Every year our local fall fair includes a photography contest, with one of the subjects focussing, not surprisingly on agriculture. Living in a small village surrounded by farms on some of the richest agricultural land there is, where the diversity of production ranges from traditional livestock to the exotic, I find myself surprised then by the dearth of rural-themed pictures in my collection.
It really is odd. It’s not as agriculture presents a lack of subject material. One could focus their lens on architecture and landscapes, animals and the faces of farming as well as lots of things in between.
It’s also not that I’ve never taken any agricultural shots, either. Back in my newspaper days, when we put out an annual rural life section each spring, I was given access to no end of subject material and came away with many nice photographs. These, though are the property of the publication, not for me to lay claim to. But, these days, while I might drive through the countryside with regularity, it’s a long way to the buildings and pastures where the photo ops exist.
Certainly, I still have contacts who would let me venture onto the property, camera in hand, to grab some nice images. Because of course, getting permission is the first rule. But, as my interests tend to run to family and nature, I just don’t generally think about the potential of agricultural photography until the fall fair rolls around.
There are of course, many other categories to enter that are more in keeping with the type of pictures I take, such as this year’s Sunlight and Shadows, Waterfalls or Grandparents with Their Little Helpers. However, just once it would be fun to have something for the more farm-inspired themes.
Without the opportunity and practice presented by the newspaper, I decided a little review of what it takes to get some good farming pictures might be helpful. Here’s what I unearthed:
