Lights, camera, moo!

Many photographers dream of doing photo shoots with models. Konrad Lustenberger has achieved that dream, but his models are cows. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)

There are hundreds of thousands of cows in Switzerland, but there are only two cow photographers. One of them is Konrad Lustenberger in canton Schwyz. Every year he produces around 300 cow portraits. He’s hired by farmers who need quality images for advertising.

Lustenberger himself is a trained farmer who now works in the cattle feed industry. The photo business is a part time job that lets him travel through Switzerland for several weeks a year. The work requires a lot of patience, but his love for the animals and passion for photography are worth the effort. 

Good quality images of cows grasing on alpine pastures are not only required for tourism. They’re also a must for cow breeders and sperm retailers for marketing their products.