FIELD OF SUNFLOWERS, A CLASSIC COUNTRY LANDSCAPE
Sunflowers, Bees and Me
Raise your hand if you love sunflowers. All through the season of spring and summer they grow with such happiness. To see a landscape of them growing is truly captivating to me. I live in the rural corner of Oregon where agriculture is one of its industries. Driving down country roads or highways I will see many fields of green growing painting the landscape. Viewing this kind of landscape makes driving to my destination a pleasant one.
The crops along the highway I travel rotate their vegetation every year or so. I know nothing about farming but I believe this is standard practice. About every five to seven years, it seems sunflowers get their chance to grow in one of those fields. I always hoped to be around to capture the field of sunflowers because it will make a fulfilling piece of artwork hanging on a wall.
I don't travel down this highway very often, however, it's the next biggest town where prices can be cheaper than where I live in very rural America. So I do make it there at least once a month during the spring and summer. I don't know when the farmer will choose to grow sunflowers and eventually I will find out the next time I go to the big city. Once I know, then I make a point to allot time to take photographs of the sunflower field with the rustic barn and hills which is the rural atmosphere I live in.
I'm usually ready to take a photograph as I always try to take my camera, tripod and any other equipment I feel I need to stop along the way and just do it. I usually like to do this when I'm by myself as if someone is with me who isn't a photographer, he or she may get impatient. Also, I need to choose the right time of day as light plays a very important piece in photography. Once I had the when and where to take that photograph, my day was golden.
I parked off the highway as I didn't want to cause any harm to me or someone else. I took out my tripod, camera, and a diffuser to help me guide my light. I stayed to the edge of the field and didn't trample or go in any further to the field. I chose several positions to compose my shot. I strolled with my camera to see what side of the barn looked best with the sunflowers, hill and trees to tell my story. I did some individual closeup shots of sunflowers, but my favorite was the field of sunflowers. The bees were buzzing and having a hay day grabbing all the pollen they could. I looked so close into the center of the sunflowers I could see the future of sunflower seeds. It was a positive experience being that close to a crop sunflowers.
While shopping I came across a package of sunflower seeds, it was more of an intimate feeling of just buying a package of sunflower seeds for salads or snacking. Did they come from the field of sunflowers I photographed? I don't know but they came from a field just like it I'm sure. Whether you eat them taking the shell off or a handful in your mouth, thank goodness someone wants to grow sunflower seeds.
I used the late afternoon light to shoot this photograph. What's maddening is when I don't have the time to stop and take the photograph at the perfect time. I know my time is limited and when the field of sunflowers have been harvested, I don't know when I'll see them again. I take as many photographs as I can and hope there is at least one that I find awesome.
I enjoy spring and summer driving down that country highway where crops grow green and gold. I just need to be sure I keep my eyes on the road and not try to create my composition while I'm driving. There hasn't been a sunflower field for some time. Maybe this spring, I'll be driving down that highway and get all excited because I've see the golden glow of sunflowers.
Go for adventure,
Debbie
