Hay Bales After the Storm

Mullen · Jun 9, 2008

Took this photo today after it finally stopped raining. I experimented with it in Tiffen's DFX filter, and ended up with this:

Comments, critique, and suggestions are welcome.

tirediron · Jun 10, 2008

Nice.

B-9 · Jun 10, 2008

Unique

kundalini · Jun 10, 2008

Great cloud formations. I'm wondering what it would look like with half (maybe more) of the foreground removed (pano-like) and taking a little off the right nearer to that haybale? It would certainly get the horizon off the center of the image.

Just a thought.

Mullen · Jun 10, 2008

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Is this kind of what you had in mind, kundalini?

kundalini · Jun 10, 2008

I was thinking even a bit more severe on the foreground. IMO it was rather boring and did not add to the subject of your photo.

My crop:

Oh, I tweaked a couple of things like curves, contrast blah, blah. Hope you don't mind.

Mullen · Jun 10, 2008

Yeah, your crop pulls everything together a bit better. Thanks for taking the time to edit it.

kundalini · Jun 11, 2008

I was hoping you would like it. Apart from the crop, I also was trying to bring out some life to the field and the clouds. Unfortunately, I lost track of the treeline and pretty much removed all detail when looking at it today. Sorry 'bout that, but you can get it back and then some with skills better than mine. Thanks for letting me play!

IMO the crop does draw my eyes to the haybales better now.

I just saw some haybales near me today, might have a go myself. :biggrin:

BrandonS · Jun 11, 2008

I don't know why, but I really want to go photograph some of these things. I like your shot, especially your second edit. The clouds add nicely to the photo.

Mullen · Jun 12, 2008

BrandonS said:
I don't know why, but I really want to go photograph some of these things. I like your shot, especially your second edit. The clouds add nicely to the photo.

Hay fever? It seems to be contagious to those that enter this thread.

Thanks, I was actually angry with those clouds when they were pouring water on me throughout the day.

Tomarrow I have to move half of those bales out before it starts raining again. :grumpy:

Alpha · Jun 12, 2008

I don't mind the foreground but I think it's a bit underexposed/too dark.

BrandonS · Jun 12, 2008

Mullen said:
Hay fever? It seems to be contagious to those that enter this thread.

Thanks, I was actually angry with those clouds when they were pouring water on me throughout the day.

Tomarrow I have to move half of those bales out before it starts raining again.

This is OT, but I wanted to know.
I never farmed before, but lived in a farming community. I heard that if you take wet hay in a big heap it will catch on fire from the heat generated inside of the pile.

Mullen · Jun 12, 2008

BrandonS said:
This is OT, but I wanted to know.
I never farmed before, but lived in a farming community. I heard that if you take wet hay in a big heap it will catch on fire from the heat generated inside of the pile.

Yep, you have to let the hay dry after it's cut before baling it, also have to let it dry if it rains on the bales.

Last summer the guy we had doing it baled it right after he cut it. When my dad rolled them out in the winter they were black in the middle and smelled like tobacco.