Wind Wheat

Wind Wheat

Wind Wheat is a favorite photograph of mine. Having grown-up on a prairie grain farm, the image represents a significant part of my visual environment during the first half of my life. It is also an emotional image for me because ripe field of grain signaled the beginning of harvest, the most exciting part of the year.<br>

This photograph was taken a few minutes after my dad began to swath the wheat field. I had accompanied him to the field to help get "going", as he always said, and was waiting as he completed the first few rounds in order to make sure that the equipment was working as it should.

This photograph is also a favorite because it represents what I think is a successful effort at visual problem solving. It was a bright, sunny day and the sky was cloudless. The sky was a brilliant blue against which the golden wheat stalks stood in rich contrast. I'm 6'2", so when I stood in the field I was looking down on the wheat stalks and couldn't frame the details that I wanted to feature. My solution was to "get with the wheat", so I lay down at the edge of the field and shot at an upward angel, thus profiling the wheat against the sky.

Technically, the shot was pretty straight-forward after I framed it from a low angle. I had my trusty Nikon Polarizing filter mounted on my lens. I use a polarizing filter a lot because it prevents the sky from washing-out and renders it a deep, rich blue. This is obviously a black and white photograph, so the polarizing filter darkened the sky. You will notice that the left side of the sky is darker than the left. Polarizing filters work relative to the angle of the main light source, which changed across the image. Yes, there is a bit of Photoshop magic working here - I added a bit of sepia toning.

Nikon FE2 w. Nikkor 35 f/2; Ilford FP4 Developed with Agfa Rodinol