Fauquier County - Ayrshire Farm

I was very pleased with myself - I actually did everything I'd planned to do this weekend! Today, I'll talk about Ayrshire Farm, my pictures, and what I learned.
First, the entire Flickr set is here. I'm only posting a few pictures today.
The farm is about 60 miles from my house. Transportation from the parking lot to the main property was done by tractor! Here is one picture:

You may wonder why I took a picture like this, with the top of the tractor visible. I had a burst of inspiration while I was riding. I'd taken a few boring pictures, and then fell into this one by accident. I really liked the lines and the feeling of movement that this gave, so I took about 30 of these. This one was one of my favorites.
My telephoto lens came in handy that day, too! I found some turkeys on the far side of the property. It was very difficult to take these pictures, even with my filters, though. Here's an example:

The picture is a little bright, but I think this captured what I was going for - turkeys in motion. Lots of them, to be sure! The telephoto lens was used here, because I was standing far away behind a fence. I need to practice more with this lens and the light. This is progress, though!
This picture almost got me in trouble:

I think it's beautiful! Unfortunately, I wasn't supposed to be standing there. There were no signs, so I went for it (remember that I'm in sales - it's what I do). Someone came up to me and let me know, and I graciously stepped away from that area. It's too bad - I would have wanted at least a few more shots. I loved the way this is framed, as well as the blue sky. The lesson learned here for me is that you should always try. If someone says no, they say no. Just try not to break the law - the woman wouldn't have been so nice had I tried something blatantly illegal.
You may wonder why I didn't take any pictures of the property itself. Actually, I did, but I didn't like any of the shots. None of them did the house any justice, in my opinion. Here is one "glamour" shot of the fountain and surrounding greens:

This really shows how lush the property is, even if you can't really tell where I am.
All in all, I found this shoot very challenging. I needed and used all of my lenses, filters, and brainpower to set up and execute. I want to improve my pictures of buildings, just so I can have a more complete portfolio for the future. I would want to market these to different properties, and being able to take a picture including the main building would help complete the look.
Till tomorrow!

Activities Galore

So much to do, so little time - this cliche definitely applies to life during the next few days! This weekend, two art/photography related events are high on my list:

Loudoun County Farm Color Tour
Bethesda Row Arts Festival

The farm color tour could be an excellent source of inspiration, and hopefully some excellent photo opportunities, too. My friend Julie of Ivandale Farms recommended Ayrshire Farm, as well as her own farm, of course. I think I'll start there, and see what else I have time for. I will take my entire gear (making sure to charge my camera batteries), and I'll keep an open mind. I'm hoping to be able to escape to someplace as peaceful and pretty as this:



The festival, thankfully, is a 1.5 block walk from where I live. There, my plan is to take a close look at other photographers' work. I always enjoy exchanging ideas with "the professionals". Frankly, it's always good to compare my work with theirs. I want to sell my work one day, too!

Have a great weekend! Until Monday!