Photo No. 4 - Cutting Hay

Perhaps it’s just an excuse, but I’ve been struggling to edit photos since I’ve started this, and I think it’s the new raw files from the Fuji X-Pro2 camera that I picked up this weekend! When I first received the camera I took a handful of photos with my EOS R and the X-Pro2 and compared the raw files, and shot for shot the Fuji photos seemed to have a little deeper blacks, whites seemed slightly raised, vibrance seemed to be increased, and… there was something else, but I couldn’t quite re-create the EOS R raw file when starting with the Fuji file. Then again it could also be that yesterday’s and today’s photos were shot in harsh light, and perhaps I’m not practiced enough in that condition.

In any case, as I was leaving work today I came upon a farmer cutting the hay in his field, and thought the colors and lines would make for an interesting composition! I think the composition did come out well, but I’m still not pleased with the edit… meh, that just means there’s more to work on. on to the photo:

What do I like about this photo

  • The lines of the cut hay

  • The contrast between the hay and the combine harvester

  • The saturation feels better in today’s photo than yesterdays photo of the wind mill

What do I dislike about this photo

The exposure feels too light, and the colors don’t quite seem right.

What could I do to improve upon this photo

  • I should have waited for the harvester to get a bit closer to me, as I had to crop in quite a bit.

  • I had to raise the exposure about 1/2 of a stop. I need to learn the histogram of this camera.

  • I doubt the farmer would have been harvesting, and this isn’t really something I could do to improve, but some clouds would have been nice!

Extra photo-nerd info about the photo:

  • Camera: Fuji x-pro2

  • Lens: 23mm (35mm equivalent) f/1.4

Ian Chase