Stock Show Photographers: Shooting Animals, with Cameras

The stands in the Spur Arena Tuesday morning were packed full of spectators when both boys and girls from all over the state showed up to show off their steers. As the children and teens enter the ring with their animals, off to the side a camera flashes. Livestock show photographer Devin Sisk is doing what she does best: shooting animals.

Sisk works for a small band of photographers scattered throughout the nation that team up to provide coverage of multiple major and several small county livestock shows in seven states. She works for Katina Costerisan, owner of Shoto Photo by Katina, who says she employees photographers with a solid background in livestock shows.

“We met everybody through showing, then kind of got into photography themselves and this is just a way to pull them in and use their talents where needed,” Costerisan explains how she selects her staff. “Everybody has their specialty and what they like to do.”

Sisk says her preference is shooting sheep, but she can also photograph other animals in the ring as well. “I showed cattle and pigs, but I actually take better pictures of sheep,” she said. “I think it’s because my sister showed sheep and goats, so from this side I was helping…and I could actually see it better from this side,” she says, noting that things look different through a lens.

All of the photographers on Costerisan’s team have a sort of specialty, Sisk says, and Costerisan explains that familiarity with the animals is pertinent to shooting photos. “You have to know livestock. Knowing livestock and being from a livestock background is a huge advantage…every animal is different, so if you know livestock, you can tell, this one needs to be shot a little higher, this one needs to be shot a little lower, bring that head a little forward, extend the neck—you need to know livestock to be able to get them just how you want it,” she says.

Costerisan has been photographing livestock shows for about the past 10 years, she said. From age 9 up she showed cattle and sheep, and when she was older decided to tie her affection for art and photography to her love of agriculture and start a business. Since then, she’s been jetting around the nation photographing animals at various shows throughout the year.

“Photos are used for promotional work,” Costerisan said. “We’re here to do a service for these families and the kids, to be able to get good pictures for them and for whoever they bought their animals from to help them promote and be able to sell again. The kids want those memories and the parents want those memories and this is a great way for us to capture them and for them to savor them forever.”

While Costerisan is from California, Sisk grew up in Texas and says she loves doing shows here.  “San Angelo is by far one of our favorites—we love San Angelo. Kids in Texas awesome. They are great to work with, the staff is very friendly, everyone is very knowledgeable in what they do, but they are some of the kindest, most polite people. We love it,” she said.

Costerisan says she too loves working with the children and particularly enjoys knowing she’s offering a service to the agriculture industry. “This is a learning process for them, growing up and learning about the ag industry…it helps everybody. Everybody is wearing something or driving something that is a commodity of agriculture. This is a way to keep that going,” she said.

For more information on Show Photo by Katina, visit her website.