Clouds and Fields (part 1)

I'm an author, not a photographer.

All of my pictures are snapped on my ordinary iPhone. I do crop my photos but that's it. No filters.

 My original goal of taking pictures had to do with helping people grasp the beautiful images I attempt to describe in my novels.

If Thomas Nye shares any of the traits of a photographer, it's the recognition of natural beauty and a desire to capture a glimpse of it to share with others. I do this in my books as well as with my cellphone pics. Can you believe the glow of light and color within those clouds?

It just so happens that my wife and I have a Sunday evening passion for driving through Amish country. We climb aboard my old pickup truck and take our dog Wesely and a bowl of popcorn. Moving about the speed of a buggy with our windows down, we take in all the sights, smells, and sounds of Amish country. We've had a great run with amazing clouds and I'm excited to share them with you.

My horses are used to being captured by an iPhone. This selfie (above) of Karma, Karla, and myself might look photoshopped. Nope, it's not.

Golden and ripe for harvest, a field of oats contrasts green ditches and growing corn. (above) You can see an Amish cemetery notched out of the field and three Amish farmsteads under beautiful clouds. An Amish schoolhouse (below) sits behind a field of alfalfa hay. Clouds can add such depth and power to a tranquil scene. If these pictures catch your interest, then you may love reading my books.

Here is a link for a description of my stories: Novels by Thomas Nye

I hope you enjoyed these photos. They were all taken over the past couple of months. I titled this blog (part 1) because I have more "clouds and fields" pictures to share with you. Watch for (part 2) Be sure to click "Follow" on the sidebar of my blog to be notified when I publish new posts. You might also want to "Like" @AuthorThomasNye on Facebook.

Sunset / Sunrise Tour

 My last few blog posts have been tours... let's keep it going. These sunset and sunrise photos were all taken with my cellphone over the past two months. Believe it or not, I didn't touch the color or use any filters on any of them. Those are my horses, Karla and Karma, grazing as the sun comes up.

Karla heads for greener grass as the skies light up. It just so happens that we've had some incredible clouds at dusk and dawn leading to some photogenic moments.

This Amish phone booth serves the family that lives in the farmstead in the background. They can't just pick up the phone on a whim. You may recognize some of these pictures if you follow my Amish Horses Facebook page.

I snapped this beaut as I headed out to do morning chores. I couldn't believe the colors.

 This picture is of the same Amish farm as the phone booth photo. I travel this road to work every morning, therefore it's often a subject for my phone camera art.

 This photo has an interesting twist... it was taken early in the morning, but we are looking due west! Our bright sunrise lit up the entire sky... even the western view. The Amish buggy horses contrast the sky perfectly.

 Another Amish farm waking up under a glorious sunrise. It may look quiet here, but I guarantee that the family has been up for a while when I drive past at 7:00 am. In fact, chores are almost done and breakfast is on the table.

 A white draft horse highlighted in the morning light. Anyone that drives highway 1 between Kalona and Iowa City should recognize this Amish farm and white Percheron.

Open fields under the heavens.

 Another early-morning walk out to my barn.

Sunset silhouettes fences and horses.

 The sky glowed as orange as a pumpkin this evening. Click on each photo and take a closer look.

Amish Life 101

I passed an Amish farm on my way to work one morning and got this photo of their barns.

Amish life 101, begins with horses

Working with horses is second nature to an Amish child.  Hardly a day goes by that they don't need to handle a horse.  They can't get frustrated and give up if they have troubles, they have to find a way to work through horse problems and come out the other side, somehow.  Most modern Americans have little experience with horses and try to handle them like a dog, and they fail.  When things don't go well they say things like, "I don't like horses." or "Stupid horse."  The reality is that if you depended on horses for transportation you would find a way.  You would soon figure out that horses function as predictably as mathematics; if you have trouble balancing your checkbook, it's your mistake, not math's.  (disclaimer: Some horses have already been ruined by previous poor handling. In those situations, if you have problems, it's not your mistake.)

Some math is complicated and takes some figuring to come to a solution to solve problems.  Same thing is true of horses.  But in the end, I'm convinced that it is true that horses are very predictable to those that use them regularly, thus the success Amish have with horses.

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken so far.

I'm always impressed by what all these girls can get done while barefoot! 

How many teenage girls, these days, have to hitch up a horse if they want to go somewhere.  If they did, I doubt they would head out barefoot to get that job done.  I have been stepped on my own horses and was glad that I had some shoe leather between me and that big foot.

My wife and I were guests in an Amish home one evening.  Another Amish couple were also invited for supper but arrived quite a bit later than expected.  When they got there, the wife said, "Henry was milking and I was going to get the horse and buggy ready, but I couldn't catch our horse."  She seemed worn out and exasperated and made a statement, "I bet those fancy ladies in town wouldn't make as many shopping trips, if they had to catch a horse before they went!"

The Heavens

 My novel, Under the Heavens, is due out in December.

One focus of the book is skies.  About the experience of being on a farm for the first time and realizing how vast the heavens are. It changes your perspective.

 These pictures were taken on two separate occasions.  The first and third were in the morning when doing my chores.  The others were taken in the evening, when the sky didn't seem real.

You can see my horses have their morning hay dangling from their mouths.

Hues of purple mixed in with these blues add a water color feel to a photograph.  I am not a photographer, just a guy with a cell phone that loves a beautiful view.  My favorite photographs are those that look like a painting, rather than a photo.

Someday, when I retire from the Post Office, I will get a good camera.

If you like these pictures, check out Amish Horses Facebook, and "like" it!  There are several albums with this type of pictures on that site.
                                                            Click on this link:   https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses