Focus on Life: Check out - Wide Angle Photography

Heading into the Wide Open Spaces!

This week's Focus on Life prompt from Sally Russick was to check out W  I  D  E angle photography.  When I read this, I instantly thought of a feature of my camera I had read about, but never used. The Live Panorama feature allows you to take a picture while moving the camera (really a little video) and the camera processes it as a wide angle shot.  

What better time than this week to check this out!

I headed out to the Black Dirt farming area near where I work. You may remember the area from last year's Hope prompt. 

This year, in the beginning of March, you have to look closely to find any trace of farm fields. 

I have to say that the Panoramic views came out pretty great. 

And I had a little company. They thought it was funny to pose on the nearby bushes, then flit away.

 And did I mention that it was really cold out, with a steady wind? I forgot my thin gloves, and didn't wear a hat. What we do for our art.... 

Check out others' wide angles.

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on: Feeling Hope

Hope is a little seed.

Who are the most hopeful people you know? 

Unless you live in the country, like I do, you probably won't answer that question with, "A farmer."  Even among those of us who live here, how many actually farm for a living? 

People who grow our food are the most hopeful people I can think of. Imagine placing your entire year's prospective earnings in the ground, and hoping it grows!

The day after Sally Russick's photo prompt, "Hope" arrived, this was our local newspaper front page.

What they are referring to in the headline is the fact that the dominant crop of our most successful farms for many years, has been onions. They grow really well in the "black dirt" of Orange County New York. But you can no longer count on onions to build a fortune, or even pay all the bills. 

But that does not kill the hope of farmers, they have started to diversify and add everything from corn and soy beans, to arugula and rich green grass turf.  

Here are some pictures of hope I captured this week. Not much green showing in the fields yet, but so much hope!

Going down into the prehistoric glacial lake bottom. 

You can see why they call it Black Dirt.

When frost is predicted, it's important to know which way the wind is blowing.  Or maybe the farmer has a small plane. 

It's been dry, so irrigation has started before the crop can be seen. Can you see the rainbows? 

To learn more about the Black Dirt Region of New York go HERE.

To find out how others interpreted HOPE, go to The Studio Sublime.