I KEEP FLIPPING between the three photos.
Original.
Edited.
Or edited.
But I can’t choose a favorite.
I like them all.
I like the lines of the field and drive, how my eyes are drawn to follow that pick-up into the farmyard.
I like the muted tones of grey and blue and those splashes of red in truck and outbuildings.
I like the ribbons of greening grass trimming the driveway, the bare trees edging the farm site.
This rural scene, along Brown County Road 29 southeast of Morgan, pleases me for the memories it holds. Not of this farm, but of my childhood on the farm. My heart is happy every time I travel back to southwestern Minnesota, past the fields and farms, gravel roads and grain elevators…through small towns…
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Strong leading lines (field rows; driveway) grab your attention and bring you into the scene. I see the the light on in the shed and wonder what is in there and then wander off to the right along the tree line. Approx 2/3 the frame is sky giving you a sense of wide-open county. I would very much enjoy living on a homestead such as this.
You nailed it, Dan. It’s the lines and the big sky which define this scene.
I can’t pick a favorite, either. The lines of the fields draw my eye to the barn at the end and the road paralleling the rows just boosts those lines. Great shot and soon those fields will be lush and green!
Lush and green. Yes! I took this shot on the day before Easter.
Beautiful pictures. It reminds me of my Gramps farm that I visited last weekend. I’m still trying to decide if I want to share the pictures I took of its nearly condemned condition. Broke my heart… another happy part of my childhood gone.
Thank you. I totally understand how you feel about your grandpa’s farm. It’s tough to see a place falling apart that you’re so attached to in memories. Yes, share the photos and your thoughts.
The truck is definitely a major feature, this looks just like my drive way!
I don’t doubt that. I’m pretty certain the southwestern Minnesota landscape looks a lot like your area of the country.
I can see the dilemma here! But I like the original because it seems to be the moodiest.
I’ve never been good at choosing. And with images, you always wonder if you’re better off just leaving the original alone. But sometimes I like to play in the photo editing playground.
Original
Thanks for the “vote,” Ken.
My eye likes all 3 too 🙂 I was wondering if their is a dog involved – either in the truck or waiting in the yard or on the porch. I wonder what is being planted in the fields. Beautiful – Happy Day!!!
I bet there’s a dog somewhere. Most farms have them.
#3 wins my vote…lovely photo!
Number 3 features work of the “cartoonify” editing tool.
This is so different to the Australian landscape. We don’t have any prairies and we certainly don’t have a lot of snow! I’d love to visit your part of the world one day xx
You’re always welcome here and I’d love to show you my part of Minnesota. But first you need to visit Wisconsin.
I like number 3, but I would bring the exposure up a bit, maybe 1/3 stop, but not to the point the sky looks like in number two. Might need to back off the highlights a little to keep the sky. I say number three, but the name cartoonify scares me. It might be one of those settings that looks good at web size, but you’d want to avoid if you were printing or displaying large. What software are you using?
You are way ahead of me in photo editing, Ryan. I use GIMP and know only the basics.
I had mixed feelings about the blown out sky. It gives the image a sort of surreal look, though, which is what appealed to me.
I’m going to buck the crowd. I like the second one. It has a clean, whitewashed look that seems to fit a farm shot.
Yeah, I kind of like two also, probably for the mood it sets more than anything. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.