Farming Mars

      Sometimes you just never know what you might find. Recently, early in the morning, I headed east of where I live to hopefully capture some rural images containing a beautiful sunrise. The forecast called for partially cloudy skies but unfortunately, the clouds stayed away. A beautiful morning but an amazing sky was not to be today. But that doesn't mean there are no photographs to be had.
      Driving the back roads of central and southern Alberta will usually produce something interesting to photograph. Fields of grain, barley, canola, etc. Old buildings, barns, houses. Creeks, rivers,ponds. Rolling hills, valleys, fences. There is usually something. The photograph below illustrates that not only may you run across a neat subject to photograph but also that sometimes that subject is positioned in such a unique way in unique surroundings and in unique conditions, that the shot can take on a whole new meaning.
     For example, the photograph below is of a piece of farm machinery called a seeder. Normally, a seeder sitting in a field would not be the first thing I think of when trying to create a piece of art. But fortunately for me, this scene was different. The sun was rising which created a very warm look. It was early and there was still some fog hanging in low lying areas. And the seeder was partially obstructed making it look like some kind of space vehicle. All of these elements combined made it look like, to me, a scene from another planet. Hence the title: Farming Mars.
     So, I guess the lesson is: even if what you had anticipated doing doesn't pan out, there can still be interesting scenes to find and capture. The key is to get out there at different times with the camera and see what you can see. It's not rocket science, but who needs a rocket when you have a camera.