Heather Smith, Ghost Cows (ANIMALS 2026)

Web:

www.sunsetsandflowers.com

Spring-fed dams have a stillness to them that's hard to explain. The water sits clear and flat, and on the right day, it gives back almost everything above it. I spotted this young calf standing at the edge and raised the camera for the calf. But the water had other ideas. The reflection was nearly perfect. The calf doubled beneath itself, insects dimpling the surface just enough to keep it honest. And then I noticed the others. Cattle present in the water, absent from the land. No bodies above the waterline, no indication they were there at all. Just their reflections ghosting their way into my image.

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