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The Iowa Photo: Rothko at Harvest

Gazette photojournalist Nick Rohlman attempts a long exposure photograph of harvest

Nick Rohlman

Oct. 26, 2025 5:30 am

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Every fall when the harvest begins I try and think of a “new” way to photograph the harvest. I thought of trying to use a long exposure to capture the movement of a combine back and forth through a field over time. After several attempts I realized that the picture I was envisioning would require different technique and probably more planning. I was able to make this picture, which has a bit of a Mark Rothko inspired feel to it. Rothko was an American abstract painter whose pieces are known for blocks of glowing color. An accidental and perhaps too literal take on his concept of “color fields.”