Day 342: "Separating the sheep from the goats" became Fair policy some time ago due to health concerns for the animals, and nowadays, goats are exhibited early in the Fair and sheep are brought in during the last week or so. For that reason, I usually manage to miss sheep although they are right behind piggies on my list of things I'd like to see. Chickens also seem to elude me, their barn dedicated during the early part of the Fair to either rabbits or pigeons. However, among the "exotic" animals (a category which includes llamas and alpacas), there are usually a few goats, and since I enjoy goats almost as much as sheep, I search out their pens in the hopes of getting a few photos.
That's not an easy task, let me tell you! I don't care to do flash photography, particularly where there are animals involved. They don't understand why all those bright lights keep going off in their faces, causing their pupils to contract every few seconds. I personally don't think flash should be allowed inside the barns, but I have never seen any prohibitions. That said, getting a good picture without flash requires quite a bit more patience since the photographer not only has to deal with fidgety animals, but with people jostling the fence (the default makeshift "tripod"). However, with patience, the photographer can learn to judge when the ears will stop twitching or the animal will pause in its chewing just long enough to get a crisp shot. That's not saying I don't throw out 9 out of 10 images, but at least I've spared the critters another glaring blast of bright light in their beautiful eyes.
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