Yesterday I packed two cameras, picked my favourite two lenses, jumped in the car, picked up my friend Natasha (who's always up for shooting if I lend her a camera), and headed north on Highway 8. We wound up not where we were hoping to be (in Petersfield), but that's another story... On the way to getting "lost", we stopped on Highway 8 to get a few shots of some hay bales. I remember the first time I learned about focal length. The Photo 1 teacher was showing us examples of photos shot with wide angle lenses, compared to photos shot with longer lenses. I distinctly remember one shot - it was a hay bale, sitting in a field, with long, yellow textured grass all around it. The grass seemed to stretch out towards the bale, like if it was trying to claw at it. It was that one picture that was burned in my mind, and I'll never forget that feeling of excitement over the magic of photography and its creative opportunities. Of course, right after that class, I ran out and took a million shots with my wide lens, trying to capture that magic.
As we were approaching this field yesterday, I remembered that hay bale shot and got inspired to get some good old hay bale shootin' done, like a good Manitoban photographer. Once in the field, I wasn't feeling it, but I still shot about 10 frames. It wasn't until I got home and started making some virtual copies in Lightroom that I started having fun. Now, although your hay bale shoot may not avail to much (or you might feel uninspired), just throw Lightroom in the mix and have some fun. This is why I love Lightroom.
Original Shot: My first Edit: My alternate edit:
Comments
My vote is for the final edit...love the surreal feel to it. Next time, Petersfield!