30 Days of Photos – Day 25 Landscapes

Blue skies and old barns make for beautiful landscapes. On a day that several are shopping, we spent the day outside with cows.

Day 25 – Landscapes

This is something I struggle with. Landscapes are a beautiful thing to photograph, but it is not something I feel that I really capture the true beauty of. Today as we were headed up to the red barn to work a group of cows, I stopped. The sky, the few clouds, the barn and the windmill just spoke to me. It was my goal to capture what I saw and at the end of the day I will enjoy it more than any time spent in a Black Friday shopping line. 

Canon Rebel T5i
1/1250s
f/8.0
ISO:200

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

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30 Days of Photos – Day 23 Decisions

Decisions shape our everyday lives. Decisions also determine if an image is going to be memorable or not.

Day 23 – Decisions

Every time I pick up my camera I make decisions. Sometimes those decisions have to come fast as not to lose the moment I am wanting to capture. I know several who like to use the automatic feature on their cameras so that the decisions are made for them. When you begin to make the decisions, that is when you will begin to see your images become more than just a picture, they become memorable works of art.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/320s
f/5.6
ISO:800

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

 

 

30 Days of Photos – Day 22 Lines

A fence line is a type of marker. It lets you know where you are and where you can or cannot be. Let its lines lead you were you need to be.

Day 22 – Lines

Lines are not always straight, but they are always leading the eye somewhere. Lines can help an image come together, or lines (like power lines) can be distracting in an image. Fences and fence posts are a favorite subject of mine because of the lines. With this image my light was fading, fast. I increased my ISO to allow more light into my camera and made my f-stop smaller so that you would just slightly see the lines of barbed wire extending past the post. If I would of decreased my f-stop even more, the lines would of been sharper. Lines lead the eye and they also lead the path you take with your photography.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/250s
f/71
ISO:1600

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

30 Days of Photos – Day 21 Below

Being below also leads to an interesting perspective. When you look up, others maybe looking down.

Day 21 – Below

This big guy is the newest addition to the farm. He arrived yesterday and today was the first time I really got a chance to look him over. He will be one of the cleanup bulls we will use on the cow heard after the first of December. From afar he looked pretty good. Up close he looked really good. From below he looked big! So far he seems to have a very gentle disposition and did not mind at all when I laid down in the grass right next to the fence so that I could view him from below.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/160s
f/5.6
ISO:1600

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

 

 

30 Days of Photos – Day 18 Faces

With the security of mom he shows his brave face…

Day 18 – Faces

Every face has a story to tell. This little ones face tells a story of new life and new discoveries. The calves are always the curious ones when I walk into the pasture. Their faces draw me too them, for each one is unique and different. They get close and then dart away, only to come close yet again. This one was enjoying his afternoon meal when I noticed him. He was the only one nursing at the time and paused for a second to take me in with his big eyes. Eyes that are full of expression and life. Like all of the others, his faces tells a story.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/200s
f/5.6
ISO:400

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

 

30 Days of Photos – Day 17 History

Today I took a bit of time to visit a piece of family history. History that has been in our family for over 100 years.

Day 17 – History

What a family jewel this barn is. It has stood on this spot more years then we actually know. My grandmother was raised on this farm and my great uncle still lives here. This barn was used as a milking parlor, had stalls for horses and was used to house sheep. Over the years it has been added on too, gotten a new roof and new doors, but it has always been used. To this day, it has purpose and it will continue to live on and form new history for more generations.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/400s
f/6.3
ISO:400

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

30 Days of Photos – Day 16 Memories

Sometimes you just need to stop and photograph the things that make you happy. The things that bring back the memories.

Day 16 – Memories

I drive by here almost every day. The place has not chanced much in the past 20 years but I know that someday it will. Someday the barn that I played in as a little girl and have fond memories of will be gone. The grain bins that I helped clean out with somewhat fond memories may still be here, but there could be more added to the mix. This is the barn where my first cow had her calf. It is where the milk cow would come each morning and night to be milked. It is the place where we grind feed and stack hay in the loft. It’s the memories that bring this picture to life. For not every picture speaks to everyone, but not everyone has the memories that go with the picture.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/3200s
f/9.0
ISO:800

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

 

30 Days of Photos – Day 15 Finished

We have been waiting for this day for a long time and today it happened. Today we finished!

Day 15 – Finished

Each year when the days get shorter and the corn turns golden, we head to the fields for harvest. We go hoping for a good crop that produces high yields and low moisture. We go knowing the days will be long and sometimes the tempers short. We check the weather on the hour hoping for a bit more time when they say that rain is on the way. We eat at the edge of the field or on a tailgate the meals brought to us. We juggle kids, homework, laundry and business all from the cab of a tractor or combine. We rely on Gma and Gpa to help watch, shuffle, transport and supervise the next generation. Above all these things, we say thank you. We say thank you for the bountiful harvest, for the individuals who helped and for the fact that we finished.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/1250s
f/5.6
ISO:100

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

 

30 Days of Photos – Day 9 Farmers

Farmers are a favorite subject of mine to photograph. You just never know what you might get when you have your camera around one.

Day 9 – Farmers

Yesterday in the field I just wanted to get my yearly picture of the kids in the grain truck with their farm hats on. Since I was on the top of the grain truck with them, I was able to be at the right vantage point to capture this image of my soon to be 68-year-old dad. He is a Farmer. One of my favorite Farmers that I like to photograph. I have pictures of him in the fields, among the cows, sorting hogs and teaching the next generation about farming. In all of these photos you see his dedication, his love, and his passion for what it is that he is doing. Sometimes you see the fatigue and frustration this job brings, but no matter what you see what it means to be a Farmer. And that my friends is something amazing to capture.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/80s
f/5.6
ISO:400

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link

 

30 Days of Photos – Day 8 Harvest

The simple things in life are what matter. Like simply diving into a pile of corn.

Day 8 – Harvest

Like with today’s election, I had multiple choices to use for my picture today. I had the choice of a picture of my farmer father standing on the steps of the combine with his I Voted sticker proudly on his chest. I had another picture of our 13-year-old son proudly standing on the tractor he loves to drive in the field. Then I had this picture. A picture of our daughter playing in a pile of corn without a care in the world and I knew, as great as the other pictures are, this one says so much. For me it says that no matter what this day brings, it is a good day because we are here together and we are doing the things that we love to do. One only needs to choose to put a smile on their face and dive into whatever opportunity may come their way. Maybe even a pile of corn.

Canon Rebel T5i
1/250s
f/5.6
ISO:400

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link