This photograph of piglets came out of a commission from the animal feed company Danisco, a subsidiary of Dupont. Occasionally a client won’t know exactly the image they want until they see it. Typically they are looking for something different to be used exclusively for a set period of time. This was one of those occasions.

At Agripicture Images we quote a fixed price per image depending on use. We undertake all the research and then keep shooting until the client is satisfied. Of course, this is only viable if the subject matter compliments our collection and we get images that can be licensed long term. This approach gives me the time and artistic freedom to explore a subject thoroughly and provide the client with a wide choice of images.

I’m a hunter gatherer rather than a manufacturer of pictures. The sensitivity of modern sensors means I nearly always work with available light.

Most farm animals have periods during the day when they are sedentary, but not piglets. They are always moving. It’s pointless to try to art direct them so I just go with their flow and wait for them to move into the light or make an interesting composition of their own accord.

For this picture I sat in a pig pen for two hours watching and waiting for one or two decisive ‘piglet’ moments. This one proved the best.

The natural light approach gives me true to life images that appeal to a wide range of clients. With commissions like this, it also means that I can work to a fixed quote, so long as the client has a decent budget to start with.

The piglets were on a farm in Somerset. I used a 200mm lens on a Canon Ds2 set at 1000asa. Danisco opted for other images from the shoot but we decided to print this one across the inside of our latest marketing leaflet.

At the age of four Peter Dean took his first photograph on a cheap plastic camera. It was of his parents outside their RAF quarters in Gibraltar. His ambition is to rediscover the negative. On leaving school Pete chose agriculture over photography, qualifying from Newcastle University with a BSc in 1981. In the mid 1980s he returned to photography and established Agripicture Images which is managed by his wife Shelagh. Pete’s photographs are used by leading agribusiness companies and organisations in the UK and have been widely published worldwide.

See more work by Peter Dean