Shepherd Counts Sheep Dawn Gate

Soft overcast light falls through heavy gray clouds, casting a muted glow across the open fields near Belgaum. A shepherd stands at a narrow wooden gate, his hand raised as he counts a line of sheep moving through the opening. The foreground dissolves into soft bokeh, blurring tall grasses that sway slightly. The turn of seasons shows itself in the dry, yellowed stalks of the grass and the thick wool of the animals. The shepherd wears a simple cloth wrapped around his head and a long, loose tunic. His posture is rigid, focused on the task at hand. Behind the gate, the pale sky meets the dark silhouette of the distant treeline. The wooden slats of the gate show weathered gray grain, against the bright white wool of the sheep passing through. A small patch of dew glistens on the nearest blade of grass in the blurred foreground.