Page 91 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

Kerri Back’s photo of Esther Mitchell working on Castle Dent Station near Lawrence. Esther also features on the cover.

PHOTOGRAPHIC HEREFORDS

Kerri Back loves those Hereford colours.
After a lifetime of flitting from job to job, mostly rural
and always with camera at hand, the 54-year-old made the
call three years ago to follow her passion and become a full-
time photographer.
Her photography has taken her from the top of New Zealand
to the bottom, to the National Sheepdog Trials in Colorado,
US, and across the vast outback of Australia. She also takes
portraits for farming families within their own environment,
where they’re relaxed and comfortable, and usually combining
their love of animals – horses, cattle, sheep and working dogs
– with their rural backdrop.
From that, Kerri’s Stockman Gallery was born. It’s a
collection of images of the New Zealand stockman or woman,
predominantly in the High Country, often portraying scenes
of the shepherd with their stock horse, dogs and livestock.
“Some of my favourite images are with them moving herds
of Herefords. I love the rust brown and deep rich red of these
beautiful, docile beasts. Their colour complements my style
of editing, which has taken me several years to perfect the
exact look I was after.
“I wanted my artwork to look more like a painting than a
photograph and I also wanted to create almost a 3D illusion
when looking at the picture, so the focus of the image popped.”
Reds and oranges are enhanced, which she says brings out
the colour of Herefords and bay and chestnut horses, as well
as the tan on the Huntaways.
Ben Doubleday is a photographer specialising in rural and Sometimes the best photos can taken by our own Hereford
stud livestock photography. He’s Canterbury-based but his work family, such as the top photo from Nicole Wallace, of Waiau
takes him around the South Island. He’s always had a passion Herefords or the wee beauty below it from Jeff McDonald, of
for Herefords and loves how they can be found in any climate. Kairuru Polled Herefords.

Year 2023 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 89