Whatever else it may be – and I say this thinking about the winter of 2015 and our friends in New England – the relationship between snow and old barns is magical. In Madison County, North Carolina one of those particular magical relationships is the Dolph Robinson barn in the community of Beech Glen. It was constructed in the late-nineteenth century as a stock barn, but over the years additional space was added so that it could become, also, a burley tobacco barn during the early-1900s. At the head of the narrow valley where the structure sits, the mountain comes down closely all around creating a sense of isolation that is very real. The original sections were hand-hewn logs felled in those mountains and pulled to the site with the mules or draft horses that probably called those stalls “home.” For some reason this barn speaks strongly to me, and in the snow its story fairly shouts. I knew I wanted to show the entire structure with the mountainside behind and no sky above. After walking around it as much as I could, I picked a perspective just higher than ground-level that offered two complete sides from which I could show the snow-covered foreground. A “normal” focal length of 51mm gave me the angle of view I wanted: enough room on both sides without “bull’s-eyeing” the barn, enough foreground to show the conditions on the ground, and enough mountainside behind to show the conditions all-around. An aperture of f/18 gave me sufficient depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 0.3 seconds at ISO 100 gave me an overall slightly lighter-than-medium exposure.
A little snow is a nice thing. I appreciate the touches of color in the brown leaves and the green ones. Was this photo taken during an early snow? I was surprised to see green leaves. Good placement of the barn too.
Hi Aileen, thank you for joining me. Actually this image was taken on November 1, 2014, during the first snow of the season. I hurried up to Madison County on the afternoon after it had snowed most of the morning, 2-3″ was about the extent of it, but it was enough to cover everything in a nice full coating of white. The fall foliage season had lingered into November in the valleys as it commonly does, and I was hoping there would be some color to accompany the snow.
Beautiful picture of the barn. I like seeing the image with fresh snow.
I truly like this composition. The colors in the trees caught my eye immediately. Great composition. I love old barns.
The first thing I saw was the cold colors then the contrast of color in the leaves. Then the barn which has claimed that isolated spot of ground as it’s own for as long as it can keep standing. I think your being able to have your camera higher is what makes this so special. It makes the barn look all snuggled in for the Winter. Thanks for braving the cold to bring us that one.
Even with the ton of snow we have gotten up here in New England this winter, this is still a beautiful image to view and appreciate.
This week at Publix, a little boy said to his mother, about me, “that lady is so old.” His mother was embarrassed but I interrupted and assured them both that old was very lovely and with good luck he could grow to be old, also. Growing old with grace is a treasure and you have honored the history of that beautiful barn. Thank you.
Don, nice image and helpful notes to accompany. For years I’ve enjoyed photographing one particular barn (similar vintage) in SW PA.
Am soon returning home from a few days of photography in the Lolo and Bitterroot Nat Foress around Missoula. My new Oben tripod (thank you Santa) definitely helped me with my creek shots.
Hope you’re well.
Ray
Good morning Everyone, thank you all for joining me in this conversation. I want to begin by acknowledging Mike Di Stefano’s comment. Michael, I truly appreciate the attitude you always offer to these discussions. I know how hard this winter has been on all of New England, and so I know the depth of feeling that comes from your comment, and I could not agree more. Beauty does exist completely independently of experience, good or bad; and the more of it we allow ourselves to experience, the more of it we see. Thanks much, my friend. Stay well. Michelle, your comment to a young child about growing old is a life-lesson for all of us. I do feel the grace with which this barn has aged, and very much appreciate that you have felt it as well. Mim, Jessyca, and Nancy T., thanks for your kind comments. It seems to me that in one way or another, each of you has talked about similar aspects of this Image: the color, the contrasts, the placements and relationships of the elements themselves, and the perspective of the image. Obviously, the snow is the element that pulls everything together and without it we would not have the image that we do. Beyond this, there are the colors in the leaves; and as I mentioned, when I decided to go looking for this image, I did so thinking there might be some color remaining on the trees, based on what I had seen elsewhere. Here is where thinking about what’s happening in one location and transferring that understanding to another similar location can be very helpful. Once I saw the snow all around and the remaining foliage where it was, I knew I had made a good decision; and it became, as Nancy T. suggested, a matter of placing contrasts to best advantage. Finally, as I have mentioned, finding the higher perspective and selecting the angle of viewing and the angle of coverage were a matter of actually ground-truthing the scene and deciding what worked best. Ray, always good to hear from you and to learn what you’ve been up to. You’re right, once one of these old structures gets into your blood, it tends to stay there and to require regular visits. I want to hear more about your Oben. I’ve done some reading, but never talked to someone who owns one. Bonnie recently got a Feisol, and I’m wondering at the differences/similarities. Look forward to hearing more. Thanks, Everyone. Some very useful comments all around, and I hope mine have been helpful.