WE REGULARLY FEATURE photo submissions from our Lens on St. Croix Valley photo contest in the pages of St. Croix Valley Magazine and online. This month, we asked Steve Hadeen to tell us about his photograph titled Silo Under the Big Dipper.
Where/when was the photo taken?
Last summer in the St. Croix Falls/Centuria, Wis. region on a farmstead owned by some friends.
What inspired the shot?
I’ve been privileged to be allowed to make images on this private property. I’ve actually made images of this silo and attached “shed”before. More recently, I’ve wondered what it must have been like back in the day when a farmer was working late after sundown or in the wee hours before sunrise. I’ve gotten it in my mind that there was probably a light emanating from it, whether by electric, lantern or some other means of illumination. The light coming from the windows in this image was created through light painting.
What’s your favorite thing about this image?
First, I just love the love light shining in the windows. To me, it adds a story to the image. Secondly, one of [the owners] said it really brought back memories as he used to work on that very farm in the summers with his uncle. It is my understanding that there actually were late nights or early mornings where he would see light shining out those very windows! It brought back poignant memories of his time on the farm as a younger boy. It always thrills me when my images move viewers personally.
