He doesnt look too angry... haha
Good luck with the canadian blog awards.. I just love your photos Im getting addicted to them!!!

Sam, despite the circumstances and conditions, you have managed to take an amazing portrait of that man! I wonder what his story is.

What he did to you guys was nasty (and a little amusing, in a way), but I have a bit of sympathy for him as he tries to protect his way of life.

You should have asked him where he got his boots - they look warm and practical!

I don't know, I think compositionally it works out really well. The mass of the tractor body and the back wheel, coupled with the snowstracks really highlight the vastness in which the man works. Almost, in his position he seems godlike. Plus, the white arrows of the beam pulls you strongly to his face.

Certainly a memorable photo!

Perhaps you could get on his good side by giving him a copy of the photo someday.

You certainly did not deserve it. And that man is an a**hole if he is the one who slashed your tires. Nice composition despite the fact you were not looking through the viewfinder.

omg that must have been crazy! at least you got a story out of the deal...and I think the photo is great even tho it had to be done very quickly!

Very beautiful, i like the attitude of this man on his large tractor. It is proud and frozen stiff :)

even though u say it lacks composition, i still feel that the way the tractor fills the frame, shows how massive of a machine it is, adding to the man's not so friendly look. the way his arm reaches out to the top of the steering wheel and is elongated by the tractors arm give it a look of power. thanks for the imagery to tie into my imagination of the story. can't wait to see the other shots.

Ive had something similar happen before, but that old guy sure does look like he could of done something. Good to know you guys were ok afterword. This picture is awesome by the way.

Excellent image. This photo has a great feel to it from the dirty tractor to the grizled old man. He and the tractor look made for each other.

You deserved it???
Man, that's a tough country! I will assume he didn't hear the click cause of the engine running...

All in all, composition is very good, believe me! Let's say your blood was cold enough.
(don't know if you say it that way: "having got cold blood" in italian means "being brave")

Alessandro

*lol* very funny story

Nice photo!
But I don't agree when you say you deserved having your tires go flat. This man is just mean. You have to be crazy not welcoming people visiting your land...

Hahaha, great wintry colours in this shot Sam, and an amusing tale to go with it! Good job you didn't have the flash on when you clicked the shutter - now that would have made for an interesting "series" of pictures! "GERROFF MY LAAAND!" :-)

This is one of the best pictures I have seen on this site.

About your story : I do not agree about the fact that you deserved it : the world does not belong to that peasant ; the land does not belong to that man ; there is no trespassing when it come to creating a square with colors and lines. Furthermore, I hate that jungle law.

About the picture : I do not agree about the fact that there is no composition here : you might have been very lucky, but the fact that the engine "trespasses" the frame gives the sensation of its huge size, and makes it obvious that it (and its driver) like to have room and trespass limits, frontiers of unwarranted spitefulness. Moreover, I do feel run over by its wheels - they get out of the frame and invade the world, they run over the world, to prevent people from trespassing again. And the wheels have the same colour as the man does. He is his wheels. His "running-over people and land and humanity" wheels.

Look at that little man : berk and yak ; so sure he is right, so sure he is Good, so sure he is the owning owner and has the right to take the air out of people's tires.

And have you noticed the white arrow on the red arm of the machine : clearly showing who the lord of the land, the center of the world is ?

And what about the two eyes of the engine : looking for their next prey, already seeking somebody not having respected something the way they should have (anything : a line, a law, a habit), to remind him of right and good and law and what "to own" means.

Look at this picture : look at Man : look at the enormous tank he is sitting on : with its multiple weapon, etc. : WAR.

He is Terminator, he is Tractor (!), he is Manofrightor, he is Iownthatsnowandthoseinsectsandtreesandandthosecolorsandlinesyouwanttophotographor

This man is a metaphor ; that is it : he is Metaphor

Your picture, not the story, makes me feel what this man is, what Man is, what I am. Stupid and selfish and oh so sure of myself, and oh so proud and prompt to show others how they must behave. And the portrait of this little shrivelled man makes me intimately feel that Man will never change.

