Before you panick...

No human died or was hurt in the making of that image :)

I went on an unusual photoshoot today, a bit outside my normal M.O.: the hunting and field dressing of bisons. Allow me to explain.

A good friend of ours, to the right of the pic, owns one of the better meat companies in the Washington D.C. area. Once a year, he and several colleagues (also owners of meat companies here as well as abroad) get together at a bison farm, owned by their now retired former mentor, where the animals are raised for their meat and range free all year. 

Once a year, the owner thins out the herd by 2 or 3 bisons (a clean shot to the head) and then the guys field dress the animals. The six guys, all from Holland, have been friends and colleagues for several decades and their easy banter shows a deep mutual respect.

Our friend asked whether I'd be interested in documenting that annual ritual. And so, I found myself, over six hours on a cold and brisk day, taking detailed pictures of that process. Past my initial concern about being able to stomach this, I found the entire process fascinating. The skills involved in taking down the animals humanely, skinning and quartering them outdoors while wielding tools that can cleanly cut off a finger are amazing. These six guys were not only true masters at their trade, but also professional to the core. Shades of the guilds of yesteryear came to mind :)

So, a new photographic experience altogether but one into which I'm glad they invited me. I have a brand new appreciation of what it takes to get that steak onto my dinner plate...

The pic I chose is relatively innocuous, but if you're interested in seeing the actual process, let me know and I'll share the link.