James Pratt

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Oklahoma wheat harvest shot on Pentax 67

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This past summer I spent some time photographing the wheat harvest across Oklahoma. Most of my images were shot with my Nikon digital equipment, but I did grab a few shots with my 1970’s era Pentax 67 film camera. This is my favorite medium format film camera I have used and I have several lenses to fit it. Back in the day when I was shooting film I never used a Pentax 67, instead mostly using a Mamiya RZ67 Pro II or Mamiya 645 1000s. I didn’t discover Pentax until about 2012 when I wandered into Baker Photo in Yukon and my friend Hank had one sitting in the case with a beautiful 165 F2.8 lens. One look through that lens sold me on the camera and the 165 is still one of my favorite lenses of all time. It is bright, clear, easy to focus, and not so huge I can’t handle it easily, and most importantly, the camera handles just like my Nikon DSLR equipment.

So anyway, I have been shooting mostly black and white film in my Pentax, and primarily Kodak TMAX-100 or TMAX-400 film. These were all shot near Brahman Oklahoma while I was photographing on the Day farm.

I can't remember the names of these guys, but the one on the left has worked for the Day's for many years during harvest, and the one on the right was doing mechanic work on the combines to try and make sure they were all working properly. Not sure what they were talking about when I snapped this picture.
I can’t remember the names of these guys, but the one on the left has worked for the Day’s for many years during harvest, and the one on the right was doing mechanic work on the combines to try and make sure they were all working properly. Not sure what they were talking about when I snapped this picture.

 

It was mid-morning when I took this picture right before harvest started for the day. These tractors pull the grain carts to the combines so they can unload while still threshing wheat. The grain cart then drives to a semi-truck and unloads the grain, then back to the combine to load up with more wheat. Farmers want to keep the combines rolling at all times since they are much slower and more expensive than grain carts.
It was mid-morning when I took this picture right before harvest started for the day. These tractors pull the grain carts to the combines so they can unload while still threshing wheat. The grain cart then drives to a semi-truck and unloads the grain, then back to the combine to load up with more wheat. Farmers want to keep the combines rolling at all times since they are much slower and more expensive than grain carts.

 

John Deere combine undergoing routine morning maintenance on a wheat field in northern Oklahoma during the 2015 wheat harvest. Shot with Pentax 67 using Kodak TMAX-400 film.
John Deere combine undergoing routine morning maintenance on a wheat field in northern Oklahoma during the 2015 wheat harvest. Shot with Pentax 67 using Kodak TMAX-400 film.

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About James Pratt

I am an Oklahoma based writer, commercial photographer, editorial photographer and adventurer based in Oklahoma City. I love telling stories about people. A motorcycle is my preferred means of travel, and I have over 5,000 hours piloting small airplanes. My editorial photography has been published in hundreds of magazines and my commercial photography has been used by dozens of companies worldwide.

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4x5 film 4x5x365 agriculture Amazon Web Services bicycle Bill Dragoo BMW Brass Ball Bobbers combine Darwin Motorcycles dirt bike drag racing Edmond El Reno film Fortinet Guthrie Ilford Delta 100 Ilford Delta Pro 100 Ilford HP5 Jeep John Deere Kawasaki Kay Pratt Kodak TMAX-100 Lexington Micha Young motorcycle New Mexico Nikon Norman Conquest Oklahoma Oklahoma City Oklahoma Living Oklahoma Living Magazine Oklahoma Today Ride Oklahoma South Canadian River Thunder Valley Raceway Tombo Racing Tommy Bolton Toyo 45A Toyo VX-125 wheat harvest Wrangler
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