All the more as... look... look : of course : this snow, these colors, this white beard : Christmas. I would change the title of the picture : I would call it "Father Christmas" - and this makes me feel all the more desperate

Wow. You can just feel how cold it was!

lol

what a fusspot

Don't worry about the composition. It turned out just right. The close crop and him looking down at you "sinners" gives it a very threatening atmosphere. It's a great picture of Mad Max.

That's one heck of a scary stare. Great shot though.

Nice winter shot...

oh that's funny! But I don't think you deserved the slashed tires. Maybe just a chase! :) This is a great shot to not be looking through the viewfinder! I never would have known! Very nice!

LOL....nice shot Sam...you should put Neckheld instead of Handheld :§

c'mon man, get your hand off it. We all know this is a wicked 'shoot from the hip' composition.

Fantastic shot, I really like the contrast and colours.

I have to say, 'what an arsehole!!', and please excuse my language! You should have gone back and taken the valves out of those tractor tires which I can say are VERY EXPENSIVE...why not slash them while you're there. A simple warning I'm sure would have been enough and reasonable and perfectly acceptable, but risking your lives by freezin' you half to death is very much beyond unreasonable...it's about enough to go to the police and ask them to warn him or lock him up or perhaps they can slash his tractor tires for you. Your mistake was innocent, his was down right cruel.

no composition? are you kidding? this is such a beautiful shot!

next time i see here such amazing creation and you say something like "this one was shot from a moving car, that's why the little pumpkins at the back are a little blurred", i will go crazy.

anyway, just kidding. you're an amazing artist and i adore your work. especially, i guess, the chance ones :)

Sam, that's Santa. You pissed off the wrong dude!

Hey, he look like gandalf from lord of the ring.

BTW, I always love your works and this is cool.

That is certainly a great story in quest of a photo. Not a bad candid shot either!

Nice photos! You're lucky though. Here in the south (Georgia) you might have been shot! Nice to know Canada has rednecks too. ;-)

not a bad shot for no composition!
-david

Dude, this photos rocks. The composition is fine. It's REAL. I love how the snowy tractor fills the frame.

His expression is priceless also.

You didn't deserve to have your tires deflated. He's just a dick.

Thank god we don't have too many guns in Canada or else maybe you would be dead...

That is such a funny story...put a smile on my face for a while. I love this picture because it is life in the moment, just like your adventurel...this guy is a true character and I would love to see him tell the same story to his buddies.

Two wrongs don't make a right!

You most certainly did not "deserve" to be stranded, out in the *cold*, for four hours. In the summer it might have been inconvenient; at this time of year, it was dangerous.

Stop taking pictures of my dad, and I'll stop wrecking your tires. Besides, I only broke three, you can drive on one wheel can't you?

He shot your tires out?! Where was this?

"Holy shit, he's shooting at us!"
-Dazed and Confused

I think it's really crappy that you'd state that he did this to your car, despite none of you having seen him do it. And then to publish his picture on the internet with the accusation, is just plain WRONG. You should be ashamed of yourself.

sometimes randomly shot shots are the best. then when You try again and work with the composition rules, they never come so real.

i love this pic. this has true emotion in it.

Sounds like you had a very interesting adventure this past weekend! As for this picture, it is fantastic considering you didn't even look through the viewfinder. The man's contempt for your group is quite obvious...

Hi Sam, I rather like the composition. Nice shot.

To own a tractor like that he was working that land quite hard I imagine. Looked abandoned, eh?

I wonder why he'd be so up tight and uncommunicative for someone trespassing that must obviously look and behave harmlessly? Seems a bit too crotchety.

Composition is fine - excellent grab.

You shouold send the old fart a copy.

