Tuscany is a memorable region for landscape photographers. The medieval hill towns, cypress-lined lanes, and rolling green hills — not to mention the fabulous food and wine —make it one of the most desirable travel destinations in the world. But it has also become a rather busy place in recent years, with tourists and photographers alike descending on the region in large numbers to experience its sheer beauty for themselves. Although increased tourism is no doubt a plus for the local Tuscan economy, it can also create a challenge for photographers to produce unique work, given the mass of similar images on social media.

We were driving near Bueonconvento, a commune in the Province of Sienna located some 70 kilometres south of Florence, looking for a different sunset destination when we decided to return to a field we had scouted earlier on the trip. It was an oat field with a single oak tree positioned on the crest of a rounded hill. We arrived just before sunset and proceeded to pace around the edge of the field to find a composition. I settled on this one because I liked the symmetry of the scene, with the tree as a focal point at the top of the hill.

I took the photo just before the sun descended below the horizon while casting a pink-orange glow in the sky. The oat field was also side-lit, causing some of the oats to be painted in golden tones. While cypress trees represent the stereotypical Tuscan countryside, this lone oak tree remains one of my favorite images from this Tuscan trip.