On the same day that I shot images of Wheat ready for Harvest (click here to view that post) I found Barley growing in an adjacent field. Barley seed heads have long awns (or beards) that project out beyond the seed head and are 2-4 inches long.
The awns give the appearance of hairiness (for want of a better term) that is so characteristic of Barley and make it appear as if the surface of the field ‘flows’. On a breezy day the effect can be magical giving the impression of a restless golden ocean. The seed heads tend to droop and that droop is never planar: that makes photography difficult. I didn’t make my task easy by taking just my faithful Canon G10 with me.
However, I am reasonable happy with what I captured. The second image above was an attempt to shoot over the top of the field to capture the waves of barley that are so characteristic of a field. Do try clicking on individual images to enlarge them.
Finally this last weekend I re-visited these fields now reduced to stubble. And this is how the Wheat field now looks.
LensScaper 
Wonderfull images as always Andy! I love the stubble field.
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Thanks Paul. I couldn’t resist the temptation to create a really contrasty shot out of that bleached stubble.
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Fields of Gold 🌾🌾🌾
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I sometimes go back to the shorn fields too ….. Mixed emotions but I love your perspective
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Thank you Kathryn. It’s sad to see the fields shorn, it means the growing season is over and we are heading to Autumn and Winter. I really don’t want to think about that just yet.
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However you posted the photo 🙂 ~
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Great images Andy but that last one is sick. Love it.
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Glad you liked that final one, Len. It took a while to find the sweet spot in the field to shoot this.
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Fabulous shots Andy.
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Thanks Adrian
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Love both images of the barley. You have captured the nature of it very well. I love to stand and watch and listen as it sways in the breeze.
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Thanks Meanderer. It was one of those days when you have an image in the back of your mind, but you just can’t quite get it…. It didn’t help having a compact camera, and being without the Nikon on this walk.
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I love the vantage point on the last shot, Andy. And it seems perfect in black and white.
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Thanks Ken. I had to hunt that one down – I knew exactly how I would process it. It would have been a little easier if I had been using the Nikon with a wide-angle zoom. But I quite like the result.
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Andy – that last shot is excellent. I especially like the texture of the stubble and the way the planted rows are still visible, and the other tracks slicing across the frame ties it all together very nicely.
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Glad you liked that one, Melinda. Actually it was the second day I went out to search for that type of shot – the first day was a waste of time, just couldn’t find a suitable field with the distance needed. On the second day I found a good field, but it took a bit of walking to get some good planted rows and just a little bit extra. Knowing exactly what I would do with the captured image helped a lot, but meant that my search was lengthened. I think it was worth it in the end.
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Do you find that you are more fond of the shots like this one, that you had to work for? (That’s a question I’ve been pondering about my own images. Answer as yet unknown. But I’ll keep you posted.)
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That’s a difficult question – I don’t think I am more ‘fond’ of that type of shot. Fondness to me implies a sentimental feeling and that comes from all sorts of images – special places, chance findings etc. But I would say that images that I struggle to capture bring a particular sense of satisfaction if I get them really right.
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a barley field. Or, if I’ve seen one, I probably assumed it was wheat. It is beautiful, and the “fuzziness” is so appealing. I am such an American. I never see a field like that without thinking of the song “America the Beautiful,” with its reference to “amber waves of grain.”
As for the second… My first thought was, “Only after harvest could a farmer cut across the field like that.” I love photos of fields after harvest. There’s always such a sense of relief and completion. For just a while, thoughts can lie as fallow as the fields — no need for anxiety over rain, or drought, or pestilence.
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Ah yes – the feeling of job done. But I guess there’s always the next season to start thinking about and the autumn sowing of seed. But they deserve a few days off and this year the last two weeks have been dry – ideal for completing the harvest. It was those additional lines that attracted me to that final image – just that little extra bit of interest. As always, Linda, your comments are much appreciated.
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Wonderful captures, Andy. As much as I hate to see the summer close out, these images remind me of the wonderful and colorful Fall ahead. It’s harvest time, always great for we photogs. 🙂
Love that B&W shot of the leftover stubble. Good stuff, bud.
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Thanks Jimi. Yes there is always something new on the horizon to look forward to. Last year I promised myself that last winter might be the last winter I spent in our 150year old house…but we are still here. And so I feel a little demoralized that another winter lies ahead. It’s time we got ourselves a house that is a little more modern, easier to maintain and warmer. I’m hoping it’s achievable in 2015.
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