Hahahaha! ... Cool ... finaly an adventure in the land of the cold-blooded gentelmen! ... hey , you could have been shot if it was the US! :-)

Great shot, sorry you got so cold!
You did unintentionally go on the land afterall but doesn't look like he was very forgiving.
The colour comes across really well, and quite stark.

The person that was going on about it being the same as someone pitching a tent in your garden or peeing in your hallway has gone a bit over the top especially considering the way in which most land was claimed in the first place.

One of the most stunning pictures ever... thx a lot for ur inspiration !!!

lol, great picture man. fun times :)

Wow, for an off the neck shot, this is really good. The colours really give a cool feel to the photo and his expression is "what the hell are you city-slickers doing here (in shoes!)" Nice one.

Wicked shot. I'll never forget that face.

lol! HO HO HO! Its father christmas on his... erm.. sleigh? Well, I got that impression anyway, very good for a random neck shot!

santa on his big red sleigh... definitely not giving out toys

great picture, i didnt appreciate it fully until I read some of the commentary deconstructing it

The question remains....will you be back next year for fresh corn? :)~

The things you go through to get a good shot. Can't say I've ever had anything like that happen to me. Now that I know a bit more, that man's stare is right on. No worries about the composition.

Thanks, Sam! This is photo of the month on your blog. From the hip is sometimes better than through the viewfinder. Did you switch to a priority mode, or get uber lucky in manual??? Cheers!

While the picture is wonderful, especially since it is taken without looking through the view finder, I have to agree with your assesment from your tires.

Its clear from many of the posters here that have never lived outside the GTA they are unaware of the frequent trespassing that leads to break and enters, theft and assault the happens in rural Ontario, and how hard it is to often catch these individuals. We know you meant no harm, but it didn't mean he didn't.

Keep up the great photos!

Excellent photo hard and gritty

I can not believe that you took the picture without even looking first. it almost looks like you paid him to pose like that.

A picture of a 'Redneck' if I've ever seen one! Giving you three flat tires and taking the valves? NO, you DIDN'T deserve it! (You were gracious to print an apology!)

i just got a pair of snowboots.
cant help but love 'em because my feet stay dry.
cant help but hate 'em because they are so bloody heavy!

That's Whitey!

If you were up by the border of Vaughan and King Township, then that is definitely Whitey.

He's a legend. He has cows.

After reading today’s (and yesterdays) comments I had to wade into this debate to clear up some misconceptions. I am a farmer, and can empathize with the fellow on the tractor, for the following reasons:

Despite what some have said, taking these pictures did require trespassing on private land.

He could have slashed your tires or something like that ... but he didn’t. Simply removing the valve stems just flattened the tires, it didn’t render them useless. Sure you had to wait a few hours to get some new valve stems at what $2 each? Better than several $100 tires and a very expensive flatbed tow I would say. He could have been a REAL prick in this matter and wasn't.

Rural landowners are continually faced with trespassers who ultimately impact their way of life and source of income. How was he to know that you weren’t; illegally hunting, dumping garbage, stealing items / crops from his property, scouting for a place to plant your pot crop, etc. Trampled crops, spooked animals, a gate left open mistakenly by a trespasser, among other things can all cost a farmer a lot of aggravation, time and money. Not to mention the fact that he would have been liable if you fell down an abandoned well on his property or some other danger that you would have not been aware of.

As always however, these are great pictures. Just, please ask permission the next time, you would expect the same thing from me if I wanted to poke around your back yard or house.

Great pic, even better story. Although freezing your butt off for 4 hours must have been a pain, its a great story you can tell to everyone for years to come.

I absolutely hate you! Shot with the camera round your neck? In the snow? Without time to adjust the exposure?

Gah... Sickeningly good. Well done. Again.

even if shot this from the hip, it's a really great shoot.
He doesn't look too angry.
Looks like the poor brother of Santa.

