Meanygate meanderings (and beyond) - a farmed landscape

[Ed Sutton]

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[superpippo]

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View attachment 299061

Calabrese?

 

[Ed Sutton]

Calabrese?

I had to Google that!

Looks like a contender.

 

[sphexx]

Calabrese?

I thought it was a shot of a tropical tree for a second .. Agree with Calabrese but it’s one of those broccoli/cauliflower group if not.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I thought it was a shot of a tropical tree for a second .. Agree with Calabrese but it’s one of those broccoli/cauliflower group if not.

I've titled if Sycamore Gap!

 

[ancient_mariner]

That looks like the leader of a row of triffids!

 

[Hadron]

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View attachment 299061

I thought broccoli at first but looking more closely they look like leaves rather than florets so I’m going to go for curly kale

 

[Ed Sutton]

I thought broccoli at first but looking more closely they look like leaves rather than florets so I’m going to go for curly kale

Zooming in I'd say they are leaves.

 

[superpippo]

My wife knows a lot lot more than I do and her first impression was that it was kale, based on it looking like a leaf. But on looking again, she thought that it had open florets, more like calabrese.

If only we had a good photo to look at .

 

[Ed Sutton]

 

[superpippo]

Kale.
Nice photo

 

[Ed Sutton]

And now for something completely different. Everyone loves a sunset. Right?

 

[Ed Sutton]

Another 'pretty picture' today. I was struck by the way the clouds were in rows like the veg and the blue of the sky was similar to that of the crates and trailers. I took a few more but they all concentrated on the sky whereas this one shows more of what goes on in the fields and still gives a sense of space and place. I think.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Short days don't make it easy, and there's little going on. I've got enough pictures of water lying in fields and sunsets have been scarce. This is on the edge of the moss, but the sprouts are grown by the farm whose yard I've photographed (it's across teh road from this field which is at teh back of the farmer's bungalow).




A misty day didn't prove misty enough. Winter's the time when ditches get cleared.





Same field, different view.

 

[sphexx]

No frosts there yet?

 

[Ed Sutton]

No frosts there yet?

A light one this morning, but all gone before nine.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Same field, different day.

 

[Ed Sutton]

The Zwartbles sheep have proved to be quite tame and a couple of times have now mistaken me for their food provider, running towards the field gate when they see me approach.

There are a few flocks appearing around the edge of the moss now. The lot below, belonging to the sheep farm situated at the far end of the next moss across, are on the edge of Tarleton Moss in a permanently fenced field of fodder beet. Elsewhere there are smaller flocks on grass, kept in by electric fencing.





There's even a small flock of Lonks in the area, I assume wintering on less harsh ground than the hills (which have had a dusting of snow this week). I might be able to add something worthwhile to the sheep project if these sheep hang around all winter!

Today's mission was to look round the mere area for leeks in the sunshine.









I don't know what it is about leeks but I can't help trying to photograph them.

 

[Ed Sutton]

The friendly Zwartbles have been moved.

Frosty this morning. Cold enough to form ice where water still lies but not hard enough to solidify muddy tracks.





I find it really difficult to get enthused by taking pictures without people in them in the long run. It was a bit of a novelty earlier in the year finding patterns in the farmed landscape. That's worn off and I'm back to being baffled by the popularity of landscape photography. So my highlight this morning was snapping one of the farmers when he stopped for a natter.

 

[Ed Sutton]

These are two of eight 'contact sheets' I've finally got round to sorting out for part of this project. Going through all the photos I could see a few different ways to edit selections out. This is just one of them.

I do find making these 'sheets' helps see how pictures work in a series/set and which of two or more similar ones can be ditched, which speeds up the editing. Already I've spotted some which have sneaked in uninvited, and a good few I can easily get rid of.

 

[sirch]

I'm back to being baffled by the popularity of landscape photography

For me it's about forms, i.e. finding shape and patterns in the landscape but I suspect to some extent its popularity is due to it being low hanging fruit and something that can be incorporated into a walk, family day out or a holiday.

 

[Ed Sutton]

For me it's about forms, i.e. finding shape and patterns in the landscape but I suspect to some extent its popularity is due to it being low hanging fruit and something that can be incorporated into a walk, family day out or a holiday.

Alongside the fact that the landscape is always there I think there's also an aspect of not having to interact with people as subjects in a lot of cases, plus an element of escapism/romanticism.

In other news the eight 'sheets' are already down to four and a half. But my eyes are now well and truly glazed so I'm giving it a rest.

 

[jerry12953]

It's very interesting to see them like that. It's clear how graphic many of the images are, perhaps to the extent of overwhelming the more documentary content. Although the best can have both, obviously...

