Straight On!

Given that this is a landscape photography website it should come as no surprise that I like to take photos of barns and farms and stuff.  And like any subject people have their preferences, and things they love, and on the other end of the spectrum things they like well enough, but generally don’t get too excited about.  In a sense this photo falls in that latter category.

What I mean is composition.  I normally prefer an angled shot, or some other perspective.  I feel that ‘straight on’ shots can be good… in moderation.  They can easily be overdone to the point that you get tired of seeing them.  At least for me.  This one, though, has many elements that appeal to me.  The old barn, ready to fall apart, contrasting with new fangled wind turbines.  The clouds help, too.  I’m always a big fan of big puffy clouds.

The time of day wasn’t optimal, but I have passed over a lot of photo opportunities simply because it was the middle of the day.  I was too good for anything less than perfect.  God forbid one of my photo friends found out I snapped a shot at… *gasp!*… mid-day.  I’m working to get over that.  You can get good shots at any time of day, depending on the circumstances of the moment.  This one worked out well.

For this one Missy and I were on an action-packed weekend.  We were visiting some friends in northern Illinois and decided to take a side trip to Champaign so we could eat at the only Wienerschnitzel within reasonable driving distance.  “Reasonable” being two hours out of the way, each way.  Hey, for an all-beef chili cheese dog… or six… it’s worth it.

But every story should have a moral, and the moral of this story is to always take your camera with you… AND keep your mind as open as your eyes.