Great shot Sam.
Thanks

i'm sick of reading everyone's "imagery" of this picture. if the photographer didn't mean for imagery while shooting the picture, don't act all macho and pretend that you see sh17 that isn't there. And so what if you do, don't tell everyone what you see, let them find out their own imagery, like you did...unless you just read some posts and tried to one-up the jo befo' you. i'm new to this site and i don't want my experience to be ruined already. i liked the story and the picture very much. i really do wonder what HIS story is though...but as he demonstrated..that's for him to know and not for anybody else. :-p keep pixin'

By far one of your most interesting shots.

Did u guys have the tool to pop his tire in return?

Wonderful shot - I am so amazed you got this without looking through the viewfinder!

I cant believe this guy gave you so much trouble. Maybe he has something to hide, seeing you with your cameras. I would presume you would have communicated to him why you were there and that you did not know.

Did you give him your card?

Great shot, especially considering the circumstances and story.

What was he so dilligantly protecting, was he growing his own supply of wacky weed? Good shot!

I just bought the psp and gta myself.
It comes in handy in my line of work
I am a projectionist at bigpicturetheater.com
I hope you don't mind that I use your photo's for my psp theme and myspace backgrounds.

just a few thoughts on this:
1. where have you seen a field with corn growing that you would think was abandoned...please!
2. you were trespassing; any photo class, book or site will tell you over and over, ask permission when shooting people or their property. You broke the ethics rules man. You got what you deserved.
3. I glad to see you got the shot of the old guy. That's the kind of situation you walk away and kick your self for not thinking of it. You're pretty quick on trigger finger...nice job.
4. As for composition...you did good. I'm not sure how much better you would have done if you were looking though the viewer.
5. My last comment is about yesterdays photo. All this hassle and thats all you got for a photo? Your viewers got ripped off.
At least you have a good story with pics to tell.

Now that's something i desperately wish to learn from the Pro: how do you achieve that kind of sharpness and "crisp" in your photos?

Is it the lens, shooting techniques, postproduction methods or some secret Colonel Sander recipe?

Sam: my friend, get some winter shoes!! Living in ultra-rural Montana USA, this is the usual site every single day in the winter (and yes, I mean that expression on the stoic farmer's face in truly protecting all he may have ever known). Thanks for sharing your story with us here. It is nice to have a bedtime story tonight to go with your picture of the day. I bet that was one of the coldest days of your life, eh? Stay warm!

that's gandalf on a tractor!

Some of you obviously have a hard time retaining information. I don't see in the written text anywhere that the tractor fellow either slashed the tires or shot them. One could simply take off the cap and remove the valve stem, and my guess is that's what happened. And, the man was nonviolent enough to simply give a stare in answer to the question rather than scream and carry on. Frankly, to me, he seems pretty old school, which is a vanishing breed. When a person ventures into another culture, it is a good idea to know some basic courtesies and ways of conducting oneself. The man has probably worked hard to own (or at least rent) that land. You wouldn't just enter someone's house without permission. Land is the same.

I wasn't kidding around folks. This guy is Whitey (as he is known). He has a strong, established reputation in the Klienburg area. I'm not going to get into what that reputation is. I'll let Sam's story speak for itself. I'll just say that not everyone out there is a friendly person. And his farm is a mess (in my opinion) so I can see why one would think it is abandoned. I grew up on one of the farms near by. This man is real and your stories are juvenille caricatures in comparison.

Очень напоминает Россию.
Великолепный снимок, спасибо!

Thanks for the info Michael. I respect this oldman. I just wish i knew his story and his history with that house. I talked to him about 6 months ago on my second visit. Said the house was around 250 years old. Not sure if thats true. He also asked me if I was a spy. lol. Please contact me on my website. I'd like to know more.

...and i hope yr left foot didn't trouble you much ;)

Just to say hardluck about the composition... maybe next time.

