A Yorkshire Hay Field Photo

Photographer’s Note

A hay field near Sharow, not far from Ripon in North Yorkshire.

I've been driving past athese sort of scenes a lot on my way to work the last two weeks, so I thought I should take the camera and capture some of them in the morning light. On this particular day I thought the sky seemed an interesting mixture of blue sky, white cloud, plus some low lying grey rain cloud as well.

These cylindrical hay bales now seem to have replaced the square ones - presumably it makes it easier for the farmers. I often see them shrink wrapped in plastic too.

PP - some cropping and adjustment of the curves and contrast. Also used Netgraphics Optimiser to reduce the file size as I was struggling to get it under 200K for TE.

asajernigan, wishlist, jean11-3, sleon, lilimih33, feather, robertosalguero, snunney, branley, Uhu, UlfE, marknunnerley, pboehringer, AROBN54, stego, Sne011 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pat0500 (21513) 2007-08-18 9:44

Hi Leon,
Very nice picture and very good point of view..!
Good framing, good light and colours, very nice perspective of the rollers too..!
Best regards,
Patrick

asajernigan (14304) 2007-08-18 9:45

Leon,
Interesting composition showing the patterns formed by the hay bales spread across the field. The photo is divided into two definite divisions sky and field. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF.
TFS,
Asa

drago (4826) 2007-08-18 9:48

Leon hi,a splendid composition this one,the hay bales look ready to roll on us!Good light and fine details!
Regards
Panagiotis

graffer (1764) 2007-08-18 9:53

Hello Leon,

A good contrast here between the colours of sky and land. The bales lying on the stubble give good perspective as they recede into the distance.

A pleasing composition well framed.

Incidentally this is not hay , but straw, in these bales - what is left after wheat or barley has been harvested. The plastic wrapped ones are silage which has now largely replaced hay, being easier to gather in poor weather conditions,

Regards,

Peter.

teej (58) 2007-08-18 10:14

Beautiful contrast between the orange and blue. The sky is pretty magnificent too. Nice shot.

four (490) 2007-08-18 10:19

Its straw not hay though.
I'm astonished by how out of touch non-rurals area about this sort of thing!
The horizon line is very harsh - would be better to manually select some distance either side and feather by *a lot* when you tweak levels.

MiguelP (14336) 2007-08-18 10:47

Hi Leon... Fantastic composition with an spledid DOF, I love the way earth and sky match in the framing, even the branch, giving some balance in the photo. Colors are fantastic, I just complaint a bit in the tiny little border I´ve noticed just in the edge that separe the sky and the field, but nothing serious. Take care.

wishlist (4133) 2007-08-18 11:10

Hi Leon,
great shot this one; what I like is the quality and quantity of detatils you managed to get throughout. Colours are really beautiful and the sky is amazing and well contrasted by the field. Compo and pov are also good.
Excellent job indeed!!
Thanks
Igor

jean11-3 (2799) 2007-08-18 11:34

Hello Leon,
there are so many shots of these cylindrical bales it is hard to come up with a different POV, but here I think you have managed it.
I like the sloping horizon,the perspective of the bales disappearing into the distance and the shadow from the f/g bale.
Lovely colours.
TFS, regards Jean.

sleon (9352) 2007-08-18 11:57

Hi Leon
A very nicely composed image of these haybales. The one in the near corner acts as a nice visual anchor and gives depth to the shot. The lighting is excellent and I like the various clouds in the sky which add to the scene.
Regards, Susanna

smarcell (14653) 2007-08-18 12:17

very sharp, and a beautiful perspective. Maybe I would crop the very bottom part of the frame. Maybe, I don't know. The "rolls" (I don't know the correct name in english) create a nice pattern on the field. Nice you have left a tree brach in the frame.

rushfan2112 (2965) 2007-08-18 12:21

Hi Leon. Beautiful colours and an extremely good sky. I'm not so keen on the branch - top right - as (for me) it detracts from the sky.
Overall, an excellent photo. Paul.

broglia (3363) 2007-08-18 12:46

Hi Leon, good to see you back on TE. You've certainly caught a wonderful morning light. And the sky is typical of what we've been getting this summer. Good foreground interest with the hay (oops!) straw bale and the overhanging tree. Colours are well balanced too. Best regards, Roberto

faubry (32429) 2007-08-18 14:42

bonsoir Leon, tres tres beau paysage dore agremente d un ciel nuageux splendide, magnifiquie compotition,
a bientot
francine

lilimih33 (9874) 2007-08-18 16:10

Hello Leon!
Really lovely composition with wonderful colours and great light!
Wonderful sky!
Nice point of view!
Excellent done!
Best regards!
Lili

siolaw (25834) 2007-08-18 21:53

Hi Leon,
Nice compo oth the bale covered dry fields, like the light and colors, the sharp details et textures... the slope gives it a nice look too..
Greetings
Laurent

feather (50168) 2007-08-19 4:11

Good to see you back again Leon. Will you be able to stay with us this time? ;D
The morning light has certainly had a good effect on the colours and contrast. Straw and hay rolls are popping up all over the place, although I see the correct term for the hay is silage because it's still damp. You composed this well and I think the fg roll is perfectly placed in the frame as it is just about on one of the thirds. Well done
Kath

robertosalguero (110) 2007-08-19 4:39

Hello Leon. This is definitely the nicest hay field I have seen so far in this site. The golden colour of the hay is very attractive and the perspective from a lower point looking up is great to enhance the dynamics of the image. Very good sharpness and use of light. Thanks for sharing.

