Onegav

I’m sure you’ve seen them, vast fields filled with dainty little yellow flowers on long green stems?

They’re fields of Rapeseed, cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed. It is the third largest source of vegetable oil and second largest source of protein meal in the world.

They also look really cool! It’s the type of field you’d love to run through like a big kid; I didn’t though, because I wouldn’t want to damage the farmers crop.

I’ve thought about photographing the fields for a few days now, probably a couple of weeks actually; and with spring hurtling along at a pace, and not knowing the life cycle of these plants I thought I best act sooner rather than later, in case I missed the “show”.

So today on the way home from work in the car, I spotted a field, and went whizzing straight past…….. took the next available turning and went back.

I parked up in the mouth of a field gate across the road from the field of Rapeseed, reversing in should I need a quick get away – the field gate I parked across looked like the field was being cultivated, so I didn’t want to get in the way.

I got a few interesting photographs with some wind turbines in the background, which I find interesting for a couple of reasons.

1) both are a more sustainable form of energy, the plants providing oil and protein, and the turbines electricity. I’m sure both have their draw backs, however there are much more environmentally damaging options.

2) it looks like they’re opposing armies, about to cross the tree line and engage in a floral/turbine battle.

Ok, the second reason might just be me, but I’m ok with that.

I really like this last shot too, looking out across the wash of yellow, to Helsby Hill on the left, onto the orange glow on the horizon and finally the soft blue sky.

It’s all very pastel, and I find it quite relaxing.

Learnings – I was keen to get some detail in today’s photograph, of the little flowers, but also I wanted to capture the scale of the fields.

I’ve got the detail in some shots, and the scale in others; I don’t feel I’ve captured both together in one image. I think I got close on today’s main shot, but the scale isn’t quite as marked as I would have liked.

So I need to do some research and find out how to pull that off better.