What's that called? When you've established a precedent earlier in your career then seen what you did years ago gain recognition beyond your own work?

If you're a reader of this blog you know I am back in the wheat growing region of Washington state called The Palouse. I first photographed here in 1993 and have been back most years since. (If you like you can go back into past posts on the wheat work here by clicking Wheat in the blog heading and you can see the actual pictures by clicking on the Gallery section of the site for Northwest.

In the 90's when I was out here I never saw other photographers making pictures along the side of the road. I don't know if I am partly responsible for the growth of popularity of the area for photography but now it is probably the largest tourist attraction for the Palouse. In fact, where I am staying at the Best Western Inn in Colfax, is ground central for the numerous trips, workshops and photo tours that take place here. 

Let me give you an example. This morning, I got up early as usual and headed out to shoot. After a few hours on dirt farm roads making these:

I found myself near Pullman where I knew there was a Starbucks. I pulled in, ordered my coffee and turned around looking for a table to sit at. This is what confronted me:

A very large print of the same wheat fields, from the same area I made mine at about the same time of year, overprinted in size a little from a digital file so it wasn't that sharp, but not bad. I wouldn't have included the grain silos on the lower right and would have moved in more to abstract the image, but, not bad.

Pack my bags and head home? No, I will keep photographing. Why? Tough not to get cynical here but because I am doing it as well as or better than everybody, because  I have different goals in mind, because my experience here is my strength, because I am working well, seeing possibilities inherent in these fields, because I am making a contribution in this trip to the work I've done here before.