Polytunnels - or 'Fruit Farming in the 21st Century'

[Donald]

One of the things I've wanted to do for a while is capture the changes in agricultural practices going on around us and how our land is used.

The part of Scotland in which I live is a huge area for the production of soft fruits - strawberries, raspberries, etc. That means that vast swathes of land are covered in plastic (I'm sure it's a high tech equivalent thereof) - either sheeting on the ground or in the form of these polytunnels. We're not talking a few of them. We're talking thousands of them covering many, many hectares (or acres).

This image doesn't capture that vastness and I want to still work on that. But it is one I liked because of the weather conditions and the diffused light. Gave a sense of the land wakening up to the new day.

Any and all comments always welcome.


40D, 70-200mm f/4L IS @ 116m. ISO100. 1/8@f16.

[Mike Buckley]

I like this a lot, Donald. It makes me think the plants are about to wake up and leave their tents.

On a related note, picturesque bales of hay have been replaced in my area by rolls of hay shrink-wrapped in ugly, shiny plastic.

[Donald]

On a related note, picturesque bales of hay have been replaced in my area by rolls of hay shrink-wrapped in ugly, shiny plastic.

Yes, I was surprised to see these at the end of the rows. Haven't seen anything but round bales for years.

Thanks for dropping in a comment, Mike.

[Plumcrak]

Donald, the first time I looked at this I thought it was a nice photo but it really didn't grab me the way most of your photos do. The next time I looked at it I brought it up full size...now it has grabbed me. I really like the early morning "Get up, it's time to start the day" feel I get from it. But, thanks in part from your commentary, I am yearning for the vastness of the field.
Nicely done...again. Keep them coming, and keep me yearning for more.