Story behing February's moment of the month

I met Manya for the first time and we went to this incredible ranch near Ft Myers Florida. The ranch owner is her friend. He was so gracious and left us an all terrain vehicle to go out into the fields. If you have been following me on Face book you have seen photos of the Emu, that pecked at my camera lens and the horses. We went into the cow pasture, as soon as I closed the gate behind me I would say 30 or more cows started charging for us. It was such a sight. Manya was really calm and stopped the vehicle and they literally had to put their brakes on so they didn't crash into us. They circled us, checking us out and they and wanted food, later I found out they are use to being fed by a truck bringing their food in. Manya got out of the vehicle and walked around with the cows. I stayed in the vehicle, at the beginning it was because these cows were so big, so filled with milk, and I wasn't sure what they were going to do. Then I realized it gave me a great angle for the photos. I asked Manya to sit down with them. The cows were really inquisitive, and gave us space. One started charging the other, definitely the alpha cow. That didn't last long.
The experience was amazing, the light perfect for infrared and the eyes on the cows were all knowing. I felt I could have been in Africa on safari, or anywhere in the world. The cows stayed with us and at times made a circle around each of us, almost in a protective, nurturing way. During the shoot I was filled with this incredible feeling of awe over the harmony on this ranch with the animals, people and nature, each flowed into one another, each animal had it's own personality and uniqueness. There was an incredible balance. I watched the cows and the other animals and was reminded how much we can learn from animals and nature.
Manya and I hope to return there soon to create more photos. Stay tuned.