Rule of three.

The work week was finally over and my husband was heading out for some kite skiing after work.  This left me free to look for some photographs.

DPChallenge has some interesting challenges right now, all having something to do with the number 3, three equivalently strong subjects, 3 primary colors, 3 camera techniques.  (The rule of three, where you have three equally strong subjects, is one of my favorite photographic compositions.)  So today's goal was three subjects.  I noticed the windmill farm as I drove home, fabulous subjects, but after more than an hour driving around to several locations, and walking around in some bitterly cold wind trying to find a shot I could frame just right, I came away with just one decent shot.  (At one point I had driven on a road so rural that I ran into a snow drift my car wouldn't have made it through - so I parked and walked - brrrr - then there was no shot - bummer.)

But then as I finally made it home to Watertown I wondered what our local art museum might have.  (It has a lovely outdoor area, and some nice trees.)  I found one set of trees I liked and two shots later I had it...

Here was my best windmill shot.  It was a lovely sky today, but I just didn't find the perfect angle or location to get three well-spaced windmills.

See on,

Julee

Renewable.

Success. 

And what a fun afternoon!  Despite feeling a bit of pressure because it was the last day to submit a photo in the DP Challenge "Barns, Farms, and Rural Landscapes," I remained determined to keep trying right down to the deadline if necessary.  Really, I couldn't find a rural photo worthy of submitting to the challenge?  I live in South Dakota for goodness sake, one of the most rural states in our great country, how can this be so hard?

I had a plan of taking yet another route home from work then stopping at any landscape view that seemed interesting.   But before I got to my planned exit I happened to glance at some windmills in the distance.  (Windmills I rarely take notice of even though I think they're awesome.  Many days they just blend into background.  Thankfully today they stood out.)

I decided that windmills would definitely make my photo unique so I turned my car the opposite direction from what I had planned and just drove towards the windmills.   After about 5 miles I turned on a gravel road that I hoped would get me close.  It took about three more miles, but suddenly I knew I had my shot. 

This shot is with my beloved Lensbaby.  I loved how the concept of renewable, and how our state's contribution to renewable was represented by this photo.

I also love hay bales and just a quarter mile down the road I was able to capture this beauty.    

From watching other photo challenges on DP Challenge over the past year, it appears that 'blurred' photos aren't always the favorite and so I also got a few shots with my regular telephoto lens.  (Plus it is hard to tell on the camera screen how well my Lensbaby shots come out, so I figured I would try to have a 'safe' shot that I knew I liked.)

I feel like a champion.  Finally staying focused enough to capture a shot I knew I could find, plus overcoming my fears and starting to participate with the photography community. 

See on.
Julee