Open Theme nominee

In Canada, especially in Quebec, there are several dairy farms. To feed their cows in winter and spring, they need to store a large quantity of dried hay. Over the last two decades, white plastic bags protecting hay bales have become more frequent. They are stored in the field and are piled in various ways. I was always fascinated to see how they differ from farm to farm. Each pile has its own personality: height, size, straight rows or topography-constrained distributions, methodic or chaotic stackings, numbered bales or not, etc. This series highlights various hay ball mounds characters. I photographed these mounds under grey skies to emphasize their whiteness, shape, and size. I ended this series with another typical way of winterizing hay bales.

Yvan Bedard is a fine art landscape photographer. Born and living near Quebec City, Canada, he is a former successful university researcher in geospatial data engineering, author, and international lecturer, and has received several scientific awards. In 2014, his artistic passion dominating his scientific passion, he decided to devote himself professionally to fine art photography. He is a self-taught photographer who has undergone advanced training in Canada, the UK, and the USA with some of the best photographers and artists. He went digital as soon as 2003 and got involved in fine art prints in 2009. He explored several regions in Quebec, Canada, Unites-States, Europe, and other parts of the world. A permanent artist in art galleries since 2014 (Canada, USA, Australia, India), he participated in more than forty solo and group exhibitions in Canada and other countries. He has received more than 75 photography awards in international competitions and has been interviewed by media in Canada, France, Japan, the UK, Russia, and the USA. His works are published in magazines and books worldwide, and they can be seen in public and private collections in over twenty countries.