IN THE FIELD: I’m Late I’m Late

Earlier last week I noticed some wildflowers growing in a roadside field I hadn’t noticed before. I didn’t have time to stop and get a few photos, but I made a mental note to return to the spot a few days later when I had more time.

I headed back to the field on Thursday morning, and as much as I wanted to run the A/C in the Jeep, I drove with the windows down. I had the camera and the lens of choice on the seat next to me outside of the camera bag. This was to allow everything to acclimate to the sunny, hot, humid, jungle like conditions we are experiencing this summer.

It was around 9:30 in the morning when I arrived at the field, and to my dismay, someone had mowed the majority of the field. Nothing was left, except for a few plants that somehow made it through the wrath of the mower. I’m not sure why the field was mowed since it’s been vacant for years and there were no “For Sale” or “Sold” signs nearby.

I don’t know what kind of plant this is, but I’m glad I was able to get a few shots of these neat looking seed pods which were about three to four inches long. I positioned myself so the sunlight was behind and off to the right of the seed pod to add some highlights. For this photo, the settings used were, white balance set to cloudy to add a bit of warmth, ISO 100, f3.2 @ 1/1250th of a second, and my lens of choice was the 35mm.

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IN THE FIELD: Riding To The Hounds

I was revisiting my film archives, as I do from time to time, to select images to scan and capture as electronic files. I came across this image, and while I recall taking the shot and the situation surrounding the event, it sparked my imagination.

I envisioned this gentleman had just mounted his hunter on an early fall day, and was headed to greet his guests for the fox hunt. They would all gather in the great hall for a traditional hunt breakfast and then head out for a ride to the hounds. The group of mounted riders and packs of fox hounds would traverse the estate through the woods and fields. Eventually making their way back to the manor, they would celebrate with champagne cordials.

In reality, this is one of the officials at the Radnor Hunt Races which take place in Malvern Pennsylvania. It’s a annual multi-race steeplechase event. The course covers several miles of countryside with jumps, puddles, hedges, fences, and other obstacles for horse and rider to navigate. And all proceeds from the Radnor Hunt Races benefit the land and water preservation programs of the Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.