The Noah Waldroup farm is nestled a scant half-mile below where the Appalachian Trail passes through Taylor Hollow Gap on its way to Hot Springs (Madison County), North Carolina. The 4686′ majesty of Bluff Mountain rises to the west. Noah’s descendant, Floyd Waldroup farmed this land early in the Twentieth Century, and he was quite active in the politics of Spring Creek Township. Perhaps the old ballot box came to be in Floyd’s barnloft via a completely innocent route, or perhaps it was conveniently squirreled away so that its contents could forever remain a mystery. The stories Floyd might tell…but the barn is silent.
From the top rung of the ladder leading into the barnloft door I set my camera at floor level just inside the entrance on the hand-riven chestnut boards. A focal length of 18mm gave me the angle of view I wanted with the ballot box revealing its lofty surroundings. An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field, and at ISO 200 a shutter speed of 10.0 seconds gave me a very slightly darker than medium exposure.
Perhaps my own childhood experiences with barns never allows me to tire of visiting them. They all have amazing stories to share of times that have, sadly, disappeared.
After having been to 3 barn workshops with you, I can really appreciate this scene. First, the title, “Ballot Box Gone Missing” is excellent. For anyone who has entered a photo in a show or contest before, this is an important step we do not think about much. The exposure is perfect. That is always a challenge in barns like this where you are in a dark area, yet a good portion of your composition includes a direct look into outside light. Very tough to do and you did it well. Also like how the ballot box and inverted “V” of the frame balance each other. Thanks for sharing. See you next week!!!
That attic looks like it is keeping a lot of secrets tucked away right out in the open for anyone who dares to go around up there. I guess most of the boards are nailed down, but it looks very shaky. The ballot box is close enough and a bit of a tease to coax someone to try; and you have to wonder… who sweeps down the spider webs?! The camera position and lighting are perfect to create this Sunday morning mystery!
Good afternoon Everyone, and Both of You. Thank you very much for being with me for this conversation. Sometimes you just never know how folks will respond to your creation; but you continue to show up and be present, and offer images that speak to you.
There was a story here that seemed to go begging to be told. And I wanted to tell that story in the most artful way I could imagine. How long the ballot box has been sitting in the loft is anyone’s guess, but I do know that Floyd Waldroup was a farmer and a politician; and stories in the Bluff community recount the character he was known to be. I can imagine all sorts of possible paths the box may have taken and most of them are interesting.
Hey Kev. You and I have, indeed, enjoyed some wonderful barn adventures; and as I considered the title of this offering, I was certainly aware that placing the box in its loft context would open the door for many ideas. I was fortunate with the light outside as there were lots of small cumulus clouds that often broke the direct sun and compressed the dynamic range. Of course, the exterior light was nearly blown out in order to maintain the interior details. I could not quite visualize the “inverted V” until I realized you are talking about the old ladder standing open, which, I have to admit, was pure serendipity. The adventure we’ve been awaiting is nearly here. Oh what fun!
Hi Nancy T. It’s always good to have you with me. I figured whoever got the box up the ladder to the opening in the loft decided it had gone far enough. Your thoughts on the cobwebs are very interesting, and I cannot imagine who maintained them in such good order. When I peeked over the edge of the loft floor while standing on the exterior ladder, I realized that the perspective on the box was exactly as I would wish for it to be, and I stopped there. I knew you would have something wonderful to say about seeing the interior from that perspective. There’s much more to the story, but I’ll save it for another day. Hope you are doing well. Hugs.
Okay, tomorrow is road trip day. The Upper Peninsula is calling and I must go. Walk in Beauty.
Don, missed this one. Love the counterpoint of the wooden box and the A-frame ladder, not to mention all those strong lines of the attic floorboards contrasting with the horizontals of the exterior cladding with light shining through. Yes, stories upon stories in there!
Hey Ray. Thanks for circling back to comment on this Image, and for your kind and thoughtful comments in so doing. I really hope you get you to Western North Carolina before lone to share one of our barn adventures. I think you would enjoy it immensely. Have an excellent week!