Wide Open Spaces
Wide Open Spaces is a collection of my photography that focuses on the more rural areas of Halifax and Charlotte Counties in Southern Virginia.
Tobacco Fields
Once the primary crop of Halifax and Charlotte County, now hidden away from the public. My dad has told me about how every open field around the two counties was filled with tobacco. As far as the eye could see over any field was nothing but an ocean of green tobacco leaves and perfectly groomed rows. Yet this is only one part of the hidden beauty of this crop. Where else would the beauty be in a field of tobacco? The beauty is in the hard work that this crop requires. My dad tells stories of days pulling tobacco that start as the sun rises and do not end until the sun sets. Knowing that someone has spent countless hours tending to this one field between watering, weeding, topping, and pulling is where the beauty of this crop is.
The Point
The Point is a beach that is located in Staunton River State Park in Halifax County and is a peninsula where the Dan and Staunton Rivers merge together. It is completely secluded in nature. The only way to access it is to walk a small trail through the woods and it is relatively not known about. That is one part of the hidden beauty of the Point, the fact that so few people know about it. Another part of the hidden beauty is the peacefulness of the nature that surrounds it. The only noises that can be heard at the Point are the water hitting the sand, birds chirping, and the wind rolling through the trees behind. In the picture, there is beauty in the sunset across the river. There is also beauty in the seclusion, and in my opinion that is more beautiful than the sunset. While the sunset is what catches the gaze, the way there is nothing but sand, trees, and water is where there is beauty hidden in this picture.
Flooded Creek
This is an old creek that is about two miles from my house that my friend and I stumbled across one day driving around looking for new creeks to fish. This picture was taken the day that we first stumbled across this creek. Along the bottom of the photo is a beaver dam that was built and completely flooded the areas surrounding the creek. Right above that is a mirror-like reflection of the sunset across the water. That is what stands out most to me in this image because it completely eliminates the glare. The reflection of the setting sun is crystal clear.
Moonlit Field
This picture may seem dark and hard to see what is within the picture. That is what makes this picture stand out to me. Very faintly the broad field can be seen in the moonlight. What would be beautiful in such a dark image?
The beauty of this image is the nature that is hidden within the darkness. The silhouette of nature being shown through the moon peaking from the clouds. This is a field that my friends and I have spent countless hours riding dirt bikes, in fact that is what I was doing when this picture was taken. Not only is the beauty of this image the nature being hidden, it is the memories that are present in this field. While the beauty of nature may be hidden, the memories for me stand out clearly.
