Sometimes photography by driving around can yield some very interesting results. After a while everything the photographer sees is framed as a possible image worthy (or not) of capture. This shot is certainly one of those more worthy ones.

I was moving slowly on country roads to the South of Devenport taking in the scenes, watching the light and looking for photo opportunities. I had decided to take a shortcut on the C133. The road traveled along the top of a crest overlooking a field sloping up and away from the road. The discing of the field had just been completed when the sun came out in force and I saw the tractor come to rest at the top of the far hill.

I was already taken with the color contrasts in what I saw so I pulled off onto the verge and got out with camera in hand fitted with my 70-200mm. I moved up and down the road looking for the best angle from which to take the shot before settling on this position. I took two shots of this scene, one with the lower trees and one without - this one wins, compositionally.

This shot is the first of a five shot series from my trip entitled "The Elements" and represents the first element, Earth. I love all the elements of this shot, the soft sky, the rich earth, the lone tree with its long shadow, the little tractor subsumed by the scale of the scene and the plethora of pigeons feasting on what had been revealed by the tilling.

This is what I call “planning by driving around” as without being out and about you're never in a position to take advantage of that special moment.

I drove past this field just as the farmer pulled up his tractor and the pigeons settled onto the recently tilled soil