Harvested (Click for larger view)

Fine capture with good composition and colours. br Hannu

I had seen numerous hay bales within the last week or so on my travels

and decided they would be good choice of subject ......so I set off at 5.10

am on Saturday morning in search of one........but could I find one No

Chance! I think it was a conspiracy by farmers who all decided to gather

them in at the same time! : - ) However the stubble they left behind was a

good consolation. The colours are all natural I didn't add any saturation at

all. Your thoughts and comments are always welcome Thank You

Hi Alf,

   Beautiful scene with wonderful composition, dramatic sky & colors.  Take care, Patsy

Hay, if you don’t have hay, make lemonade or an omelet, something like that. You took a missed opportunity and made the very best of it. Morning/evening, best time to shoot, noon is for taking a siesta.

I like the amber cast this image gives off, the long shadows give this piece depth and the colors are rich and natural. Well done with your omelet

Yeah, we all had a meeting Friday night deciding to mess with you. It took some effort to bury them all over night. :-)

Beautiful light, and the stubble make for great texture. I also like the two lonely trees in the fields. Well done.

Christoph

I can almost understand why farmers love to get up early and see the sunrise.  Beautiful scene and capture, but Alf, you really must trade up and get a sharper camera/lens ;-)...  Mike

A really beautiful result, very nicely composed too, Alf!

Alf………. Try running through there in bare feet. I really like the composition and lighting. Although my job requires me to get up at 5:00 every morning, I have no desire to rise  early on my days off. Good for you. Best regards. Bob.

Beautiful composition and colours. Congrats.

I'm going to start referring to you as the master of leading lines.  Somehow you always find them within a composition, and this is no exception.  The pathways though the hayfield take the viewer's eye from the foreground to a point as far as one can see.  

You must have taken this photograph during magic hour.  Almost at the left border there are two long shadows.  You took full advantage of the ambient lighting to show off the various golden shades of the hay stalks.

My best always,

michael

Great colors and detail and summer morning mood, but first of all great lighting for this same scene may look even banal on different, for example noon light, without clouds etc! Always the best from you, Alf!

Best regards

PDE

This is beautiful Alf...great color, light, definition and a lovely scene.

Tim

Beautiful subtle light and colour harmony. Great texture in the foreground and enviable sky.

I'm not a stickler for so called "rules", but in this case I feel if there were a little less of foreground, and possibly more of the sky, that would benefit the overall impact and balance in the frame.

Anyway, a very pleasing late summer scene, skillfully exposed and well presented.

Another great Alf Bailey photograph.

... is a rule of thumb for hobby photographers. Your image disproves this guideline: Positioning the horizon in the vertical center may work (of course). The tree is placed exceptionally well, Alf!

BR, Alex

Thank you very much for your interest and positive feedback.

Best Regards 

Alf 

PATSY 

It was a lovely morning but I was afraid the sky colour was going to escape me before I found something decent to photograph, fortunately I encountered this stubble field in time : - ) 

Sincere Thanks 

Alf 

TONY 

"Make hay whilst the sun shines" is another one I believe : - ) 

Capturing the light in those very fleeting first hours is the key, but of course finding a subject isn't always as straight forward as one imagines! 

This time I got lucky though, I had just the right amount of eggs and timed them well : - ) 

Many Thanks Tony! 

Alf 

CHRISTOPH 

Ahhh so it was you that stole the hay bales!  : - ) 

But at least you didn't steal the light or the fields themselves! So I was very well compensated! 

Thanks for looking in and for your positive feedback Christoph, much appreciated! 

Alf 

MIKE 

I often wonder if farmers and people who live in the countryside ever just take it all for granted, but no surely not, not on a morning like this! 

I was thinking of trading up, but no I'm going  to stick with this fuzzy old one, strangely enough I overheard my wife saying the same thing to one of her friends : - ) 

Cheers Mate! 

Alf 

RUUD 

Thank you so much for your interest and kind words! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

BOB 

Ouch!  I wouldn't want to be chased through there without a stout pair of boots on! 

Sometimes I lay in bed at 4.00 am thinking "should I or shouldn't I".........but I know if I don't get up I will just regret it later. 

Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated! 

Best Regards 

Alf

RAYMOND 

I owe the colours to the early morning light and clouds, the best part is I didn't even have to tweak them in processing! 

Sincere Thanks 

Alf 

MICHAEL 

If they are there I will find them : - ) 

 In this case I used the tractor wheel ruts as the main leading lines, but worked the scene from either side and took shots from kneeling and standing positions, and both landscape and portrait orientated shots. 

You observe correctly the long shadows are a result of the very low rising sun, and yes the golden colours from the same source. 