 

[Ed Sutton]

It's very interesting to see them like that. It's clear how graphic many of the images are, perhaps to the extent of overwhelming the more documentary content. Although the best can have both, obviously...

This initial edit is concentrating more on the graphic pictures. As I went through the near 3000 frames I realised there were more of the documentary type pictures than I'd thought. I'll attack them next and either make two sets or find a way to combine them.

This edit is now down to three sheets of 36, which is a manageable number to work with. I might even print them out at A3.

 

[ancient_mariner]

I find the graphical quality of these very pleasing, though there does appear to be a modest amount of apparent duplication at this scale.

For me it's about forms, i.e. finding shape and patterns in the landscape but I suspect to some extent its popularity is due to it being low hanging fruit and something that can be incorporated into a walk, family day out or a holiday.

Perhaps it's a bit of both. For some, landscapes are probably an unconscious target because there's a connection with the land, either emotionally or because their ancestors worked the fields and have unintentionally passed on some of the practical connection to it. It can be a low hanging fruit as in beauty readily presented to us as we move about, rather than requiring hiring of a model, setting up a studio etc, but I'd see that as legitimate never the less.

For me, I have a side that's drawn to the graphical qualities and a side that's drawn to the pictorial qualities, and the 2 sometimes compete. Occasionally there's a documentary side too, but much less often, and seldom in a landscape context.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I find the graphical quality of these very pleasing, though there does appear to be a modest amount of apparent duplication at this scale.

These 'contact sheets' have been made to enable me to choose between similar pictures as well as make an overall selection. It's strange how one out of a few near identical pictures will work better with certain other pictures (particularly when paired on facing pages of a zine).

 

[Ed Sutton]

After printing three A4 'contact' sheets on copier paper I've got it down to a potential final 50.

No doubt some will go from this lot and maybe some rejected ones will return. Time to sit on this lot a while longer.

 

[ancient_mariner]

This lot are really graphical, emphasised with this arrangement. The one placement I don't get is the muddy field with ruts forming an X being placed to one side, rather than using it as a pivot point for the whole collection.

 

[Ed Sutton]

The one placement I don't get is the muddy field with ruts forming an X being placed to one side, rather than using it as a pivot point for the whole collection.

This is just an unordered selection, that one will most likely go in the next round of culls, along with others which are duplicating each other.

My next step is to thin it a bit more then sort out a sequence. Although I'm liking this large grid arrangement it's a bit impractical to display it - either in hard copy or on screen. I'm also going to play around with a looped slideshow.

 

[Boots]

Really love the strong, graphical, images.

 

[Ed Sutton]

That's 50 whittled down to a more manageable 30. Now to make a zine from (most of) them.

If only I can think of a title.

 

[Boots]

Local patch
Meanygate meanderings
Rural landscapes
A year in the country

Apologies if any of those are horrible clichés, or indeed a title from elsewhere

 

[Ed Sutton]

Local patch
Meanygate meanderings
Rural landscapes
A year in the country

Apologies if any of those are horrible clichés, or indeed a title from elsewhere

No need to apologise.

Something along those lines might end up being used for the overall project collection. But for this selection this is currently this is in the running.

 

[ancient_mariner]

Or even Patterns Of Growth?

 

[Ed Sutton]

Or even Patterns Of Growth?

I started with Growth Patterns and changed it at the last minute!

 

[Ed Sutton]

First time out round the moss for a while and it must be nearly Christmas. Sprouts being picked.





Another failure. I did my best to hide the background distraction of a white car with boot and bonnet raised but couldn't hide the bloke peering at the engine. I should have tried using the flippy screen to get a bit lower to hide him. :banghead:

 

[sphexx]

No need to apologise.

Something along those lines might end up being used for the overall project collection. But for this selection this is currently this is in the running.

View attachment 302566

Growing Patterns does have the advantage of shades of meaning — they are patterns of things growing but also the patterns are growing/changing and so on.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Growing Patterns does have the advantage of shades of meaning — they are patterns of things growing but also the patterns are growing/changing and so on.

 

[Ed Sutton]

It looks like I've missed out on a few things on the moss. No doubt on the back of increased pedestrian traffic in teh middle of nowhere one of the farnms has put up a self-service veg and stuff stall.



I straightened and cropped this one to make it more graphic.



Talking to the farmer who was cutting sprouts the other day the crop was poor. Planted on the 10th August, field flooded on the 11th. Only half as tall as they should be. The field is a muddy mess so he's written it off for this year now. The carrot harvest is long over. It was probably a wet one too.












Not everything was doom and gloom. There were some elves having a stroll!

 

[Ed Sutton]

There was a fairly heavy frost yesterday, so I went for a look as it was bound to offer some slightly different views to illustrate the changing seasons.