PHOTOGRAPH INFO

This photograph was taken tonight around 5:30 p.m. Jakey was combining the corn earlier in the afternoon, but the truck carrying the corn kernals got stuck in a mud patch with several tons of corn in it. Jakey and Gerry pulled the truck out of the mud by hooking a chain between the truck and the combine. The combine struggled a bit, but after 30 minutes or so, they got the truck out!

Post-processing: Shot with the Canon EOS 5D and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens at 24mm, ISO 3200, shutter speed 1/60s and aperture f/2.8. Although I've generally had great results (meaning almost no noise) shooting at ISO 3200 with this camera, this shot was rather noisy in the sky area so I applied slight noise reduction using NeatImage. Otherwise the usual curves adjustments and color balancing for tone.

Thank you for visiting Durham Township!

--Kathleen

That is an incredibly awesome photo!

Gorgeous shot, I love your night shots of the farm work

Kathleen...the lighting and angle of the shot make that machine seem like some sort of menacing monster. It's a really great shot. Love the fog around the machine, it really adds to the feel of the shot. (I'm assuming that's fog since we had quite a bit around here last night.)

Looks like an alien ship has landed in the corn field! Beautiful color and lighting.

Was the spot lighting on the man on the left just coincidental? That combine looks like a spaceship in the low light.

Really nice composition in this one. The light almost look like it was set up for the shot.
Too bad about the level of noise in the sky.
- Martin

Wow! Looks like an expedition at Mars :)

WOW - Love it, the lighting is excellent!

Some crazy machines you´ve got there in the states! Wonderful shot as always ;)

Super photo. The night sky is awesome. Have learned so much from your site about photography and farming. Thanks so much.

Nice. Like combining the Matrix.

oh wow.. I love this one. I really like dark pictures and night picture. this one is my favourit of all the night pictures I've ever seen.

Great exposure. Particularly like the way that the chap on the right is highlighted by one of the combine lights.

Everything in this shot says: "powerful." Great machine, love the lights...

Love the responses. Yes, it is the Jabba-the-hut-Mobile and some poor helpless (Jakey?) earthling is being drawn in by the tractor beam. (Get it?...tractor beam......huh?)

I will accept the fog (or exhaust) in the absence of clouds---and as for the "sky noise?" Texture, like gold, is where you find it.

And as for rescueing the corn transporter unite with the Jabba-the-hut-mobile......two thumbs up Jakey! (ouch!)

love the colours and light, simply beautiful... only problem for me would be it being a little soft in areas?? don't know if this was intended

So much noise at the sky and trousers.

This foto at 100% must be so poor.Normally you do not do so bad photos.

Very beautiful night shot with a perfect exposure. Impressive!

Great picture - nice to see these slices or rural life.

Unusual, I like the fact that you got the dusk sky background included

Fear the combine. It doesn't matter if day or night,it's coming for you corn. Great eerie shot.

Really great image. I love the colors.

Wanted to respond to the various questions about this one:

Laurie: It's not fog, it's exhaust from the truck that you can't see behind the combine - the truck they were pulling out of the mud.

bryan: The combine has a side light so the farmer can better see how to steer it at night. Jakey was walking in that side light.

Martin: One of the things about shooting farmers at work is that they don't pose, haha. You have to work fast and take what you get.

Gerry and Jakey were in a big hurry to pull the truck out of the mud because at 6:00 p.m., they still had three hours of work ahead of them milking cows.

JD and Victor: Yes, it's soft and noisy. The lens was wide open, it was shot at ISO 3200, handheld at dusk. I can't work with a tripod in this kind of situation because the farmers and machines are constantly moving and I have to keep moving out of their way. Also, I was standing waist deep in wild blackberry bushes with 1 inch thorns on the canes.... ouch!

Despite the noise and softness I thought the photo told an interesting story.