Tag: arable field

6 December 2024

This is my first venture into book publishing other than on a one-off basis. Field Studies is my tribute to our farmers and their influence on the landscape. Taking photos of arable and grassland fields was a project I started more than 20 years ago, and which still…

16 June 2020

… when the living is not exactly easy for all sorts of reasons, but is certainly simpler – and sometimes, quite wonderful. Unable to sleep, I got up just after sunrise and found lots to enchant me just a few minutes’ walk from home. Despite the hour, it…

30 July 2018

It always surprises me how hard some people find it to identify these widely-grown crops, even those who live in the countryside. They are all  species of grass bred over thousands of years, and generically known as corn (as in cornfields). Just to add to the confusion, their…

25 June 2018

Tonight I visited one of the many Iron Age hillforts in the local area. The one atop Pilsdon Pen (one of the highest hills in Dorset at 277m, second only to Lewesdon) has a commanding view over the Marshwood Vale to the sea southwards, and far into Dorset,…

6 July 2016

I’ve long been fascinated by farmers’ fields, both as objects of man-made beauty, and photographic subjects. There are lots of arable and pasture fields near my house, and they have proved a source of great inspiration to me – whether newly ploughed in autumn, frosted in winter, full of…

4 July 2008

A study in green – ripening wheat on Salisbury Plain. A stop by the side of the A303 (surely one of the most rewarding roads for the arable enthusiast?) on the way to a friend’s funeral yielded this unexpected image. The lush soft green was captivating, and the…

20 May 2008

Ceres walks through the crops, her hands brushing the ripening ears as she moves silent and unobserved in her rustling domain. Barley is a wonderful crop to observe on a breezy day, as the awns sway and shimmer, catching the light and delighting the eye. The camera can…

2 April 2008

Most people drive up and down the A303 oblivious to the wonderful chalk country either side of the road. But I have to make a conscious effort to concentrate on the road rather than admiring the scenery. A few times, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to…

18 July 2006

A chance shot seen on the way to photograph a friend’s lavender farm. Rolling countryside near Winchester compressed with a telephoto lens to accentuate the topography. I was taken by the mauve-green shimmer of the nearby field, which is planted with Phacelia – a green manure crop, but looks more…

29 June 2006

The field just behind our house one warm June morning, before all the dew had burnt off. Either the seed wasn’t well cleaned, or the sprayer missed a lot of weeds, but it was a picture for just a few days. I liked the contrast between cool shadow…