The Tom Brown Barn and its farm is one of my favorite locations. This old farmstead, dating to the 1800’s, is nestled at the foot of some of the most rugged country in Madison County, North Carolina, not far from the old Federal Highway through the Unaka Mountains into Tennessee. At one time it was surely a showcase of rural mountain life, but now it is slowly being reclaimed by the land. I was so attracted to the story told by the bottom level barn door hanging on its hinge, even after I had wandered around the entire structure several times. It persisted in calling me back. I looked at it from every angle I could imagine, but this perspective from slightly higher than the doorway and from an angle that showed the relationship between the door and its opening, and their location in relation to the barn’s upper story, was what finally stopped me. I decided to reveal the entire edge of the building in order to give a little context. A focal length of 102mm – short telephoto range – allowed me to isolate the elements I wanted. An aperture of f/18 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1.3 seconds at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
Speaks to me too. Enough said.
Hi Don – this is an intriguing photo. My eye immediately goes to the door, being almost the brightest object in the image. But then the both the frame of the door and the red boards on the upper part of the image are arrows that point to the black interior of the barns. It makes you want to crawl in to investigate…
Every Sunday, I wake up eagerly to check my email for your latest Image for the Asking. Your barn images are so captivating, I am going to have to make time to join one of your barn workshops. Maybe in 2016? Thanks for sharing the beauty.
Another interesting geometric abstract. Beautiful colors and lines. All lines pointing to the door and the door seems to be inviting you to look inside. There might be something with red eyes lurking within. Thanks for sharing.
I have days when I know just how that old door feels!
Hello Everyone, thank you all for joining me. I’m glad it spoke to you as well; and you are right – enough said. Bob thanks for sharing your reaction to those particular elements. It never ceases to amaze me how different people will respond to different elements in the same image. To me it’s one of the most fascinating aspects of photographic art. What actually drew me to want to enter was the little patch of light just inside the door opening. For me, had that element not been there, it would have seemed less inviting; but the lines of the boards definitely have a pointing character about them that does pull the eye downward to the opening. Don, thank you for those kind words. I would love for you to join us whenever it’s possible for you to do so. Hi Nancy T., now you’re sounding like Stephen King. I hope the “red-eyed thing” has found another barn to rest in. You’re always welcome and your comments are appreciated. Jeff, you are much too young to be having those kinds of days yet; they are reserved for us older folk. Good to hear from you; I hope all is well. Thanks, again, everyone. I hope you all have a great week. Think spring!
Doorways and windows always open the spaces in our heads and hearts. It leads us beyond the image.
Hi Margaret. Thanks very much for joining us. I am so glad you pointed out the symbolism of the doorway. Several possible ways to interpret such an opening and “leading us beyond the image” is certainly one of them. “A passageway between different worlds” is another. Regardless, these openings are certainly representative of something beyond simply a hole in a wall. Thanks for reminding us.