20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest The American Experience
Fall Harvest at Dusk

My wife and I traveled to southwestern Wisconsin for my birthday in early October. This is the unglaciated, hilly, and still mostly rural part of the state. Exploring the top of the hill where we were staying at sunset, we came across these 2 men harvesting their crop. They were curious about us (I had my camera on a tripod) and stopped to chat. We found out that they were an organic farm, which is typical of this area. The owner was very gracious to let me photograph anywhere on his property. I was unhappy with the original images of them, so returned the next afternoon and started shooting handheld. I kept shooting as they made repeated passes until sunset and finally caught this image. A few minutes later, the light was gone. I'm extremely glad I gave it a second try!

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2022
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Union Grove, Wisconsin, United States of America
Copyright: © Randy Urry