evening pano

Farm Evening Pano

 

This pano was taken one evening last week while on my way home from work. I stopped to get gas just a few miles from home. While I was filling the tank, I noticed that the light in the fields across the street was really nice. the day had been rainy, leaving mist in the distance. The soggy fields were black with moisture.

As much as the scene was about light, it was also about layers. The damp dark fields lead to the trees in the middle distance and finally to the two layers of distant trees on the far side of the farmland.

It seems, that over the years, I have developed this habit of seeing my surroundings with a photographer's eye, even while performing mundane tasks such as pumping gas.

 

the sunny side of the silo

Grain silo in the winter
Winter Grain Silo

 

The weekend before last, the sun peeked through the clouds for a few hours and then return to its winter hibernation. I loaded the car with gear and headed out for a drive and managed a couple good shots,

However, see that offending dark spot way up at the top? Dust on the mirror. Evidently, I was in too big of a hurry. This happens to the best of us. Slow down, check your equipment!

 

the morning herd

Heard of cows
Morning Heard

 

I came across this herd as I rode around Saturday morning, hoping that the sun would come out. Alas, the clouds and overcast skies held sway until mid afternoon, too late for any good landscape photos.

I watched the cows eating and wandering the field as the farmer drove his truck around and unloaded bails of hay. To my surprise, t he cows pretty much ignored the farmer’s offering, instead continuing to east the winter grass. What do I know about being a cow? I thought they would run for the hay. I know nothing about being a cow.

 

some of my favorite silos

Silo Scene

 

I have some favorite silos. Don't you have favorite silos? Maybe it's a mid-west thing. These two are in my to ten. Not because they are old and interesting. The location isn't particularly interesting. I like these silos because of their color. 

So, if I love their color, I suppose that I should show you how they look in color:

 

Twin Silos

 

Those blues and rust colors are what catch my eye. Maybe I am some sort of farm nerd. 

TIm

 

big sky

Big Sky and Barn

 

As I was driving up to the farm, I was astounded to see this spectacular sky hanging over the barn.The contrasnts, the color and the sheer weight of it were all there. I stopped the car got out and just looked at the secene for a while when the clouds parted long enough to bathe the barn in color. I only took two shots and they were both wonderful. Tht doesn't happen very often and when it does, I walk away with a big grin on my face.

 

cooking lessons

 

 

Everybody needs to start someplace. Why not grilled cheese and apples? Life never gets too complicated at Carriage Hill Farm and that is one of the reasons the farm has become one of my happy places.

From a photographic standpoint, I've shot the farm, its workers and its animals in thousands of images. Still, each time that I return, I find something to point my camera at. It seems to me that the more familiar I become with the farm, the more I find to capture.

I'm sure that every one of us has a place to retreat and relax. What are your favorite places to get a way for a few hours?