Canola time of year

Ever since I started shooting (oh so many years ago), I’ve always wanted to do a shoot in a canola field. But every year, around September/October, something thwarts my grand canola plans! Canola, for those who don’t know, gives us those amazing fields of yellow that stretch forever. The problem with canola is the longevity, the best tone of yellow is in the first week or two of the bloom, and then it dulls off and thins out after that. Here’s an example of only average canola, taken today near Werribee (between Geelong and Melbourne) – this batch is now a few weeks old, and the coverage is thinning out. Plus, when it gets older, it’s also really tall and less suitable for models or fashion work.

2 years ago I found the best canola fields around, out towards Lal Lal, but I didn’t have any models with me (must have left them at home on the charger!). So I dutifully noted the date in my diary, and committed to coming back the following year. Last year I went back to the same fields (with model!), only to discover canola was not on the menu (I think wheat was though!!).

The fields in the photo above were a surprise – In 15+ years of driving between Melbourne and Geelong, I’ve never seen those fields used for anything useful, particularly not something bright and distracting like canola! Drivers have been taken by surprise too, lots of people stopping to take photos, or drifting all over the road as they crane their necks to get a better look!!

Booking it in my diary again, perhaps next year I’ll get a chance to take a model to a canola field and get the shot that’s been in my head for over 3 years now!!

(BTW, image taken on my new iPhone, 1/2700 @ f2.8, I’m pleased!!)