Golden Harvest II
One of the best times of the year is harvest time. The setting sun coupled with the dust from the harvesters make for some really beautiful lighting. Saw this o...
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One of the best times of the year is harvest time. The setting sun coupled with the dust from the harvesters make for some really beautiful lighting. Saw this on the way home. Had to stop.
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Aug, 2017Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in Creative Landscapes Photo Contest vol3
Featured
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
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AFBennerPhotography
March 28, 2019
Thank you everyone, I love this shot and was super excited to be a Finalist!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on my way home from work, at the height of harvest season in Southern Alberta.Time
The days were getting shorter, and the golden hour was happening on my way home that afternoon. That golden glow was only accentuated further with the dust from the harvesters in the area. The entire valley was just awash with that beautiful golden light.Lighting
I wanted to try and capture that magical glow, the few minutes it was bright and gold but still light enough to pull some of the details and highlights out of the wheat field.Equipment
My trusty 5D MkII and my prime 17-40mm. No tripod, no flash. This was handheld, and thankfully with enough light that I didn't have to worry about getting camera shake.Inspiration
Living in the rural prairies in Alberta, harvest is one of my favorite times of the year. I am not a farmer, not part of the farming family, but going through the year watching the incredible hard work and long hours these families put in is inspiring. Alberta in recent years, has been hit hard with the recession, and everyone is feeling the economic strain. Farms who have been in business for generations have closed their doors. So seeing the harvesters still going strong in my area is uplifting, and gives me hope that this will turn around. Those well worn tracks into the field are fresh, and still used. That golden glow cast from the fog like dust the harvesters stir up makes the whole county light up, and I wanted to try and catch a moment of that hopeful light.Editing
I did a small amount of masking and balancing between the bright sky and the darker field, and brought up the warmth a bit to really stay true to what I was seeing with the naked eye. I also softened the halo around the sun a bit, and toned down the contrast there. A slight vignette added a little bit of drama to the final image.In my camera bag
Always my 5D MkII, that is a heck of a camera and it's getting on in the years, but I can still get the shots I want with it. I also use my EF17-40mm f/4L as my prime lens, and I also carry a EF 70-200mm f/4L USM and a fixed EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. I have a Speedlite 430EX that I'll sometimes have with me, and a tripod if I'm going to shoot something that would need it. Generally though, just the camera and lenses as I prefer natural light. And at bare minimum I have my 5D and my prime all the time.Feedback
With these types of landscape shots, it can be difficult to balance between the really bright sky and the foreground sometimes as well, I will always take a series of bracketed shots so I have the ability to layers the tones in post if I need to. I generally opt for not doing that if I can get the right balance in camera, but I like to have the back up. If you do any post processing, the masking tool is your best friend for adjusting tones and levels. Certainly a skill to learn well in which ever program you use for editing. Be wary of overdoing it though, a shot like this is meant to be soft and light. As well if you see a shot while you are driving - Stop. The. Car. Something I and many others tend to do, especially when you are on your way home, is you just never stop when you see something beautiful. The vast majority of my commute is along a major highway, and there are so many sprawling views and opportunities to capture the stunning sky in Alberta, but I would fall into the trap of 'I'm tired and I just want to get home'. I learned the hard way, that moment of perfect light, perfect clouds, perfect view will never happen again. And I am not losing out on anything by stopping for a few minutes, but I can lose a stunning moment forever when I don't stop.