Always a great pleasure to hear from you Michael.

Thank You & Best Regards 

Alf 

PIERRE 

I am not a fan of the summer, but when summer is old and colours begin to materialize from it's ashes I get to like it a whole lot better : - )  

You are quite right of course, by noon I had found a few hay bales, but the light was brittle and although I took a few shots, I knew instinctively that I wouldn't like them.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

TIM 

I suppose even the most ordinary things can become transformed with the right light. I was fortunate to be there and capture it! 

Many Thanks Tim! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

SLAWEK 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback.

"Rules"  a friend of mine once said "you have to know them before you break them" 

But like yourself I am not a stickler for them either.  In this case though I think that if they were to be observed at all it would be a slight crop of the sky rather than the foreground I would opt for. But your suggestion has merits and that could work equally well. Or, we could just leave it as it is : - )         

Thanks again Sawek

Best Regards 

Alf 

GERALD 

Many Thanks for your interest and very kind words! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

ALEX 

Good to hear from you I hope you are keeping well! 

I think when a lot of people read or hear the word "rules" it becomes a rigid instruction instead of a guideline and arguments then ensue as to what is right or wrong about an image.  The truth is......or should I say my interpretation of the truth is.......there are no rules.....there are just things that work or don't work and even that is very subjective!  I have images with the subject positioned perfectly central with converging lines from all sides that I would say works well. But then every situation and image is different and should be appraised on it's own merits

Always good to get your thoughts and feedback

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

Alf 

The power of this image lies with the beautiful earthly and sky colors.  It's simplicity along with the perspective also adds to the whole impact that has on the viewer.  Even though in the beginning the positioning of the main front tree was not that "welcomed" from my eyes after a while I started getting used to it, but not completely.  I don't know why but I think it has to do with the balance. 

For example if there was something in the right down corner then my eye could have a "line" to follow from left to right with a beginning and an end.  Now it stops in the middle wandering.  Sorry If I have confused you Alf with my syllogisms, but the tree on the background plays an important role to the whole geometry of the picture always according to my humble opinion.  Take care my good friend!

Utterly marvellous !  I have one with rows too, but it will never now see the light of day :-(

However, lots more :-)

Take care

Jim

A masterful composition Alf with the leading lines, placement of trees and horizon. Add to this the clouds, golden morning light and detail and we have a first rate image that would look equally beautiful as a book cover or hanging on the wall. It's a winner my friend! Warmest regards, Rob 

Dear friend, compliments for this wonderful landscape, really a very well done a very well composed image!!!

Moment of the day and elements of this composition show that you feel so well the composition and how to manage subject.Light and shadows,lines,lonely perfect trees,golden-blue contrast create to me a really late summer mood,peace and calm.

kind regards

Hi Alf,

You never seem to fail in finding a fantastic composition! The position of the tree, the lines made by farm machinery and the light all make for a beautifully balanced landscape. Wonderful work. Best wishes. Sarah.

This is beautiful! Great composition and rich colors, beautiful light. What I like the most about it is the placement of the two trees; it's as if they have been elevated to position of grand guardians of the field or they have been banned and separated from their clan in the horizon. Very well done Alf! Thank you for sharing. :)

Many Thanks for your thoughts and interesting feedback.

Balance is very important in any image, but we all see things so differently. I guess that's part of the mystique of photography. The interesting thing about the tree in the background is that it's actual size is much larger than the one in the foreground, surprising how deceiving the lens can be.

All the very best my friend!

Alf 

JIM

Thank you so much! 

Most of mine don't see the light of day either : - ) 

Best Regards 

Alf 

ROBERT 

Yes, I quite like the idea of a book cover, it even conjures up idea's for a story. : - ) 

My sincere thanks for your thoughts and most encouraging comments.

Warm Regards 

Alf 

MAURIZIO

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words my friend! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

RADU 

The first faint chill of autumn is in the air at dawn and crows make their raucous calls from the nearby fields, yes summer is nearly over. I am so pleased that you sensed the mood.

Sincere Thanks

Alf 

SARAH

I was driving up and down country lanes frantically looking for hay bales to photograph before the good light disappeared when I spotted the tree bathed in the light and thought, "this will have to do" Thankfully it all worked out ok.

Sincere Thanks! 

Alf 

TRISHA

I love the way you let your imagination take over relating to the trees position. 

They do look like guardians, maybe like the ones from "Lord of The Rings"  they uproot themselves every night and join the others : - ) 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and kind words.

Best Regards 

Alf 

In my view this is an outstanding image. The tree makes the composition. Beautiful. Alfredo