Depth of Mustard Fields

Mustards in Spring

I’ve been wanting to photograph the mustard fields in Napa, California for a couple of years. Typically, you have to be there in January or February (at the latest) to accomplish this. Well, I finally made it there in early March – and despite it being completely cloudy, I came away with a few choice images to fulfill the dream.

I was glad for the clouds – and the rain that came with them – because we’ve been having a serious drought here in California. The LEAST of all major concerns was whether the mustard seeds would be snuffed altogether out by extreme dry conditions.  As it happened, the rains were late – so the mustard was too… but life has its own force and mind. So here we are, standing in fields of gold! I’m prone to celebrating the little things – and I’m celebrating that blessedly, fantastical fact…

Shallow Depth of Field

I decided to shoot this long, tall vertical shot with a super short depth of field. I like the way the small area that IS in focus grounds the photo and defines the sense of time and place. Which is: standing in a vineyard, in early spring, before the vines have yet sprouted. But it’s not a documentation – it’s an invitation to dream. Because the little bit that IS in focus is countered by the huge amount of the image that’s not… making for a dreamlike quality, where you get to just bathe in gazillions of flowers radiantly glowing in that enlivening, refreshing shade of yellow.

It’s a place where it’s OK to drift, daydream… and just soak up all the new life coming your way.

Now, breeeeeaaathe… 😀