Two people walking with a brown cow in a lush green field under a blue sky on a sunny farm day.
Photographer lying on blanket capturing woman in white dress posing with Highland cattle in scenic field under blue sky.
Two children running joyfully through a green meadow under a blue sky on a sunny day.

Highland cows, red boots & a picnic for two


Some sessions you plan down to the minute. And some sessions a highland cow walks straight into your frame, sniffs the picnic basket, and decides she's the main character now. This was the second kind. I was given the opportunity to attend this styled-shoot, hosted by Jaley Anselmi Photography.


We spent an afternoon at a working ranch in Larkspur, Colorado — the quiet stretch of Douglas County between Castle Rock and Palmer Lake where the hills roll soft and the sky does most of the talking. Midday sun doesn't have to be missed out on - in fact, some of the most fun shoots I've done have been in harsh light!  The plan was simple: a gingham picnic, a black felt hat, a pair of red boots, and two people who genuinely like each other. The cows had other plans. They were right.

A couple in western attire sharing a romantic kiss outdoors, woman in white dress with red boots, man in black cowboy hat.
Couple in western attire by red farm gate, woman in white dress and red boots, man in cowboy hat, blue sky backdrop.
Couple sharing a romantic kiss by a rustic fence, woman in white dress holding a picnic basket on a sunny farm day.
Couple in western attire by red farm gate, man in cowboy hat, woman in white dress with red boots holding a wicker basket.
A couple shares a romantic kiss over a red farm gate in a lush green field, with the woman in a white dress.
Black and white photo of a farmer hand-feeding a long-haired goat on a rural farm.
A couple shares a romantic moment outdoors, man in cowboy hat, black and white photo with rustic farm background.
Black and white photo of a man in a cowboy hat photographing a smiling woman outdoors under a cloudy sky.
Couple in white dress and red cowboy boots holding a wicker picnic basket in a green field.
A cowboy and young girl in a white dress pet a fluffy Highland calf in a green pasture on a sunny day.
A woman feeds a Highland cow in a green meadow while a man watches, with rolling hills and blue sky behind them.
Woman in white dress walking with highland cattle in a lush green pasture under a blue sky.
Couple in cowboy hats enjoys a romantic picnic on a red checkered blanket in a green field with a Highland cow nearby.
Couple walking in green field with picnic basket, blue sky, hills, and Highland cow horn in foreground.
A couple walks toward a fluffy Highland cow on a green farm with a windmill and red barn under cloudy skies.
Couple sitting on a blanket in a field, man wearing cowboy hat, woman in white dress, with a cow grazing behind them.
Couple enjoying a picnic on a blanket in a green field with Highland cattle grazing nearby under a blue sky.
Couple enjoying a picnic in a green meadow with highland cattle grazing nearby under a partly cloudy sky.
Person holding a wicker picnic basket with pink gingham lid near a red farm gate with goats grazing behind.
Two people walk across a vast green meadow under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds.

The Highland Cows

If you've never been nose-to-nose with a highland cow, let me tell you: they are enormous, extremely fluffy, and have the personal space awareness of a golden retriever. One of the dark brown ones parked herself right beside the picnic blanket like she'd been invited. The blonde ones hung back along the fence line, supervising.


The Red Gate

Every ranch has one: a red steel pipe gate that's been leaned on by a thousand cowboys. We leaned on it too. Him with one boot up on the rail, her in the white prairie dress with the gingham basket on her arm, both of them doing that thing where you pretend not to look at each other and fail immediately. I also shot a handful of frames through the gate rails — red bars blurred across the top and bottom, all that Colorado blue in between. It's a small trick, shooting through something, but it makes an image feel like you stumbled on a moment instead of staging one.


The Windmill

Out past the pasture there's an old farm windmill and a corrugated steel water tank, the kind of thing that's been standing there longer than any of us. The clouds were stacking up that afternoon — big, dramatic Front Range clouds — and we got the lift-and-spin shot right underneath it. Her arm up to the sky, red boots kicking, him holding on and laughing. That one's getting printed big.


A smiling couple sits outdoors, man in black cowboy hat holds woman in white dress on his lap in a green field.
Smiling woman in white dress and jeans lying on blanket holding black cowboy hat outdoors.
Couple enjoying a picnic on a blanket in a green field with Highland cattle grazing nearby under a blue sky.
Couple in cowboy attire enjoys a romantic picnic on a checkered blanket in a green field with a highland cow nearby.

What They Wore (and Why It Worked)


• Her: A white cotton prairie dress with a lace-up bodice and tiered eyelet skirt, red embroidered cowboy boots, layered beaded bracelets, and turquoise rings. The white reads clean against green pasture and blue sky; the red boots tie straight into the gate and the gingham.


• Him: A tan pearl-snap western shirt over a white tee, medium-wash jeans, worn-in boots, and a black felt cowboy hat. Neutral, textured, and it lets her be the pop of color.


• Props: A red gingham-lined picnic basket, a gingham blanket, a southwestern-print backpack, a few throw pillows, a tiny hand-tied bouquet, and that Super 8 camera. Every prop gave them something to do with their hands, which is the whole secret.

Ready for Your Own?


If you want a session that feels like a western love story instead of a stiff photoshoot — red boots optional, but encouraged — I'd love to hear from you. Wayward and Wild Photography serves couples across the Denver metro, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and the whole Front Range.