"There is a kind of beauty in imperfection" - Conrad Hall
........................................................
I've always loved a patched up, mismatched barn. This one has wood going in all directions, it's leaning just a little, and the wood has turned gray with age. I love all of those imperfections. When I moved from Western Montana to Central Montana, I was worried that finding old beauties like this would be harder, but I've found more than I ever expected. This one is right outside of the city limits of Billings, and is actually visible from the interstate. After admiring it for over a year, I did finally stop to take some photos of it. The frontage road runs between the barn and the interstate, and it was a busy, loud, semi-dangerous place to stop for photos, but sometimes you just have to park, get your photos, and cross it off the list once and for all. This image looks quiet and serene, but behind me it was all of the chaos of the modern world. That's how many of my images are, a quiet spot surrounded by chaos. Documenting those old buildings that still represent quieter days is my passion. I'd rather look at a charming old barn than an interstate any day.
I'm warming up to winter. I used to take almost no photographs during the winter. It's just not my style. The gray skies, the lack of color. Lately, in the last few years, I've kind of embraced this as a way to look at things differently. The landscape is so quiet in the winter. Even the towns are quieter, and the snow is so bright, even on a gray day. I think this comes across in winter landscapes. A feeling that you're the last person for miles and miles. In Montana, you can feel that way on any day, but in the winter when the snow obscures most buildings and noise surrounding you, it can feel very isolating, but in a good way. This little sheep barn, so beautifully weathered, is an example of some of the moods I've been enjoying capturing lately.
After practicing my rusty skills on Tuxedo the cat, I went and took picutres of this barn, which is the best out of about 20 shots. The sky was uniformly overcast, so it took some bracketing to get the exposure right. I tried some with the barn to the side of the shot, but since the form itself was so symmetrical, I kept the shot symmetrical and that was the best composition for the shot.
