Hey Tractor, Look At ME

Throughout our road trip, I became increasingly aware of what my next photography purchase must be. No, not an SLR, not a better tripod, not even a set of filters. I am in desperate need of a step ladder. I came across so many fantastic fields, with interesting barns and farm equipment, but a barbed wire fence was always standing between me and a much better composition.

You can imagine the look on my wife's face every time I attempted to climb over such a fence. Her dismay was probably two-fold; she was afraid I might tear my pants on the wire, and she was possibly thinking there was a chance I would get shot at by some cranky property owner. Fair enough, but I've learned that if you want a great photo, sometimes you've got to go to great efforts to get it. If I had a step ladder I would be able to get over the fence without the need to mend my jeans, leaving Bethany with only one thing to worry about. And let's get real, this is Canada, not a Harrison Ford movie; I won't get shot at.

I really want to like this photo, but I can't. I love the lines of cut grass, especially the way they frame the tractor. However, there is one major flaw in the composition. The tractor is facing the wrong direction. It leads the eye directly out of the frame. I believe that the same photo, with the tractor facing towards the lens, would be really cool. I would have been able to take such a picture if I was wandering freely through the field. As it stands, it stinks. Why am I posting it? I guess I just wanted to talk about step ladders.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS, 47mm, f/7.1, 1/125 sec, ISO 50