This has always been a peaceful and fond recall scene for me over the years. I grew up in the area of So Cal known as the Inland Empire. Of course in the early days it was merely known as the Riverside and San Bernardino county areas.
With that said, most all of the open land in the two adjoining counties was used for farming, ranching, all types of fruit and vegetable groves or fields and just basically all known agriculture products.
As a result while growing up I worked as much and as often as I wanted to in those days. I started in strawberry fields at 10 years of age, worked into potato fields and produce warehouses and finished off as a mechanic on the largest ranch in So Cal at the time just before entering the military at 17 years old.
So, lots of history and lots of changes since then to a point that finding the solitude of open grazing meadows such as this scene are near impossible to locate in the area any longer, sadly. This Aero motor windmill was still pumping when I shot this back in the early 90's. I was lucky to capture this on a Sunday morning before there was any activity in the fields around the mill. With a loupe on a light table or blowing this image up to 100% there is a meadowlark perched on top of one of the upper blades. As quiet as it was I could hear him even as far as I was from the mill that morning.
Thank you in advance for your C&C's and please review the LARGER version by clicking on the image.
Mamiya RB67 ProSD - Mamiya C 65mm lens -2 Stop ND - Velvia 50
Comments
15 commentsVery evocative! The lone windmill, the vast rolling landscape, the soft and hazy morning light—all bring back memories of an earlier and better time. Bittersweet and haunting shot.
This is spectacular, Paul! There are so many wonderful, inviting colors here. I can hear the windmill creeking as it pumps. I'm also thoroughly enjoying the great sense of distance that far ridge provides. Feels very much like the Nebraska sandhills, where I grew up and yes, it does feel like a throwback to a distant era.
Indeed a very peaceful scene, Paul! Very nice sky and the soft light is just perfect for this shot. My only nit would be that there seems to be some greenish stuff in the sky to the left, which looks a bit unnatural. But a really nice shot, I understand why you like this view.
Thank you all for the reviews and suggestions / ideas.
@ Roel, good catch and I agree on the sky. Here is a rework addressing that area.
Real nice rural scene, Paul. The repost works for me. Very well done.
Paul: you've captured a wonderful scene. There are soft rolling hills, a pastel color palette and a perfectly placed windmill. Love it. Richard
Paul: you've captured a wonderful scene. There are soft rolling hills, a pastel color palette and a perfectly placed windmill. Love it. Richard
Interesting early morning light Paul, one of my favorites of yours for its simplicity & effectiveness.
I think I see dew/moisture glistening on the grasses FG, nice.
I agree with the others that this peaceful image takes one back to a simpler time. With the world in seeming chaos today, I think many (us old timers) will look at an image like this with great fondness..
Love the soft pastel colors of the sky, and the placement of the windmill in the frame.
The repost makes this even better, well done!
Wow Paul! This is such a beautful serene pastoral scene. Great pastel colors and nicely composed. I know what you mean about it being tough to find such places in Southern California these days. Especially with the drought we are in right now. Thanks for sharing this from the vaults.
I really like the sense of time here. The color and the comp ain't that bad either. While enjoying the view, I thought what a great idea for the weekly challenge... I saw that you had already submitted it! My guess; we could probably find a pastoral scene like this in almost every state. Maybe we could add that to the challenge.
I'm late to the party, as usual, but I like this a lot. The repost works very well. It certainly does bring back memories of a gentler time.
--P
this is a great story and an Equally amazing photo congratulations for the EP, you deserve it
this is a great story and an Equally amazing photo congratulations for the EP, you deserve it
this is a great story and an Equally amazing photo congratulations for the EP, you deserve it
Congratulations Paul, this deserves the spotlight..