Artist or Speculator

Creating landscape images of the plains and foothills of Canada offers some unique, non-artistic situations.  I’ve learned about these first hand.

When photographing in such places, the land is usually privately owned and the people living in the countryside are there because they want to be.  They value their land and their privacy.  A passer-by who stops and takes a photograph of their property is often a land speculator—I’ve learned that such people are not welcomed.

This is a different situation than I encounter in the provincial and national parks.  In those locations it is common to see cars stopped and people out with their cameras.  Often, one person stops because they’ve spotted some wildlife and that attracts others to stop and join in.

Most of the time, when I stop along a road in the parks, I’m looking for a landscape scene.  Often, I’ve seen a composition that I find unique as a personally expressive fine art image.  What happens then is that other cars will slow and stop, trusting that I’ve spotted some wildlife that they too might photograph.  I’m always amused to see their questioning looks when they find there is no wildlife to be seen.  Few of them get out of their cars and ask what I’ve seen that is of interest.

When making landscape images along roads in the prairies or foothills, people who stop to see what I’m doing do so for very different reasons.  Those people are usually the local land owners who think I’m a real estate speculator looking for land to market.

This has happened to me many times, but I’ve always been able to assure the person involved that I’m innocently trying to make a fine art image and have nothing to do with land speculation.

Ironically, when I show them my composition, they are often surprised to see how beautiful the countryside is that they drive by every day without noticing.

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I have been on the lookout for a winter scene that I can make into a large print or maybe a triptic for our kitchen wall.

I was out and about on my search the other day.  I travelled north of Cochrane, into the foothills.  There have been some good days recently with snow and frost covering the trees, and I came across this scene that I thought had potential.

I was the only car on that Township Road for as far as the eye could see in either direction, so I just dawdled along in my car until I found what I was looking for.  I parked off the road, then walked back with my camera equipment to where I had seen a potential image.  I had been working away for about 10 minutes, when a car approached from the west.  As it approached me, it started to slow.

I kept focussed on what I was doing photographically, but realised that the person driving the car was probably the land owner and was getting ready to challenge me for taking photographs as part of some land speculation that he didn’t know about.  I didn’t want to engage him.  It was very cold and I just wanted to finish capturing the photographs I needed and get back into my warm car.

He drove slowly past me, then went further down the road, turned around, and came back.  This time, stopping behind me on the road.  He didn’t get out of his car or even roll down the window, so I assumed he concluded I wasn’t a real estate guy.  Within a minute he drove off back in the direction he came from and I never saw him again.

A memorable story occurred in the summer of 2019 when I was driving along a back country gravel highway #614, north of Eastend, Saskatchewan.  I’d been down this road many times and always been taken with the beauty of the valley.

On this day, the sky was clear and the lighting on the land suited what I was looking for.  I found a good location, parked my car on the side of the road, grabbed my camera equipment, and walked up a small hill so I could see further down the valley.  I set up my tripod and camera and prepared to take a photograph.  Just then, a car came around the corner, stirring up the dust on the gravel road.  Oh great, I thought, now I’ll have to wait for the dust to settle again.  The car slowed as it approached my parked car and then stopped.  There were two women in the car.

The driver rolled down her window shouted, “Hi, how are you doing?”

“Fine thanks.  What a lovely day.”

Then the passenger door opened.  The other woman got out of the car and walked up the hill to where I was set up.

“Hello.  I am curious what you’re taking a photo of.”

“Oh…it’s this valley,” I replied, “I think it’s beautiful.  I’m a prairie boy at heart and I love this kind of scene.  This must be a terrific place to live.”

She smiled and seemed more relaxed.  “Yes, it is.  This is my place.”

I never expected that response.

“Have a look at the back of my camera and you can see what I’ve composed.”

She did so, then gave the exclamation that I’ve heard so often, “Wow, that really is nice.  I guess I don’t see the same things you do, even though I’m working the land every day.  Those are my cattle down there.”

We had a great chat.  I told her how much I loved the country around Eastend and that I’d been staying in a guest house in town.  I then explained something that I always do when people stop to talk to me.

“You know, if I were a real estate speculator, I would just stop, snap a photo with my iPhone, and then be underway again.  My work is a lot more involved, as you can see.  I always use a tripod to ensure my camera is stable, then I have to wait for the right lighting on the scene.”

We continued to chat for a few minutes.  She told me a bit of history about her place and about Eastend.  She had lived in that part of Saskatchewan her whole life and had always lived in the country.  As we continued to chat, I learned more about that valley and Eastend than I ever could have on my own.

Another encounter with a local took place in 2009, just north of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.

I was in Shaunavon to open my very first photographic exhibit.  I had been photographing the prairie scenes around Shaunavon and Eastend for a couple of years and had created what I thought were some excellent scenes of the countryside.  I figured that if I couldn’t find some interest in my work in Shaunavon, I’d better forget about photography and find something else to do with my time.

My exhibit was set up in the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre and my opening day went well.  About a dozen people showed up for my art talk and I sold a couple of prints.  I stayed around for a few days and wandered around the countryside taking more photographs.

Just outside of the town I found this abandoned farm.  I came back to it a few times, waiting for the right light.  The image above was what I was looking for—the light at sunset with the expansive farmland behind it.

There wasn’t a fence around the farm, so I parked in a convenient place and went about my work.  After about an hour, a passing truck slowed, turned onto the land, and parked beside my car.  A chap, a bit older than me, got out of the truck and joined me.  From his dress and mannerisms I could see that he was a local farmer.  I purposely tried to be open with him—held out my hand and introduced myself.  I then told him what I was doing in Shaunavon and mentioned my exhibit.  I let him know that the exhibit would be up for a month and I hoped he would take time to have a look at it.

He told me that this farm was where he was brought up.  The land had been in his family for generations.  We had a great chat and he told me a lot about the buildings.  He pointed out to the countryside and explained how large his farm was.  I don’t remember the details, but I do remember it was huge.

I got his address and sent him a print of the above scene as soon as I could.  I didn’t hear back from him.  I trust somewhere within his family, my print is hanging on someone’s wall.

On that same trip in 2009, I had another encounter with a local farmer.  I had set up my camera  on the tripod and was composing when a truck passed me, then turned around up the road and came back.  The driver was a youngish fellow and I enjoyed talking with him, after I again explained who I was and what I was doing.  We chatted for a bit and then he went on his way.

So, that’s the way it is sometimes when photographing the landscape.  All my experiences have been friendly and I’ve learned something about the locals and the local country in every case.  If I had been a land speculator, I don’t think the meetings would have been so pleasant.

PS.

We must take situations as they are. We must only change our mental attitudes toward them.

  -  Maharishi Mahesh Yogi