Roberto

snunney (35522) 2007-08-19 5:08

Hello Leon,
An excellent composition of this landscape after the harvester has passed by. I like the placing of the bale in the foreground whilst the others lead the eye deeper and deeper into the picture. The sky makes for a very attractive atmosphere. Good colours and sharpness.

evanrizo (456) 2007-08-19 6:24

Woooooooooooooooh this superb, this very very stunning, with superb perspective and depth.
Lightness, colors, sharpness are ideal.
Cheers
Evan

Glint (3076) 2007-08-19 8:43

Good one Leon,
the field seems to go off into infinity.Love how the clouds hang so low. I had hoped to get one like this but with the added bonus of rooks but i got my farmer instead.
Bev

branley (3681) 2007-08-19 11:30

Hi Leon,

straw/hay, it matters not, I'm just glad your back taking photographs. This is a beauty, I love the contrast between the field and the sky, the colours are rich and warm. Your perspective is first class looking up the hill, the line of bales gives the image great depth and the sharpness is spot on. The sky is, as you say, is an interesting mix and I like the small branches peeping in from the top corner too. A superb capture, well seen.

Regards

Stephen

Burberry1 (6041) 2007-08-19 11:31

Well managed light levels in this predominantly high key toned shot.
Great POV and quality Leon:)))

Regards, Agnieszka

Bluejeans (33113) 2007-08-19 15:11

Ola Leon que fantastica foto muito bonita , gostei do angulo da foto , as cores ficaram muito bonitas como o ceu , os rolos de palha ficarm fantastico , parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Davidh34 (838) 2007-08-20 2:22

Hi Leon

Great stuff. Great golden colours, and excellent POV. Good detail in the sky too. Good work

Regards

David

Uhu (7448) 2007-08-20 3:25

Yes, cilindrical things are world-wide now, I suppose it's easier to post-process hay this way. This is just amazing shot, some Aututmn feel in it!

dougie (2920) 2007-08-21 18:54

Hi,
Nice one Leon. The foliage in the corner adds to the depth as well as maybe hiding some bright sky. The colours in the harsh light are warm and natural. Good detail in the shadows too. Thanks.
Dougie.

marknunnerley (2768) 2007-08-22 2:55

A simple shot but a lovely scene Leon. Shot slightly into the light producing a nice bit of contrast on the straw, hay, silage bales, rolls ;))) Hope I got the right term in there somewhere. The tree to your right has helped shade the lens slightly as well as adding a good bit of interest to the top right corner.
Never mind the pp, bet it looks good in full size.
At least you have a bit of sun up there. Flaming dull and windy in London, again!!!!
Best regards,
Mark

batalay (21213) 2007-08-22 6:29

Hello Leon,

This is a magnificent shot, featuring flawlessly selected vantage point and impecable exposure. The cylindrical bales form discrete points on anotherwise smooth rolling countryside. The colors and perspective remind me of a painting by the great contemporary American composer, Andrew Wyeth. Take a look at Christina's World, but make sure you click on the "image viewer."

Warm regards,

Bulent

pboehringer (770) 2007-08-23 7:09

Leon,
you really nailed this one. The composition is extraordinary. The graphism is the key here with the almost vertical lines coming in and the STRAW and not hay balls [so that some rural person do not get offended ;-)] also respecting this verticcal orientation. The exception to this rule is the straw ball in the foreground. That single in the foreground with the partial tree in the right upper corner gives a contrast in the graphic lines. The tilted horizon and the horizontally oriented clouds enhances that felling even more.
regards, Peter

jaywalker (12308) 2007-08-27 3:14

Hi Leon, A great view of the beautiful English country side, your composition is perfect, the single bail to the bottom right corner is wonderfully positioned, the light is excellent throwing good shadow, there is great depth, this is a simple subject perfectly blended, kind regards Wilson.

AROBN54 (10791) 2007-08-28 17:59

Wow, hi, Leon. What a wonderful sense of space and distance this shot has. I like the framing of the tree limb and that field just seems to go on forever. And you're right about that sky. That is excellent! Beautiful light and color, too. Great shot! Kind regards.
Shelly

stego (22482) 2007-08-31 7:54

Hi Leon,
A compo impressively well achieved! The bales look like being on a strange parade and the fact of not being perfectly aligned makes the compo more interesting. There are also the lines on the fields, that dramatic sky, the piece of the tree, the perfect position of the fg bale... Very well seen and captured!
Regards, José.

fserajian (4583) 2007-09-17 12:18

Hi Leon,

Excellent work, very well detailed with beautiful lighting.... just perfect. TFS

Fara

mrcrow (3989) 2007-09-18 12:29

wowowowow
i missed that on my day out...
raw tail end of summer with the colours coming in thick and fast
your overhanging branch crowns this shot and adds stability
cheers
geof

ls7902 (6388) 2007-12-13 21:57

Hello Leon,
I always wanted to capture a scene like this in Europe but have never seen any ... the closest I got to see was a few bales wrapped in white plastics! Anyway, I really enjoy this golden & sweeping views of field & hay/straw bales.

Best Regards,
Latiff.

marietom (32084) 2008-03-03 1:39

Hello Leon,

Toujours agréables, ces paysages avec ballots de paille. Jolie composition.
Marie qui revient

nesiaZ (996) 2008-04-08 13:59

hi Leon,
What an amazing scenery. Very nice composition. I like it a lot.
Take care!
Anetka

Sne011 (3103) 2008-07-21 1:57

Hello Leon,
What a great photo! Colors are fantastic, sky is very interesting and this field seems to lead to infinity - just reminded me of the song, one of my favorites - Fields of Gold :)
Have a nice day!
Sneza