Farm mug shots

Who can resist not looking at well cared for and content farm animals? 'Radiant' is an interesting attempt by photographer Traer Scott to capture the warmth these animals radiate. It doesn't quite come off because I found the title's sub-head 'farm animals up close and personal' rather problematic. So many of the photos really are up close and the severe cropping drastically reduces the natural beauty of these friendly looking creatures and why did Scott decide to photograph the black or very dark ones against a black background? Most of the book turns out to be a collection of farm mug-shots.

The best photos for me are the two legged fowl. Pages fifty-two and fifty-three has a beautiful profile shot of a buff Orpington chicken, seventy-two has another excellent photo of a Ameraucana chicken, both these pictures feature nearly all the body and if Scott had pulled her camera back to show more of the four-legged animals I think the book would have been much more visually interesting.

Oddly nearly all the animals get just one shot, the facing page to most of images has some detail about the breed but there is plenty of space to allow for two or three other smaller photos, maybe in a field or feeding or just resting (could these be in a future book?). Radiant ends up with a rather slight glow.