Crisp, straight roof lines define buildings on this farm site along U.S. Highway 14 just minutes west of Springfield in southwestern Minnesota.
I NEVER TIRE of the crisp lines that cut across the southwestern Minnesota countryside. The razor sharp edge of a barn roof. The thick, defined rails of train tracks. The precise spacing of orderly crop rows.
This rich farmland, more familiar to me than any place on this earth, has always been defined by lines. It is the visual perspective I hold of this land that holds my heart.
Crop lines along U.S. Highway 14 west of Springfield in a field that awaits planting.
I cannot view this prairie place without seeing those strong, bold and definitive horizontal lines.
It is the expanse of the sky and of the land in this visually uncluttered place that naturally draws my eyes to rest upon the lines, to lock onto a spot that connects me to a concrete object or to the earth.
This barn stands strong and sturdy between Sleepy Eye and Springfield along U.S. Highway 14.
Consider this perspective the next time you travel through western Minnesota. Forget your preconceived notion of this as a place you simply must pass through to get from point A to point B. View the land and the sky, the small towns and the farm sites, the endless vistas with your eyes wide open, appreciating all that unfolds before you.
A farm site with a smiley face on the barn, between Sleepy Eye and Springfield.
Just west of Springfield off U.S. Highway 14, a gravel road and an orange snow fence cut horizontal lines across the prairie as do the low-slung farm buildings.
A pastoral hillside scene on the edge of Courtland along U.S. Highway 14.
Railroad tracks edge past this farm site along U.S. Highway 14 between Essig and Sleepy Eye. To the right in the photo, a tractor awaits the planting season.
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Thanks for these photos of the land beside Highway 14. They made my morning.
Jeff Johnson
You are most welcome, Jeff. I had a little bit of fun with photo editing, giving those rural images an artsy quality. I see by your blog that you are a Springfield native, which would explain your appreciation for these photos. Thanks for visiting your home area this morning via Minnesota Prairie Roots.
Beautiful country scenes, love the HDR photo’s. I must travel Southwest sometime this summer, just got to pick a day and drive it. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Jackie. These photos happened, by accident, when I was playing around with photo editing tools. I was so pleased with the “mistake” on the first image that I duplicated it with subsequent images. I possess only minimal photo editing skills. The results may not appeal to everyone, but I like how the lines became more defined.
Yes, you MUST travel to southwestern Minnesota. Many people don’t appreciate the flat land and wide open space. But I do. And I’m certain you will, too, with camera in hand.
I just LOVE the technique! It certainly turned great photo’s into stunning works of art! They are WONDERFUL! What software are you using? How do you do this technique? Inquiring minds want to know and want to try it out myself!
When I can remember/figure out how I created these artsy images, I’ll let you know. It was purely by accident, but done with simple software. Perhaps the in-house techie can help me “remember” how I manipulated these images.
Oh yes, the Minnesota countryside is beautiful! Of course growing up in the area is what makes it special. Farm land that is flat where you can see for miles is so peaceful. But I also love the trees and mountains of parts of the rest of the country. Each section has a beauty and a peace of this earth.
Dorothy
Yes, we all appreciate certain areas of the country for different reasons. You have traveled much more extensively than me. When I’m among too many trees, I find myself wanting, needing, to see space, any space that is open.
Wow. Wonderful photos and I love the theme You presented here. Thank You.
Thank you to someone I know appreciates the land as much as me. Readers, follow the link in this writer’s comment to see the work of a Finish-based photographer.
I love the photo of the barn. We don’t have barns like that here. I love how they are painted such a vibrant red. Beautiful images Audrey xx
Thank you, Charlie. Not all barns in Minnesota are as well-kept as the close-up one you see here. In fact, many have fallen into heaps of rotting wood. It is oftentimes cost prohibitive for landowners to restore barns. Yet there are many who do restore and maintain their barns and for that I am grateful. Barns are such an important part of our rural heritage and history.
You do a good job of convincing me that there is beauty around here!
Well, thank you, Gretchen. And I know you need some convincing when it comes to horizontal landscapes.