The remains of the Ramsey-Chandler Barn in the Madison County township of Revere, known far and wide as Sodom Laurel, once belonged a Roman Catholic Mission that served the isolated mountain community for many years. Today it belongs to Terry Vanderman, who retired to the seclusion of Revere from the bustle of Cincinnati and hopes to restore and preserve this beautiful example of a log stock barn adapted to the curing of burley tobacco. The lattice-work ventilation of this structure is an excellent sampling of one of several types of construction that provided for the aerification of burley as an intermediate step on the way to market.
A focal length of 28mm, in the upper middle of wide-angleland, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, leading along the edge of a small pond to the structure just beyond. An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 0.4 second at ISO 100 gave me an overall very slightly-darker-than-medium exposure.
There is so much wonderful history wrapped up within the walls of the barns of Revere. The Appalachian Barn Alliance is working, almost desperately, to preserve this heritage. This work deserves all the support that we can give; nothing less than the memories of our collective past are at stake.
Good morning, Don. This is such a rewarding image, especially with your brief historical background. The leaning tree and the pond’s edge really hold the barn in suspense, and the wide range of exposure with shadows and bright sun add energy. I love that patch of blue reflection. So much to engage with here. Off to Missoula for the week for work; praying for a forgiving agenda that permits some time outdoors…we’ll see! Have a good week.
Oh my. How beautiful! A photograph by a master of the handiwork of other masters—both Earthbound and Heavenly!
Photography allows us to capture moments, most frequently tiny fractions of a single second, that provide hours of pleasure over the years. Thanks for sharing this moment that transported me from my porch to a place far away. It brings together the peacefulness of nature and the artistry and artisanship of man.
So beautiful and tranquil–makes you want to be there.
Another beautiful image. Love how you used the water as a leading line to take us to the barn. Also really like how you framed the barn with the trees and the reflections in the water. Since composition and post processing is a personal choice, I do have a few things I might have tried differently. For me, the brightness in the upper left quadrant kept drawing my eyes there and would darken that area some. Another thing I might have tried (if even possible there) is shoot from a lower position. Once again, all personal preference. Regardless, a beautiful image. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a serene image, I can almost consciously feel my blood pressure relaxing as I gaze at it — though I suppose the scene would have been bustling in its own way around tobacco harvesting and curing time.
Another winner! If history books had images like this, kids would want to read them. When I saw the image I had to read to see where and when it was taken. I think this would be a special place to visit at least once in every season; especially the fall, and the winter, and the spring!!!
Thanks for sharing these very special places.
Good afternoon Everyone. Thank you all very much for being with me for this conversation. It seems somehow quite appropriate that we should be talking about those beautiful barns for the next little bit. On Thursday evening, following a suggestion from Bonnie Cooper, the Appalachian Barn Alliance held an art exhibit – you know, like paintings, aka real art – at the Madison County Arts Council in Marshall, North Carolina. It was well-attended and there were some beautiful pieces on display.
Hey Ray. Thanks for being with us as you prepare to head west. I do hope your schedule will permit some image time. Missoula is such a wonderful area. I appreciate your choice of “rewarding” in describing this Image. This barn has so many great possibilities, but I want to stay focused on your comments and respond to the “shadows and bright sun” aspect, which speaks to the dynamic range of this image, There were thin clouds moving across the sky that were enough to break the full sunlight, but insufficient to eliminate the shadows altogether. A little patience was required to wait for the range to be minimized, but even then the patches of blue were generally present. The location is one where you could spend an afternoon easily, even on a cloudless day.
Ah, J. Warren, your words are more than kind, and I do appreciate them.Some day I’ll have to share this wonderful old structure with you. It and its location are both jewels. Hope your time at the Folk School was rewarding and fun.
Hey Lynne. If we haven’t shared this place with you and John, we surely need to do so. Revere is one of my favorite parts of Madison County. I’ll have to share the full story of this barn with you before we go.
Hey, Kev. I do appreciate the way you express your initial gestalt reaction and then begin to suggest deconstructions. The edge of the pond was an obvious choice for a line, and the tripod was about belt-high as it was. Had I gotten even lower, say knee-high or lower, I could have extended the view across the pond to make the distance seem greater; but it might have begun to compete with the barn as a visual mass/element, which could have been problematic. It would certainly have been worth looking at to consider. As for the upper left corner, I did, in fact use the grad in Nik(DxO), rotated at an angle slightly less than that of the tree. I did not want to use a very strong opacity lest the grad become too obvious. I might consider a global adjustment to reduce the overall exposure value, but I decided I was okay with it as is. Thanks for your analysis process; it’s exactly the kind of thinking that makes for effective post-processing.
Hey Donald. Thank you very much for joining us. When this image was created in April, serenity would have been abundant; but you are right, about now in September the activity level would have been several decibel levels higher. There are some barns in this area I would love to share with you one of these days. This part of Madison County is rich in its ballad tradition, and barns and ballads are a natural fit. Walk in Beauty.
Hey Nancy T. I have been thinking about you and knowing we need to share some talk. I hope you are doing well. Your thoughts on this scene ring like music to me. I love the idea of visiting this barn in all seasons. It would be a tremendous lot of fun. I don’t believe you have been to this old place, but we could have a delightful time playing here. I’ll have to tell you all about its history.
Thank you all, again, for sharing such delightful ideas and observations about one of my favorite pastoral locations. Have an excellent week, and when we are together again, I’ll be on my way to the UP. Walk in Beauty.