• architecture,  Barn,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Conceiving “a” Life

    The Cold Barn

    The state of mind of a photographer while creating is a blank…For those who would equate “blank” with a kind of static emptiness, I must explain that this is a special kind of blank. It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time. We should note that the lack of a pre-formed pattern or preconceived idea of how anything ought to look is essential to this blank condition. Such a state of mind is not unlike a sheet of film itself – seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second’s exposure conceives a life in it. (Not just life, but “a” life).

    Minor White, The Camera Mind and Eye

    There was a time when my idea of conceiving life was nowhere close to this quote. I was in a different place in life and in my photography. I now feel the words I share, the way I live life and the images I share all have the power to conceive a life. That belief is the reason I will do my best to treat people in a positive way.That belief is also the reason I will venture out on a cold December day with a camera and tripod. And as I head out the door there is no “pre-formed” scene just a desire to experience this beautiful world. And, just what will I find?

  • architecture,  Barn,  Canon Powershot G12,  window

    Something’s missing ….

    Red Barn

    This is one of those images taken after driving by then turning around to go back. After loading up the image in Lightroom, I wondered what had really pulled me to stop. I do this so often and it seems without thinking, not that I’m known for my thinking. My first answer is the color: red. Red is a powerful color for me and against the white windows it is even more pronounced. I took several compositions, a few with only two windows and one with only one window. However, all of the images seem to be lacking something. What I felt when taking the image is not the same. I’m thinking (there I go again) there needs to be another subject. I would like to have seen a pitchfork or garden hoe leaning up against the barn. Maybe the farmer. Anyway, I can go back and ask the owner if we can add a prop or two. So, here’s the red barn.

  • architecture,  Barn

    Cloudless Sky

    A cloudless sky was whispering my name. After loading up the car I started driving east, I knew would end up at this old barn set against this open sky. I’ve taken several images of this barn and always with some wonderful cloud pattern to go along with it. But on this particular evening the lifeless sky was barren of clouds. Even the birds and flying insects seemed to be lost without a cloud painted sky. And, this barn has always intrigued me. I wonder about its history. When was it built and what was it’s initial purpose? I may visit some of the farms houses around the area and ask about it. If I do it could make an interesting story.

    I parked the car and headled across the newly plowed field, circling the barn for an appealing perspective. I can’t remember the last time I walked in a plowed field. It may have been in my high school years when our family would visit relatives in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle area where they farmed. We would time this visit during their wheat harvest, giving me opportunities to work in the fields. A different world for a city boy.

    As I stumbled along, I realized how much of my life is lived on level and smooth concrete, asphalt or tile, very seldom ever making full contact with the earth. The smell of the dirt was refreshing to me, stirring from sleep memories of the past. I smiled. I reached down and grabbed a handful of earth, feeling the texture, breaking small clods of dirt and let it fall through my fingers. As I stood up I noticed how vast the scene was around me, something not experienced in our large cities. With only the barn and no trees, I felt so small and insignificant. So what did this land look like 200 hundred years ago. What plants grew here before the plow? Was this area a massive prairie dog town? Enough of that. Hope you enjoy these images.

  • architecture,  Barn

    Back to the Barn

    The Barn Again

    Barns have many uses such as storage of grains, stock barns and stables, dairy barns and milk houses, tobacco barns and especially photography. I’ve posted several images of this barn and finding myself drawn to it, so expect more until I find another one. 🙂 Of course I”m also drawn to clouds and open spaces.

  • architecture,  Barn,  Canon Powershot G12

    Two Silos

    Two Silos

    Still playing with the G12 and have a few things to share with you. I am very pleased with image quality, colors, sharpness and the noise (under 800). Love the small size and find it so much less intrusive when people see it. I really have struggled with the ergonomics and controls. It’s a far cry from the SLRs I’ve been using for the past few years. Over time I will be able to know the camera better and be able to change settings quicker than I do now. I hardly use the viewfinder, finding the LCD display to be the better solution for me. Seeing the histogram before taking an image is helpful. The above image was taken out at the Arapahoe Nature Area. Just across from this nature area is an old abandoned farm with a barn, couple of silos and some corrals. I knelt down low and placed the early evening sun between the silos and used the widest aperture the camera has: f8.0. I don’t think the lens did too bad a job with a starburst.