The Cotswolds - Landscape Photography

(Click on image for 1200 pixels)

I was on my way to Broadway Tower and spotted this undulating field by the side of the road to Broadway. Rolling hills don't usually exist in Oxfordshire but I managed to find the only one. What drew me to the scene, in a split second whilst driving, was the dark, atmospheric sky from the rain storm, the meandering graphic lines and the gentle slope which obscures the horizon. Graphic, bold shapes and lines added to side-lighting mixed in with a dark sky is the perfect recipe for a landscape shot (sorry for the cooking analogy).  

I looked over my left shoulder, I knew the sun would light the scene as there was a patch of blue sky through which the sun would eventually shine. Filters, tripod, camera in hand, I ran out of my car and set-up while the afternoon sun side-lit the bales. A few minutes afterwards the rain started again and the scene was lost. 

(Click on image for 1200 pixels)

I spotted this tractor in the adjacent field to the Bales shot above. Taken with a portrait lens which blurred the background. I placed the tractor in the corner as it frames the image. I noticed the primary colours of the blue sky, yellow tractor, and red wheels and plough which work in harmony. Yes... I know art...however this is about as complex as I get.

(Click on image for 1200 pixels)

The winds gusted around Broadway, at the top of the Cotswolds. A quick set-up was needed as the gap in the clouds lasted just a few seconds. I partially obscured the sun with Broadway Tower to achieve the sun-star. I particularly like the back-lit reeds swaying in the breeze in the foreground.