Poppy Fields

[JohnC]

At the start of the week I hummed and harred about going to Stourport (an hour's drive) to take these shots because of the wind,the other issue for me was that sunrise was at 4.45..I went and did have a bit of an issue with the sun at 8.00 am even but the wind had eased but I still had to wait for the moment when all was still because there were 'wafts' of breeze.I intended to return but much earlier but as I've mentioned in a post or two our weather is awful..there hasn't been one day since that would have been reasonable let alone ideal- heavy rain and wind - so it will have to wait until next year,I was told that they will have lost their vibrance by now. As you see there were two fields,I had to go back to the first one which was sheltered somewhat from the flurries of wind by the long dividing line of trees.

Ref. the fisheye what do you think ? My wife doesn't like it.

I used the 100-400 to get to the blue foxglove (2nd. to last photo)-you can't walk through the poppies,not only because they'd get trampled (some don't care as long as they get the shot though) but there are ground nesting birds in there. As I walked away back to my car with the 100-400 on the camera I just took a fast shot over the field..no focusing and lining up, a throw away shot' really and it's the last one here and I've posted it because it's different.

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10

[mariejo]

wow!! that is a lot of flowers!!! a red wave !

[ScoutR]

Hi John, what great shots! I like the fish eye, but I must say all of these need to be viewed in the Lytebox (click on the image) My favourites in no particular order are 2, 6, 7,8 and 9. I think #2 is my favourite, but I'd clone out the hydro poles top right of centre. Beautiful work. 6 & 9 are right up there too.

Wendy

[Katy Noelle]

That's really beautiful and amazing! My mind hasn't kicked into gear, yet, and I can't think of any CorC. I just know that it's making me itch to go and look through my art books to see what they did with fields - you put me in the mood for Monet!

[MiniChris]

I like 8 the best and side with your wife on the fisheye lens.

[JohnC]

Many thanks all.. much appreciated as ever.

Wendy,I've now viewed in the Lytebox, thanks and good idea re. the poles, I really should have picked up on those,I've cloned them and the wires and it's replaced the original edited photo in my edit folder - here's the cloned photo...much better.I left the smoke as it looks 'au natural' lol.

Monet,indeed Katy.

Chris- you're the third person who has looked at these and isn't keen on the fisheye, I'm beginning to wonder if I should have got it but on the other hand Wendy liked it (photo 2 being her favourite infact) I think people either like fisheye, in general, or don't like them or maybe they look ok with particular subjects - buildings for instance .I got it so I could see the whole of a Prairie/Plains storm which most times are too large to be within the parameters of a rectilinear wide angle lens, I wasn't thinking in terms of presentation but getting 'the whole' in. I'll see how it goes but at least it's an option in the camera bag, the friend who recommended it had his as a 'fun lens'.

[ScoutR]

John, I still like the fisheye and I don't think you should get too discouraged if others don't - it's just not everyones cupa tea. I particularly like it in #2 because you were able to get the whole field in the shot and although it is distorted, the size, depth and shape of the field is exaggerated - I LIKE IT!! I feel like I could walk right into this shot, in fact actually a person in the foreground might be a good idea that would give even more perspective as to the size of the field - not facing the camera though.
Also, glad to see you got rid of the hydro poles and wires, but there is a hydro pole at the far end of the field in #2 also, it's not prominent and should be easy to clone out.

Wendy

[JohnC]

Aaagh. Yes I see it.I'll take that pole out too,infact I'll check all the shots with that end of the field in view. I've had the fisheye for only 3 weeks so I'll certainly give it a good run and no doubt the more opportunities I see to use it the more I'll like it , I'm sure it's a case of horses for courses . A lady showed me a photo of these fields last year and I logged it in my mind to go this year and she did say that she'd liked to have had a little girl in the foreground wearing a summer dress and a straw hat so obviously two minds thinking alike - many thanks for your interest.

[arith]

I like #9 cos it has another colour, but also #8, don't know why.

[JohnC]

Thanks,Steve. I think number 8 is attractive because of the pathway on the left leading the eye up the field, which itself ends in a point and there are hedges either side to 'contain' the image and maybe even help balance it - sometimes we get photos right without knowing why - we just did the right thing without realising it but but good photographers are aware of these aspects and thus continually produce good photos.I tend to get just some aspects of a good photo right because I take in what people are saying but anything beyond that then it was by chance. - it's Chris's favourite too and I like it a lot myself. I'll probably have that as one of the prints-my wife wants the photos around the house not on this computer in a folder - fair enough.There weren't many blue foxgloves there-very few infect and only around the periphery but as you say ,they stand out. Thanks again.

[CNelson]

Wow! Beautiful!!!

Chuck

[speedneeder]

Good shots and I love the rich red color.
#3 is my favorite, though I would like to see it with a little less of the plain blue sky.