“Battre la campagne” is a French expression with multiple meanings. It can mean wandering through the countryside. During a hunt, it means seeking out game. In a military context, it means to seeking out information about the enemy. Figuratively, it refers to having one's mind elsewhere, passing the time daydreaming. These multiple definitions can be found at work in these photographs. They also refer to my state of mind when I am working in the field, with, as the young Flaubert noted while roaming over strand and field : “that imbecile astonishment which takes hold of you when you consider people living where we don't live, and spending their time on affairs other than our own.”