IN THE FIELD: Hey, What The Heck Is He Doing?

It was a bright clear morning the other day, and I was out photographing the wildflowers our neighbor planted near the road. Not much was blooming at the time, except for some daises and what appeared to be Sweet William plants.

With my camera mounted on the tripod and cable release in hand, I went about shooting the first bloomers. The light was perfect since it was early and the sun was still low. I didn’t feel the need to use a reflector or flash to fill in shadows or even a diffuser to cut back the light. Because it was bright enough to use shutter speeds just fast enough to stop the movement of the flowers in the light breeze, and still use wide apertures, I was able to obtain a shallow depth of field.

I was sitting in the grass composing this shot when I heard a car coming down the street. We don’t have a lot of traffic here, so when an unfamiliar car slows down then stops nearby, it’s noticed. I didn’t recognize the vehicle or the folks inside. They just sat there for about ten seconds, no smiles or waves, and drove off. I suppose they had never seen a person sitting on the ground with a camera and tripod surrounded by two-foot tall daises.

I will be frequenting this spot not only for the convenience it affords, but for the variety of plants growing there. I wonder if any other cars will stop to look and see “what the heck is that guy doing?”

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