is that your natural colour?

For me, one of the interesting by-products of blogging is that I use my camera much more. As a designer I am, by instinct and training, always taking notice of the visual world around me. But I've found that blogging has encouraged me to record what I see. And what I see at the moment is that the country has turned yellow (though I'm not the first person to notice that, I'm sure). Yes, it's that wonder crop oil seed rape. It's hardly any surprise when you consider that a 500ml bottle of the oil it produces can be sold, as though it were extra-virgin olive oil, for £6. That's nearly 67 times as much as a farmer gets for the equivalent amount of milk. And I bet, even as I type, there's someone out there trying to figure out a way of marketing it as organic so that they can charge twice as much.

But organic is the very last thing this stuff is. And the more chemicals you apply, the more oil it'll give you.

But what interests me is the colour. Because the colour is so unnatural. It's like blonde hair that's been achieved by the application of hydrogen peroxide. And it's interesting (to me at least) that photographing it makes it look even more unnatural. There's something almost acidic in the slight green hue that lingers behind the intensity of the yellow.

Compare and contrast with what nature itself can achieve. Venture into the woods that border those yellow fields and, at this time of year, you'll find carpets of bluebells.

And that shimmer of light and the intensity of the blue is something far more subtle than any chemical enhancement can achieve. And the wonder of it all is that a bluebell has no commercial value.

Comments

[Richard]

Not much to say except really nice post David, thanks.

(Although, if I were you, I wouldn't hang around in those woods so much).

[Ben]

That is a lovely, lovely post. (Sorry for the double lovely Richard.)

Very true.

Great photos.