It’s been some time since I’ve submitted to a photo challenge. Cee Neuner’s Midweek Madness Challenge is, Pick a Topic. Some suggestions are; sky, clouds, trees, grass and landscape.
So here goes.
Below, cornfield in rural Indiana
Cornfield, Indiana
Below, Clouds and sky outside of Shipshewana, Indiana. 
Below, a tree lined road outside of Saxesville, Wisconsin 
Below, Farmland outside of Athens, Wisconsin.
Athens, Wisconsin
Below, Grass and trees. Lexington, Kentucky 
To visit Cee’s page and to seem more participant’s sites follow the link to CMMC – January Pick a Topic from my Photo.
These are all such wonderful photos. It’s so nice to see you back. I’m loving the rainbow and horse photos 😀
Hello Cee,
Thank you so much for the kind words. The horse is a favorite of mine. It was taken at the Kentucky Horse Park outside of Lexington. Beautiful grounds and magnificent horses that are evocative of the Kentucky Derby. Odds are that horse could fetch more money than my house.
Paul
Beautiful photos of these picturesque scenery!
Hello Amy, Thank you so much, and thank you for commenting.
Paul
I’m always drawn to stormy skies. Really digging’ that photo from Shipshewana, Indiana. All of the layers in those clouds give the photo such depth. Love love love!
And theme there the rainbow. Simple colors behind those trees.
The horse photo looks like it should be a 1000pc jigsaw puzzle. The only time I take a halfway decent landscape photo is if I put a dog in it. Heh.
Do you ever print your photos? That rainbow photo is screaming to be printed on metallic. There’s something about having an actual print in my hands that makes it real & tangible.
Love seeing the progression in your photography, Paul. Keep going with it!
Thank you Steve.
I saw the Shipshewana scene when I was on a single lane farm road and just decided to screw the notion of pulling over to the side because there was no side to pull on to. The sky was changing from second to second. Those are rare moments.
The horse is a favorite of mine and I wish I’d spent more time there at the Kentucky Horse Park.
I do occasionally print some of my photos.
When I took the rainbow shot I was on my way back from a pizza farm. Another of those rare moments when the sun was low and peeking below clouds after a rainstorm. I printed a photo of that rainbow next to a red barn. Another shot I took has a double rainbow. The lighting needs some work.
I love your photos and I’m glad to know that you are getting back to it.
Do you ever do architectural shots?
Thanks again Steve. Be well.
Paul
Not really, but I do appreciate all aspects of the genre. I am a fan of older buildings & barns that are off the beaten path. There’s just something about them that draws me to them to explore. Safely, though. Heh.
Hi Paul,
Seriously, not one bad picture. I really love how you frame your shots. How do you decide where to crop?
For instance, the rainbow is central in the Athens, Wisconsin shot, but it’s not centred in the photo.
Why did you keep the tree to the left? Is this even a thought that goes through your head as you take a photo?
eden
Hello Eden,
Off hand I couldn’t tell you if I cropped the rainbow shot or not. I try to remember something called the rule of thirds in which you put your central character in a third of the photo leaving the other two thirds as the supporting cast. Sometimes I follow the rule, other times I don’t think it works. The horse for instance is almost dead center because I liked the frame provided by the trees. The tree on the left in the rainbow photo? Maybe I should have left it out? I think if I go back to my memory card I’ll see about 10 images of the same scene, with different exposures and different compositions. It’s the blessing of digital photography in which I don’t have to pay for processing.
I’ve become more and more conscientious I think, particularly when it comes to annoying little intrusions like a satellite dish or a telephone line. If I can avoid them in the original it keeps me from eliminating them in post processing. If there’s too much of that crap in the original scene I just pass it up (unless it adds to the mood of the shot).
Thank you as always for the good words.
Paul
Oh yes, the rule of thirds! I remember a book of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s and he used that philosophy too.
Regardless, you have a great eye, and as photography is an art, you definitely take better pictures than others I’ve seen.
Lately, I only take shots of food, completely artless!
Those are all very good. I like the ones from Indiana the best.
Thank you Scott. Indiana was a treasure trove of photo ops.
Paul
These are so beautiful, Paul! Refreshing! 💚
Thank you so much Lisa. Stay well!
Paul
I love the skies in your first two shots, especially the stormy one in Shipshewana – lots of drama and texture in the image 🙂 And that Wisconsin road is rather inviting!
Thank you so much Sarah. I was driving on a (barely) one lane farm road when I saw those stormy clouds. Normally I look for places to turn off but this time I just stopped the car, left the motor running and blew off a series of photos. It was one of those times when the sky changes from moment to moment. I’m sure you’ve experienced that.
The country road. Wisconsin has designated rural routes which can be found on a website. That said finding these little roads is not an easy task. More often than not I just ran into them. I took a lot of these kinds of roads during my drive. On a couple occasions I was able to find a turnout next to a river or stream where I could park and have breakfast or lunch.
Thank you again.
Paul
All of these are just stunning!!! As a resident of Indiana now I especially appreciate them – especially the Shipshewana one. I visited there this past summer and loved it.
Thank you M.B. I spent a fair amount of my trip in Indiana. Parke County, Shipshewana/Goshen, Milan, and New Harmony.
Congratulations! I have featured this post on CMMC this week.
I sure hope you have a fantastic weekl
https://ceenphotography.com/2022/01/26/cmmc-january-alphabet-letter-v-anywhere-in-the-word/
Thank you so much Cee. Much appreciated!
I’m drawn to rainbows all the time. I’m convinced they come out for me alone. Ha, ha. Cheers.
I almost believe that this rainbow came out for me. I was on my way back from a pizza farm outside of Athens, Wisconsin. It had been raining for most of the afternoon and just as the sun was at the right angle the clouds parted.