Hey Pat, The Canon Rebel is calling out to me even more so now, after seeing this magnificent, crisp and clear shot you captured!! The colors here are really great, especially that clear blue sky and fluffy clouds. And the composition is right on! Glad to hear that your lenses arrived, and I look forward to seeing what's to come from your new camera.
~lori

wow wow wow.. how can I begin to comment on this pic..maybe I'll just tell you everything I love about it..but first I have a question..this looks like the Dakotas to me.. I thought you were located in the south..but at any rate :) give me a spoon so I can eat up that sky like a dish of ice cream as I wander around these wonderful sweet smelling bales.settle down with my back against a bale in the shade and looks around still licking my spoon.. contemplating the soft green on the horizon line and marvel at the clarity and overall crisp take of each and every still growing ..lol.. (and it needs to be harvested again)..rice?? this is rice??..the texture here is amazing...I've never seen your true eye defined so well before... congrats on your new lenses. I look forward to more fodder for my desktop, my dear.. I definitely have camera envy now :)PJ

Hay! That's a pretty nice shot.Good going.

I will be thanking everyone for everything and anything...thanks.

Ooh Boy! What a cracker honey.....How the hell did you manage to get down on yer 'hunkers' to get this?....I can just see yer now ..Rebel at ready!..lying flat on yer gut! trying to peep through the lens-hole to capture this great beauty!...whatever yer did..yer did it bally great.....Stunning photo!!!!...and.........and.........and it's a keeper on my desktop now!........so thank you for not wanting me to thank you, thank you...........

Well I think it is gorgeous. Simplicty at its best. It has that wonderfull end of summer feeling about it... Where you now that autumn is approaching. Those last warm days filled with activity. Great desktop.

this is a great landscape, the colors are perfect,compliments and thanks for sharing this

Pat, this sure is a pretty sight to see! The striking color variation from front to sky is really pleasing. Such a beautiful sky! That new lens did only as good as the human operating it and this is lovely! Can't wait to see where you test it out next! - Patty

I agree with PJ; reminds me of South Dakota, my state. Why didnt you stop in while you were here?? LOL Love this shot; colors of the sky & bales are excellent as is the clarity! Beautiful, Pat!!

THis is a nice image and I think that it would make a wonderful looking wallpaper. I like the peacefulness of the image. Great work
jason

his is an Image that I have conjoured up in my head every time I go into the country. A lovely shot. Thanks for sharing.

Andy

You don't need any "excuses" Pat (Never did ...Never will) It's a great image for a desktop. Crisp as a bowl of Rice Krispies. A delightful scene to start my morning. However Bob's depiction above about you taking this shot ... has me laughing too hard to continue with this comment. LOL

I guess I should explain growing rice around here. Yes, this is a rice field after harvest. You need lots of water to grow rice. The fields have levies built in them to hold water. Once the farmer has his levies constructed, and the rice seeds planted, he floods the fields with about a foot of water. At just the right time, after the riceshoots begin to pop up above the water, he drains the fields and lets the rice grow pretty much like wheat or oats or any other seed crop and of course at the right time, it is cut and harvested by machine-same kind of machine used to harvest wheat or oats. Then after harvesting the remaining stalks are baled and used for animal bedding or whatever. And yes, this is southern Louisiana. I cloned them out, but along that tree line in the rear was I-10 with big trucks going by etc. I live about 2 miles from this field. And no, I wasn't laying on my gut to shoot this. I was sitting in the driver's seat of my car-you owd geeser Bob, you.
Pat

Beautifully sharp photo with nice rich color, Pat. One suggestion, if you shoot at ISO 100, or 200, you won't get as much noise in that gorgeous blue sky. Boy, the clouds were sure cooperating when you took this photo!

Alexia ...hummmmmmmmmm...I looked at the sky for noise and didn't see any. I normally run "noisey" skies thru Neat Image. I don't know what ISO I shot this at-400 I think. Shouldn't have been much noise at that level, but I appreciate your opinion and will take another look at it.
Pat

Well, you may not be thanking the academy for an award, but I'm thanking you for posting this photo. My uncle farmed for 40 years and this photo brings back many memories. It is truly an outstanding piece of work. It ended up on my desktop and I didn't even realize I'd done it.

I really find this a complete nicely photograph, the Ricefield Bales with on the background beautiful clouds . Very well picture.

Nice texture in this shot Pat ..You have rice bales there and wee have hay bales here ..They look almost the same other than color .. Thank you for sharing this with us ..Learned something today thanks to you.

woooo Pat! that is magnificent! - I really like it! That is some magic lens you have got - just look at the different textures in the photograph - and those clouds are so clear and sharp - you have bought it all to life! I could be standing there myself. looking forward to seeing some more of your experiments! :) Patti

Neat! I like the puffy clouds floating in the background...it's as if everything is sitting still a midst these fields, just waiting for the moment the bales of hay will start to roll up into the sky and just float along too...

Cool 'experiment' ;)

Ari

This is just gorgeous!!! Perfect composition here and that beautiful sky is awesome!!! Keep experimenting!!!! :)))

Pat, this is amazing, the blue sky and clouds, it is so clear and sharp, and a great angle on the bales, great lens, looking forward to much more.

Pat i fully agree with Greg. gr.Wim

Reminds me of home. Except it would probably be oat straw instead of rice. Pretty scene.

Awesome shot and scene! Nice view and sky!

Very nice, +FAVED.