Tracks in my Ears

[Mike in UK]

OK, so this didn't come out quite as I wanted!
Any comments will help with my next attempt, thanks.

[Geoff F]

Yes, cornfields like bluebell woods always look better in real life.

I suspect the problem comes from condensing a 3 dimensional scene into a 2 dimensional photo where apparent depth is lost.

From my experience, you either have to get up high and look down on the scene which partially restores the depth or have a reference point somewhere. For instance a person or tractor etc in the foreground.

[Dave Humphries]

Aww man, that title is really corny

What is it you don't like Mike?

It is looking over exposed to me; with a blown sky, bright crop and dark green tree line.

The other obvious thing for me is the leadin lines going to ... well nothing.

I often walk past a field like this, when by the river doing my bird shots, and have even taken a snap or two of the field, but as here, the tractor tracks never seem to point at anything useful

One day ...

[Peter Ryan]

I can see what you were trying to do but you may have been better concentrating just on the crop and filling the frame with it. DOF will be an issue, as you will want to make the whole image sharp. Concentrating on the crop itself will also take away the contrast and exposure issues and that sky is doing nothing for the shot.

[carregwen]

Mike

You're giving your age away by owning up to being a Smokey Robinson fan!

I agree with the above comments, especially Dave (he's such a sensible, pragmatic fellow, isn't he?). I did a similar shot for one of my PAD shots. Although mine doesn't lead anywhere either I got up close so you can see the detail in the crops. I also used an ND grad to get a decent sky. Here.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/carregw...7624273730461/

[Mike in UK]

Thanks all. I have seen a new location, with a bowl-like field on the side of a hill. That may give some more height to the shot, but knowing my luck, they will have harvested it by the time I get there! Rob, I would imagine I could use a graduated blue filter instead of ND to get a similar effect, until I invest in an ND myself?
Dave, for some really corny titles, I did a set called 'Musical Connections' on Flickr. This includes 'Kiss from a Rose', 'Fade to Grey', 'Heart of Glass' and 'Eternal Flame' so, Rob, what age does this make me now?!

[ScoutR]

Hi Mike. I had the same problem on my current trek to the local fields. I saw these tracks everywhere, but like Dave says they all seem to lead to nowhere. If you could get the same shot with the colours you had in a recent shot of yours with a tree against a field of yellow I think you could get one of these track shots to work.

I agree that this one seems a bit overexposed, and would work better if you could get a different angle or shoot from above. With the right light and really sharp focus, I think you could get a nice abstract effect.

The only shot I got that seemed to work a was this Urban Sprawl shot. Not a good shot, but i guess there is a social commentary aspect to it.

[Geoff F]

Here is an alternative to a tractor in the cornfield!



The runway of Malborough International Airport runs through a cornfield.