A Photo eye on Boston & Beyond: farm

"Sunflower Parking"

The sign struck me as odd. I was driving to Plum Island for the day, and had started seeing "No roadside parking" temporary signs for about a half mile. Also odd, since there was nothing around and no reason to park. As I rounded a turn I saw the "Sunflower Parking" sign at a little farm stand. But as I rounded the corner I saw a small field of sunflowers.

I made note of the field and continued on with my trip

Overview of the field

On my way back I kept my eyes peeled.

I saw the field again (above) and decided 'why not'. After I pulled in I was directed to this rutted gravel path to 'go around back'. I didn't hear the banjos playing, but it was close. :) The road just lead back to a fallow field used for parking, where I paid $10 for the privilege.

Path next to the sunflower field

I was not visiting Colby Farm. Doing some searching when I got home, apparently this is one of the top places to photograph a sunflower field in New England. The sunflowers were actually past their peak - many dropping or giving up their seeds, but the field was colorful enough it made for some nice shots. But that did tell me that the field was gown for the photography - if they were selling sunflowers they would have been harvested already.

View from the 'back' of the field

I had an enjoyable time there. I walked around the whole field to see what there was to see. Obviously the side the flowers were facing was most interesting, but on the back side you had a chance to walk into the field a bit and get some close-up shots. For the field overall, I was able to hold my camera over my head to get some field shots - there really weren't any high points to get a nice overhead shot (no rolling hills)

Some highlights

Close-up, high contrast

A little fun with B&W

A stranger posing for her own photo made a great subject for mine

And, of course, I had to get the obligatory selfie (What did we do before social media?)

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Colby Farm also has a small animal collection near by (a few ducks and chickens, a goat or two - no petting) and a farm stand with fresh veg and local meat - Colby farms 20 acres. They also had burgers and dogs on a grill - if you're there with the kids. Right off I-95, it's a nice visit, and would recommend it to fellow photographers, or anyone who is a fan of sunflowers.

Thanks for visiting! Please check out more of my photography on my Flickr page.

I recently took a short trip to Lancaster, PA. The area is beautiful rolling farmland, worthy of a much longer visit than I gave it. But in the day I was there, I managed to take some great photographs.

This is the heart of Amish country, with farms growing corn, tobacco and soy, with plenty of grasslands (not sure if they are unfarmed or just fallow fields).

But even just being there for a day, I took some great photos. And a lightly clouded sky made for some outstanding black and white images. I still would love to head back for a longer trip one day and do some more exploring.

Many of the photos below were taken from a trip on the Strasburg railroad, which gives some great vantage points as you travel through the country side.

Clicking on most images will make them larger.