Westeremden Wheat

The sun sets over a wheat field in rural Groningen, The Netherlands.

Whenever people ask me about how I get my photographs to look the way they do, I always tell them preparation and being there at the right time is key. I very much believe that's true, but I guess this photo is an exception to that rule...

After I took the girls to bed, I looked outside and noticed a great looking sky. I quickly checked the forecast (we did have a lot of rain today and I didn't want to get caught up in yet another thunderstorm) and I quickly looked at The Photographer's Ephemeris to see if there would be any fields nearby that would lend themselves for an impromptu sunset shoot. I found one, grabbed my photo gear and drove off, not having the slightest idea what would actually be on that field. So much for preparation.

How about being there in the right time? I managed. Barely, but I did. I always want to be at the location an hour before sunset, but in this case there were only 20 minutes or so left. So much for being in time.

It turned out I was lucky tonight. The field was a wheat field and the sky looked amazing. I parked my car, set up my gear and started shooting. This was the third shot of the evening; the first two were needed to fine-tune the exposure. Lucky me :-)

Worth watching somewhat bigger I think...