A Point of View Photographic Magic by John Warden

From a vantage point on a bit of a rise in this farmer’s field near Vulcan, Alberta, I contemplated the view stretching out around me. Breathtaking! The land sloped gently down to the highway and then rose again to form rolling hills in the distance. Farmers will tell you that it requires patience for the land to reveal its richness. Fortunately, I had the time for a long, slow look and discovered a splendour of lines, layers, and colours. It was the palette of colours that surprised me the most. The fertile prospects of the land were revealed in rich brush strokes of orange and green. Crops would grow well here.

Easily discernible among the low rolling hills are stands of trees planted to protect farm families and their livestock from the wrath of the prairie wind. I was born on a nearby farm and we too had a windbreak of trees. In the night, coyotes came. They sought the sanctuary our shelterbelt and I remember them howling in the darkness. From their vantage point in the shadows the coyotes could see the prospect of food - our chickens.

Prospect is a point of view, but it’s more than that. It’s a view of the glass half full. It’s a way of looking ahead with the expectation of discovering the good things in the lay of the land: food, water, shelter and artistic creativity. The art of prospect feeds my experience of landscape with hope, possibility and potential.