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day 28 - barn rafters.jpg
day 28 - barn rafters.jpg
rachelellen


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens: Tamron AF 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 Aspherical XR IF Super Zoom for Nikon
Date: Jul 28, 2007
Date Uploaded: Jul 29, 2007

Viewed: 369
Comments: 13
Favorites: 0

 I'm sorry, I just couldn't make it square.

This is the view from a storage room in the loft of the barn on the ranch where I spent most of my childhood, one way or another. My grandfather and his father built the barn in the very early 50's with their four hands and a Ford tractor. It was constructed to house a commercial egg ranch operation, which it did for a decade and a half or so, before my grandfather's heart condition required him to "slow down" (this was the advice they gave you in the 60's, none of this new-fangled 'go out and get some exercise' stuff), so he sold off the chickens and took up teaching school.

Anyway. This barn, aside from being a veritable breeding ground for the Hanta virus and possibly a rather unsound structure (see above re: built in 1950 with four hands and a Ford tractor; did I mention that they mixed the concrete foundation themselves with sand dredged from the creek, sand which you could scrape off of the bottoms of the walls with your bare hand even when I was a kid twenty years ago?), was one of the preferred play areas for my dozen maternal cousins and myself when we were children. This storage room was our playroom -- mice-infested mattresses and all -- and many was the hour we spent there, inhaling all manner of dust and organisms while playing House or War or whatever else popped into our heads. (It is my theory that these many hours of hanging out in such an unsanitary environment are the reason why my immune system is so robust today. Maybe I should open a spa there.) When I was a little older and I lived at the ranch, it was sometimes one of my jobs to come down and feed the (drastically reduced flock of) chickens and gather their eggs in the morning and evening; in the winter this meant it was dark, and even at the ripe, mature ages of eleven and twelve, tough country girl that I am and all, I had a phobia about the barn in the dark. So many shadows. So many creaky, unidentifiable sounds. The moment when I had to reach my arm in through the door and throw the massive switch that turned on all the lights in the place was sheer terror. One time my brother was with me -- here's the part that ties in with this picture -- and he wickedly whispered that I had better check the rafters before I went in, in such fear-instilling tones as only a big brother can master.

Confession: I'm thirty-two years old and, thanks to my darling big brother's words so many years ago, I still get a shiver if I have to be in the barn after dark, especially when the light from the flashlight bobs around these rafters from the feed room below.

Photographically speaking, this is far from perfect, and it's not square (please don't breaka my kneecapsa), but oh well. Maybe I'll reshoot it someday. If I can bring myself to go in the barn again after reliving all this, that is.

another barn shot:

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AuthorThread
 08/01/2007 07:52:23 AM
rebel against square crops!
Like the symmetry and tones. Well captured and processed
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/31/2007 01:34:27 AM
Yet again, a capture of yours that is absolutely wonderful. I totally agree, this would not have born a square crop. The textures and receding lines are wonderful. Sepia colouring really matches the age of the structure.

If I'm going to be *really* picky, I'd liked to have seen it rotated a smidgin, but I freely admit that may have stolen some of the atmosphere of the shot.

The history behind it brings even more emotion to the shot. Marvelous in a word
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 01:06:11 PM
What a great story, this really does seem to be a place with a lot of memories. I love the processing you did here, it really stand out & gives way to amazing detail!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 11:49:37 AM
Awesome shot, I love it! It looks incredibly interesting & 1/2 creepy all at the same time. I love old barns & your story was great, I could definitely see a bunch of kids playing around the rafters. I know my cousins & I used to play down in their barn all the time!
I really like the editing & the perspective is great. A+++ (even without the square crop *wink*) haha
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 10:26:03 AM
It is like a horror movie. You look around the old barn, enter slowly. Then you hear a creak above your head and suddenly it comes back to you... did you check the rafters? You slowly look up... and it's the flying Square Crop police! :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 04:25:11 AM
Without a shadow of doubt one of my favourite stories from this challenge

How fantastic that this building represents your great grandfather and grandfathers toil, and what a testament to them that it still stands today

I love the evocative momories from your childhood, I guess if you put kids to play in a building like this nowadays you would have some well meaning person telling you a million reasons why you couldnt, but heck life is meant to be fun. I think we all took more risks than our children do nowadays but people had the sense to look after themselves and if ever there was an accident then we had the character to accept responsibility for what we did (rather than immediately looking to engage a lawyer and find someone to blame)

Your - previously unknown to me - brother needs to be told that he now has hero status in the UK I love the fact that his tones were so full of foreboding that you remember them today (and as someone who had two similarly inherently evil older sisters its good to see the boys getting there own back)

You talk about the lack of perfection of the shot, but all I will say to you is that having read your comments I can feel the heat of a summers day in this shot, I can taste the dust motes that must have abounded, hear the clucking of the chickens and the laughter of the kids (together with the whispered secrets that they shared) and for that reason this is just a magnificent image.

But... I need to say, I have heard that someone has escaped from a nearby institution...the police are searching for him because he has been known to gruesomely kill kids...No-one know where he is hiding....sssshhhh did you just hear a creak of a rafter? Probably nothing to worry about

Mua hahahahaha

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 07:40:48 PM
No square crop!?! I think we're going to have to call Vinnie... :o)

This is an awesome photo! The PP is amazing and I love the repetition of the rafters. The story is great! Thanks for posting both photo and writeup.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 06:17:37 PM
Big brothers and sisters are just like that. I still hate basements, especially dark ones, because of my older bro and sis. Nice shot. (even if it isn't square) :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 06:16:24 PM
I think the picture is pretty cool and the processing gives it this almost dark eerie effect. Just a really great story here and it sounds like you have so many fun memories here. Isn't it nice that while we are kids, we don't worry about things like disease and mice infested mattresses? lol
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 12:54:03 PM
What a story - thanks for sharing! I really like the pp, and your kneecaps are safe with me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 11:54:03 AM
Thanks for the story...Makes me think of a pitchfork in a stack of hay...I like the saturation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 08:40:57 AM
That place is HUUUUUUUUGE! Wonderful story, great detail. The second image doesn't creep me out quite like your actual day 28 entry, lol! Wonderful texture and lines. Very nice image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 07:52:24 AM
I have similar memories of the barn in my childhood. Really nice shot, it conveys the age and decay nicely.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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