Lincolnshire is predominantly an agricultural county with arable farming dominating most areas and particularly the Fens. Where the soil is silt, potatoes are particularly favoured. In April the fields teem with vehicles preparing the soil, planting the seed potatoes and banking up the earth in ridges so perfectly formed that newcomers to the district often marvel at them. Their perfection is the result of machinery that is specifically designed for the work and it is not unusual to see as few as three or four men driving the vehicles that quickly prepare and plant multiple tens of acres in a day.
We came upon the potato ridges in today's photograph as we were walking near the Fenland village of Bicker. They retained most of their sharp edges and perfect curves despite the rain of the past few days and the wet snow of that morning. A couple of dog walkers added the possibility of human interest and scale to the photograph so I waited until they reached the top left of the frame before I pressed the shutter.
photograph and text © Tony Boughen
Photo Title: Potato Ridges near Bicker, Lincolnshire
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 150mm (300mm - 35mm equiv.) crop
F No: f5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec
ISO:200
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
