This has proven over the years to be one of my most successful commercial images and an image people keep commenting about. So how was it done? Occasionally photographers will tell you how important the idea of being in the right place at the right time is, and this is a case in point.
I had been parked in Strathaven, near the castle, with a plan to take late afternoon shots of the castle and Kirk Street, aiming to capture light trails in the fading light. I was reasonably happy with the outcome, and after putting Ollie, my photography colleague dog, back in the car I was getting all my gear into the boot. I heard a noise and looked round to see five sheep staring at me through the cemetery gates. So I quickly grabbed my camera and tried to slowly walk towards them, expecting them to scarper.
And indeed they did turn and run, but only to the top of the steps. They all turned round and one had its hooves a step lower than the others, so I quickly fired off a few shots with no idea how it would turn out. Fortunately a few were fine, given I only had about ten seconds to capture the scene. A quick edit and a a transformation to black and white and the image was complete.
When I shared it on Facebook it got a great response, including a comment that two of them had been seen at a bus stop on Glasgow Road.
It continues to be popular so I decided it was time to tell the story of the image.
Les Hoggan Photography 