I’ve recently become obsessed with highland cow prints. And if you’re feeling a similar yearning to have some on your walls, today’s post will excite you to no end, because I’m giving you the chance to win some from my new Insta mates By The Horns.
Amanda King is the talented lady behind this charming small biz and I have to say, I kinda want her life. This Brissy-born photographer lives on a real life farm in New Zealand (an actual farm!); the result of marrying a farmer years ago and moving to his rural property shortly after.
Now, you know I want to go bush eventually, so Amanda story really resonates with me. I’ve shared this dream on the blog before. I want to be the ‘good honest country gay’ that every rural community has, and I’ll run a homewares store with my partner that doubles as a coffee stand with bookstore attached.
I may also wear glasses on the end of my nose and an apron with scissors and twine inside (for gift wrapping candles, of course). But that’s a whole other blog post. I’ve clearly through this dream out. Let me know if your town is void of a charming old gay gent and I’ll add it to my list of must-move-to destinations.
Let Me Tell you More about By The Horns
Snapping Highland Cows in Rural NZ Sounds Divine
I see this farm-life dream of mine happening in about 20 years time and I cannot wait. New Zealand might be the place this happens, actually, because Amanda has painted an amazing picture for me of life on the farm. Even if she admits it came with a slight culture shock.
“Moving was a complete shock to me. I had never even been to NZ before,” Amand admits. “My husband and I met while we were both living in London, so I went from busy city life, to the complete opposite. It took me awhile to get use to. But I love it now. It is so peaceful and quiet, I have a big garden that I love and am surrounded by gorgeous animals all day. Plus I have two little children now aged four and two, and it truly is a wonderful place to bring them up”.
It’s during life on the farm that Amanda started producing the stunning photographic artworks you see in this post. They are just some of the images on offer on the By The Horns website, but the highland cow prints are by far my fave. The whole business kind of came about by accident, as friends started asking Amanda to create images for their walls upon seeing what she’d created for her own.
“The business really began in June 2017 when I decided to create a large wall print for my own living room. An opportunity arose to photograph a stunning highland cow. The resulting animal print became the focal point of the room and my friends started requesting similar pieces”.
“Things can get especially tense when photographing bulls; you never really can be sure. I always check with the farmer about the bulls temperament beforehand, if they say the bull is nuts and crazy, I will stay away from that one!”
How does one Capture a Highland Cow doing its thing?
Before too long, Amanda was out and about snapping imagery of a whole host of animals on and around the farm, and success online quickly followed. Amanda now has over 20,000 followers on the By The Horns Facebook page, and loads on Instagram too.
I love the highland cow art Amanda produces because it captures the majestic creatures in their natural habitat. You know, just doing their thing and being caught in a moment. I wondered if this was a difficult thing to get on film; sneaking close enough to the animal to get the shot without freaking it out. Amanda explains some of the challenges.
“I try not to disturb them,” she tells me. “They are quite inquisitive though and will often start walking up to me to see what I am up to. This can get the heart racing at times. Things can get especially tense when photographing bulls; you never really can be sure. I always check with the farmer about the bulls temperament beforehand; if they say the bull is nuts and crazy, I will stay away from that one!”.
While the day-to-day farming is left to Amanda’s husband (I hear ya sister!), this talented lady spends a lot of her time both capturing animals and caring for them. The couple parent a few orphaned lambs, some sheep, and cows. It’s the kind of life I do yearn to experience, even if just for a few years, because Amanda tells me it’s so peaceful and chaos-free.
Highland Cow Art is the Most Popular Seller, Obvs!
“Especially the highland cows,” Amanda explains. “People just can’t get enough of them. They have such friendly faces and can be so majestic looking. The print I see you I can’t see you which is a white highland cow print is what really kicked my business off. They are definitely my biggest seller”.
I’m told that the the botanical prints on the By The Horns website have been successful too, and I gotta admit I’m not surprised. The botanics trend has been huge since I forecasted it on the blog a few years back, and people just can’t get enough of it. But the current trend in homes is clearly moving toward displaying highland cow art – and I couldn’t be happier.
Amanda is taking a well-earned break from her phenomenal farm life snapping cows over the silly season. She’s headed back to see family in Australia and will be trying to capture some amazing moments on film while she’s here. So expect to see some new imagery hitting her website soon.
“I hope to capture more coastal theme prints, and do a bit of driving and get some country Australia scenes. I love the colours and tones of the Australian bush”.
And as far as things go for me… I’m clearly a few years off the dream of living life on a farm. But I reckon a few highland cow prints should tie me over for the time being. And perhaps a bottle of Marlborough Sav Blanc 😉
Win Your Choice of Art Print from By The Horns!
Loving the highland cow prints you’re seeing in this post? The good news is you can win a piece for your own home. Amanda has been kind enough to offer up an A1 print from her site valued at $220!
To enter to win your choice of art, simply follow these steps:
PLEASE NOTE THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED
- Click here to visit the By The Horns website
- Take a look at the collection, then come back and drop a comment below
- Comment below naming your fave print and why
Comp open to Aus and NZ residents only. Comp closes 11.59pm Tuesday November 20. Winner will be contacted via email and announced in this post.
I love them all but after going though all 6 pages I went back to no 1 stronsay! Love the colour and looks amazing with the black background!
I love ‘I see you’ and the pair version. Such gorgeous images. So soft, yet powerful
Hogan in colour one for me. Loved him for so long.
Oh I love ‘I See You’ and the pair version- I just love how soft, and friendly, yet powerful the animals look. Such beautiful prints
I’m in love with “Brutus”. His eyes are so wise & he just makes me melt. I have a big bare wall that is calling his name.
It’s hard to choose a favourite. I love the deer prints (Phyllis one) in particular. We would love to have deer on our property, but it’s a bit small. Deer are fascinating creatures and a print would be awesome!
Can’t help but love “lollipop”, ohhhh but then there’s heather, moray, mr Darcy, don’t mess with me, I see you………… the list is endless. Adore these prints. Lollipop is just too cute, how could you be grumpy with a gorgeous face like that to look at everyday
My favourite print in the lollipop, I think it is the one that shows their personality the best. I fell in love with highland cows when I visited Scotland and never look back. No other animal will top them, I mean just look at their quirkiness. They are so majestic and like not other cow. Simply amazing creatures!
Morag – it would always remind me of my holiday to the Scottish Highlands when I see it on my wall.
Don’t Mess With Me – my wife could display this on our large, white feature(less – some might say) wall as a ‘mood indicator’ for when I arrive home from work, gym, dad-taxi driving and I would no longer need to pick up on the subliminals!