I've had this concept and title in mind for well over a year. I intended to shoot it last year, when the rapeseed fields were at their yellowest, but for one reason or another, I was unable to find the right field at the right time, with the right weather.
This year, we haven't had much of a summer yet, and I wasn't convinced that the rapeseed would be ready and at its best. However, there have been so few sunny days, and I have a busy schedule coming up, so I didn't want to miss my opportunity altogether for another year, and decided to go for it on a warm-ish Sunday afternoon.
Little Ro has outgrown the outfit I'd originally had in mind (which was denim dungarees with the same yellow top). Luckily, this pair still fits him, and he can just about squeeze into the yellow (albeit very probably for the last time). I think in the end, I prefer the more vintage feel of the brown dungarees, especially from behind, as they could almost have stepped out of any era, so it's harder to date the shots, and I like that ambiguity.
We had a near disaster early on in the shoot. I'd come prepared with the yellow balloon, and inevitably, it popped on entry to the field. Little Ro looked like his heart might break. It's the first time I've seen him fully understand and get involved with a photography concept. He knew we were going to a yellow field - with a yellow balloon - to take photos, and he was devastated when it briefly looked like things weren't going to plan.
Fortunately, Little Ro's Daddy saved the day, by heading off to purchase a new yellow balloon (and several spares as back-up, just in case), while I reassured a disappointed child that it wasn't the end of the world, and we walked the dog. Once provided with a new yellow balloon, I just stood back and let the boy naturally do his thing (keeping to the tractor tracks within the field, so no damage was done to the crops).
It's lovely when a concept finally comes to fruition, and this series is almost exactly as I had pictured them, along with a few additions.
