it," Anderson said.
It is all done so owners have something to show off when marketing to buyers.
"Kind of showcase those genetics and showing people a picture is the best way to do that," cattle rancher Cody Carson said.
Canadian Western Agribition continues through Nov. 30.