Only kidding, tis blooming amazing! Good skill, bravo *claps* If only you said cheese, the dude's confused face would have iced the cake, however i'd say you'd have a great big ol' Santa's tractor tyre track up the side of your head, so just as well you didn't i suppose, anyway, bravo again. Keep up the lucky pics

Very funny! Cool shot as well.

Accidentally trespassing on his land is forgivable.

Secretly taking his photo and posting it on the internet when it's clear he wouldn't have wanted you to is unforgivable. Even if technically it's legal, it's certainly immoral.

Un-intended treaspassing, a little unconformity, allow us to gain the experiences in life that make it worth living. Most of my presious memories are almost always related to times when the rules were bent a little.

Tractor guy is lucky you're not as mean and unsocial as he is, otherwise he would be waking up tomorrow morning with his values missing from his tractor wheels.

A great story to remember,
Greg Magnus

c'mon, give it up! this is really the EXACT same guy from your September 29, 2003 posting (top picture: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/archives/photos_people/030929_225.shtml).
i knew it! you've been working with paid models all these years! ;))) you thought we'd be fooled by that silly fake mustache, huh?

I find this "my land"-thing very strange. In my country nobody can stop you from walking on their land as long as you're not disturbing or destroying. It's actually a law, which I think is really great. The law is called "Every man's right". Great shot!

This is a really nice shot! The image is really crisp and sharp.

Sean, what were you doing trespassing on my grandpa's land! LOL You must have really been snooping around his farm. In fact, you were probably not the first - too bad he got his revenge on you guys! That sucks, I hate wet feet. I remember they told us in Scouts camp that feet are the worst body part to stay wet. Can I ask where north of Toronto this happened?

Santa??

Yea i'm the ol farmer in that there pic. im a mean ol varmint ornery grampa so gerrof my here land ya shutterbugs aint welcome ya hear? psst. wanna buy a used tractor?

I'm sorry: you say you "unknowingly trespassed" and yet feel the criminal damage exacted upon your car was deserved? One would think this man must belong to the association of psychopathic farmers (a strange club in that farmers the world over enjoy default membership and yet rarely participate): that the punishment for going where you're not wanted was to be deprived your means of leaving is particularly telling. And so nice of you to apologise; let's hope this is one farmer who's a regular visitor to your website.

I do like the photo, bold and cold to behold. For one thing, there's a person in it (hurrah!). The cynic in me observes that indeed there is composition (as there will be whether imposed by you or by chance): quite effective with Mr. Farmer positioned just right (almost) and the edge of both wheel hubs touching the frame.

wow what a fuzzy-wazzy presnt giver.You come in the chimney at night when all children are asleep.What am i?send to guss.

It's ok, but better less prison

Beautiful photo. Shows your skills have become instinctive through a LOT of practice.

Big machine
Small man
Smaller mind.

A man who behaves that way is his own curse. Evidence the way he has come to live. Opportunities come from those who think well of us, not those who fear us. Those who's coin is fear and hate wither in any economy.

I've worked security at a ranch, and this past week had to run off four parties from the property I am renting in the mountains. Yes, you were wrong. But No, tampering with your motor vehicle, a criminal offense in the USA, is NOT appropriate retribution.

One does wonder however, how he would have behaved if you had not hidden, as you say in the other photo; but had greeted him with appology and praised the beauty of the land, the artistry of the structures, etc. I've done that in a few cases and had that done to me a few nights ago with good success. Make a person feel good about what he has and is, and he can not help but be good to you.

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This farmer is a jerk. I spent my first 18 years on a farm and I've never heard of someone doing this. I'm sure he could have found some alternative of confronting you.

Don't you believe that you deserved it. It's not like you were napalming his crops or cattle or anything.

You deserved what you got re the tires. What is it about some city-folk that they think the countryside is theirs to trespass and use? People who would have a hissy fit if someone walked into their urban garden univited think nothing of invading farmland. "Thought it was abandoned" what a crock! I am sorry he didn't come after you with a shotgun and really scare the brown stuff out of you.