I was struck with the flaxen hues of many of the mown fields throughout southern VT last week, a color no doubt enhanced by the light rain that was falling throughout most of our trip. “Looks cold and bleak..”, says a friend from GA, where they are currently reveling in camelias and azaleas. If I was looking at this scene in November, with four or five months of winter to come, I might have agreed. But now, here in April, this scene is positively summer-ish, a prelude of the warmth to come.
Three views of a truck – perhaps a hundred yards out in a field – on a overcast day: the first is at 850mm with a Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary, the second is at 232mm with a Canon 70-200mm, and the third is at 64mm with a Canon 17-55mm. My Canon camera has a crop factor of 1.6, thus the longer actual reach. Each exposure was with Aperture Priority and automatic focus, and processed lightly in Lightroom, using only the Portrait mode.
At this point, I prefer the closeup. It has the simplest composition, the most color, and the mystery and intimacy of a portrait.
Nothing ambiguous about this work; the spirit and attitude in the piece is, uh, easily discerned. And I didn’t even show the NSFW element. And the workmanship! Kudos!
Speaking of “a lifetime together”, this remarkable larger-than-life metal sculpture can be found on the Westminster West Road in Putney, next to High Meadows Farm. It was created by a neighbor who lives completely off the grid; Howard, the co-owner of High Meadows, says you’d want this man by your side if it ever came down to “survival”.
World renowned sculptor Jud Hartmann has studios in Grafton, VT and Blue Hill, ME, and has cast over seventy five bronze sculptures in his Woodland Tribes of the Northeast series. This one is called “Deerfield”; the story and a studio photograph can be found on his website here. Wandering around the gallery – I had the place to myself on a weekday afternoon in February – is like stepping into a time machine and going back three hundred years. It’s well worth a visit.
The view to the north, while standing near the center of this wonderful little town, population 627. Despite its size, there are two markets, a library, two churches, and the grande dame of the place, the Grafton Inn and Tavern.
We’re now in the back end of winter here in northern New England, and signs of spring are beginning to emerge. One of my favorites is a more expansive dusk; a month ago, it came and went quickly, now it just lingers, not wanting to miss a thing.
