Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

White supremacy is terrorism.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Republicans in disarray!

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Not all heroes wear capes.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / Barns / On The Road – JanieM – The Barn, #3

On The Road – JanieM – The Barn, #3

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

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JanieM

My old camera was retired last winter first and foremost because it didn’t take RAW images. But in fairness, it could have done more than I ever asked it to; only rarely did I try anything beyond “point and shoot.” Once or twice I used the macro setting to take pictures of flowers, and occasionally I activated the flash, though I didn’t know how to make good use of it. Now and then I focused the camera to get a certain exposure, then moved it to get the composition I wanted. Tricking it that way didn’t get me far, but at least it made me pay attention to exposure at a rudimentary level. (Not that I knew it was called exposure.) Other than that, I ignored the camera’s more sophisticated capabilities.

Then Steve from Mendocino came along and pointed out, in effect, that though I took some nice pictures, I could take better ones if only I would consent to learn a few photographic concepts and techniques.

I was retired, there was a pandemic on, I didn’t have much to do for fun. I thought, Why not?!

Little did I know.

It was a deep plunge into a new and confusing world, especially for a former math nerd who likes problems with clear answers. Algebra, for instance, can be lovely that way.

Steve edited a whole OTR post of fall color pictures the day WaterGirl put us in touch, explaining what he was doing via email. When I didn’t understand the explanations, he (and Google) clarified the vocabulary. Over the next few weeks I learned about clipping and burning and hot areas and filters and deliberately directing the viewer’s eye in certain ways. It seems obvious enough now, but it took a while for that idea to sink in, even though I knew that a written text does something like that, so why not pictures?

The process is ongoing. I’m learning to think more consciously about exposure and depth of field, and that it’s a good idea to walk around a subject before taking out my camera, to think about how I might want to shoot it. I’m starting to notice the difference between eye-catching patterns and pictures that tell a story. Lately I’ve started using the flash a bit and taking pictures of people, which I had mostly been avoiding.

And then there are the Lightroom and Photoshop lessons. New information doesn’t stick in my brain as readily as it did when I was young, but fortunately, fun and friendship are part of the package, keeping frustration mostly at bay.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 15

Light, geometry, sky.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 14

As Faulkner wrote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 13

The other (and older) loft.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 12

The wall of boulders looks like the basement of the old farmhouse, long gone.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 11

Reflections.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 10

What’s behind the red door? The milking parlor.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 9

A good view of both wings. The nearer one houses the basketball court.

On The Road - JanieM - The Barn, #2 8

Midsummer.

Reader Interactions

23Comments

  9. 9.

    raven

    I have a canon t3i and I signed up for an online course on the use of the camera. At the beginning the dude says “if you are using “Auto” you are missing out on 75% of the functionality of the camera”. Later he said “Auto gives the correct settings 90% of this time”!!!

  10. 10.

    cope

    @raven:  “My statistics have been proven to be 100% correct…3% of the time”.

    As for the pictures, they are all very calming and precise. Thanks, JanieM, what a fine way to start the morning. I expect the inside-looking-out shot was tricky given the contrasting lighting conditions.

    Thanks again.

  14. 14.

    arrieve

    Lovely pictures. You have the eye, which is the first step to the frustrating, but oh so rewarding, process of learning photography.

    I love the reflections, but I’m a sucker for them. I could fill a book with reflection pictures I’ve taken in NYC.

  15. 15.

    H.E.Wolf

    Thank you for the informative, explanatory post and captions; a nice continuity between the two sections.

    The two photos of interiors, with exterior light coming in, are my favorites (though it’s tough to choose just two). Quite different from one another; both spectacular.

  17. 17.

    JanieM

    @Gary K:

    You’re implying this is a curable condition!

    LOL. The pandemic has given me many opportunities to indulge my obsession with numbers, although I would have been glad not to have had this particular chance.

  18. 18.

    Madeleine

    Another word for the caption to #1: lines!

    I’m tempted to say too much about Midsummer. It holds me.

  20. 20.

    JanieM

    @cope:

    I expect the inside-looking-out shot was tricky given the contrasting lighting conditions.

    It was indeed tricky, and I was very new to the Canon when I took it. I did the best I could and Steve did the rest.

  22. 22.

    JJ

    Wow, all those lessons are paying off!  And I love the geometry.  Praise to Steve and your math nerdiness.

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