# Old Tractor in the Vineyard



## motojoe (Jun 15, 2010)

I was out for a day of wine tasting in Sonoma, CA when this tractor called out to me as we pulled in to one of the wineries. There were lots of things to shoot at this spot, but there was something about this tractor that spoke to me.

This is a 3 exposure HDR shot hand-held.

You can read more about this shot by visiting my photo blog @ http://anvilimage.com/2010/06/11/out-to-pasture-listen-to-your-heart/ . 

Out to Pasture






Thanks for looking!

  -joe


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## ucfjag (Jun 15, 2010)

Very cool shot! I love it!


-Paul


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## Big (Jun 15, 2010)

Frame it! Seriously


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## ruaslacker2 (Jun 15, 2010)

great shot.....


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## Browncoat (Jun 15, 2010)

Awesome!  :thumbup:

I'm usually not a fan of HDR because so much of it is over-tweaked.  This shot captures all the subtle shadows and highlights, which is just what HDR was meant to do.  Great job!


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## rjackjames (Jun 16, 2010)

awesome capture, I love it....i agree u should frame it.


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## motojoe (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks for your comments, everyone! I appreciate it!

@Browncoat: I'm not a hug fan of the over-saturated, blown out HDR's, either. When I tell people that I do HDR, that's usually what they think of...

  -joe


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## KvnO (Jun 17, 2010)

Way to go.  I really like the sky too.


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## pbelarge (Jun 17, 2010)

Joe
Sorry, but I do not see what others here see in this photo.

The tractor is not the star here, too many other distracting elements in the photo.

1. The sky I like, but is overpowering the tractor.
2. The field behind the tractor, even with the HDR treatment is blown out and distracting.
3. It must have been windy, the tree is out of focus and makes it difficult for me to look at the photo.

4. The tractor looks good, but it is too small relative to the overall size of the photo.

My eyes bounce all over the photo, with the sky drawing most of my attention.


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## D-B-J (Jun 17, 2010)

^^ wow, tough comment.  I like it, although i do feel that the sky overpowers the tractor. Still, a great shot.


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## pbelarge (Jun 17, 2010)

D-B-J said:


> ^^ wow, tough comment.


 

I do not know if I would call this a tough comment. It is just my opinion - which is contrary to the others here, so Joe can take it how he wants to.




To the Joe:
I have not seen what others here have seen, in no way is my comment meant to be disparaging. There is a lot to be said for learning from mistakes, and some of the best learning comes from making comments and waiting for response to see if I hit a mark.


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## Curt-Kurt (Jun 17, 2010)

Fantastic shot! I love those whispy looking clouds. My only problem is that I wish you were closer to the actual tractor. Im getting easily distracted by all the other elements in the photo.


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## moolie (Jun 17, 2010)

Absolutely breath taking beauty!


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## indigirl555 (Jun 17, 2010)

i like the vibrant colours in this picture, well done with the balance component!:thumbup:


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## supraman215 (Jun 17, 2010)

the sky makes this picture...awesome.


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## Dominantly (Jun 17, 2010)

I really like this shot. Awesome framing, and good work with the tone mapping. I would have it printed.


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## brianT (Jun 18, 2010)

This is an amazing HDR.  Everything comes together nicely.  The only thing I would do if it was my photo is increase the saturation in the sky.  Make the blue sky more blue.  Currently, the sky looks too 'grey' in my opinion.  Otherwise, the scene has all the elements in place: tractor, tree, and vineyard.


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## Dominantly (Jun 18, 2010)

I think the sky is perfect as is. There is so much range in this photo, that if you deepen the blue of the sky, it might push it over the top IMHO.


I really like the "attitude" of the tractor. The way it's wheels are angled coming over the hill, it looks kinda sassy if that makes sense.


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## Breaksteel (Jun 19, 2010)

This is something I would have framed and put on a wall somewhere in the house. Perfect shot!


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## pbelarge (Jun 19, 2010)

Okay, I am reading all of the responses and I still do not see what everyone else is seeing. I am distracted by the sky catching my eye and bringing me towards the back of the photo and the field being so bright.


Joe
If you are still viewing this thread, do me (a _blind in one eye and can't see out the other eye,_ guy) a favor if you do not mind.
Crop some of the top and left side off of the photo. See how much more powerful the tractor becomes....


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## Dominantly (Jun 20, 2010)

It's not just about the tractor!

You have the cloud trails in the sky leading off to the horizon, at the same time you have the grape vines leading you to the same place (and the road on the right). At the horizon you have sun which appears to be on it's way down.
The tractor, the tree, the vines, the clouds... they all come together to make the photo.

You seem to be way too focused on just the tractor in my opinion.


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## Moodyville-ain (Jun 20, 2010)

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. 

But I'm with everyone else. Personally I find the elements work together. For me the tractor is just one element of the composition. When you think of vineyards, you think of long rows of trees, a big sky, grass, equipment (the tractor in this case) The tractor isn't the main subject, its part of it, the subject is the vineyard scene and what people have in their minds eye when they picture one. For me this is bang on.


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## pbelarge (Jun 20, 2010)

I am not here denying the other posts are incorrect in their assessment of the photo. What I am trying to see is what the title of the photo means.
It could also be my uncalibrated screen - which I hope to resolve within the next 2 weeks.


When I open my 24" screen, my eye is drawn to the sky, it and the tree are the dominant portion of the photo. The sky draws my attention to the back of the photo. The vineyard is blown out and acts like a buffer between the sky and the tractor.

The tractor, its position, the treatment that Joe has of the tractor are all good - within the small portion of the photo - that is why I asked Joe to possibly crop the photo to bring more attention to the tractor. The overall photo is okay.

I just thought based on the title, the tractor is supposed to be the subject of the image.


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## Dominantly (Jun 21, 2010)

It has to be your monitor then, because the vineyard is not blown out.


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## motojoe (Jun 21, 2010)

Whoa there!! I've been away for a few days wrapped up in a Win 7 64bit upgrade and had yet to check in until today. It's cool to see motivated and inspired responses on both sides of the POV.

@pbelarge and others: I take no offense whatsoever to any constructive criticism and, in fact, I appreciate trying to see someone else's POV regarding my images. It can sometimes be the hardest to detach yourself from your work so that you may look at it more subjectively.

I've been running a large version of this image as the desktop background on my machine with a 30" calibrated monitor for a few weeks here and, for me at least, the vineyard is not blown out but I will admit that reducing the vibrance just a bit in the yellows may help.

Thank you, EVERYONE, for your comments!


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## nchips1 (Jun 21, 2010)

Big said:


> Frame it! Seriously


THIS THIS this


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## motojoe (Jun 21, 2010)

P.S. With respect to the title, I may have muddled the it since I title the thread "Old Tractor in the Vineyard" but I actually titled the image "Out to Pasture." To me, the environment that the tractor is in should play to the viewer's overall interpretation as much as the tractor itself. 

I, for one, think that would be an excellent spot to spend the rest of my days...


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