Foreman in a Tomato Field

I haven't been posting that many pictures of the girls lately. That should be changing since we are going on vacation next week and I am taking my camera. I purchased a couple of new lenses and some fun software so that I could make the best of my time on vacation. Consequently, I was out in the fields looking for a subject to shoot.

I remembered a tomato field I shot a few weeks ago and figured that the fruit might be red by now, so I stopped by again to practice at sunset and was lucky enough to stumble upon this tractor parked in the field. To my astonishment, a passerby stopped to see what I was doing. As it turned out, he was the foreman of the field and had worked for this company for over 20 years. He said that the tomatoes would be going to the Del Monte canning facility next week. I asked if I could take his picture and he obliged me, although he engaged me in a lengthy conversation about matters I cannot recall. Afterward, he offered me a watermelon to take home to my family and I gratefully accepted.

This is my second HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo attempt. It is three separate exposures merged into one picture. It could have used at least two more exposures, but I couldn't figure that out in time. You can click on the image for a larger view. Just pick "all sizes" from the top menu.

Update:

I purchased my first DSLR in February this year. It is a Canon 50D and I have several lenses. My new fave is my 24-105mmL by Canon, although I am expecting a Sigma 10-20mm to arrive in the mail tomorrow for my upcoming vacation. I use Photoshop CS4 (where I am really a beginner) and Lightroom 2. This past week I purchased some really fun software products including "Topaz Adjust-bundle" and "Photomatix". These provide HDR and simulated HDR effects. In order to produce an HDR image, you need to take multiple exposures (auto exposure bracketing feature on my camera) and then use a tone-mapping software to merge them. I am having so much fun playing around with this new hobby, but I better get some more sewing patterns designed to help pay for it all!