Photo Trek: Forsyth County
Photo Trek: 11-08-2009, West Rd near Pine Hall Rd, Forsyth County
Creeping Vines
We are now just a week into November and already its been a rough month for me. I can't really go into any detail, but things at work have changed for me rather significantly as of the 2nd. My schedule has been changed due to a temporary reassignment which has reduced my normal weekend by half. With less days to work with my Treks will be few and far between until everything gets straightened back out. The Treks that I am able to go on will likely be close by since I can no longer devote an entire day to the camera.
Honestly, this weekend was looking like a wash with lots of other things to do, and not a cloud in the sky to work with. I realized that I needed to get out Trekking for my own mental well being so I can cope with my newfound existence at work. I thought about where I could go all of Saturday evening and night. I even thought about doing some studio work, but nothing came to me until just before I went to sleep. I recalled a tractor in a field behind an old abandoned shelter. I had wanted to work that scene, but had not had the inclination to actually get out there and give it a try. It was close, and I needed to do something, so that was my destination for this morning.
I started just after the sun had come up over the trees but before the light would be too harsh to work with. I headed to the location and pulled off to the side of the road. I could see the tractor, but as I started to ponder my approach, I could see a bright yellow sign on the shelter....Posted, No Trespassing. Hmmm, that really puts a wrench in my plans. There was no way to photograph the tractor from the street, and to make matters worse, I could see another old '50's era flatbed truck stuck in the tree line that I had missed during the summer months. However, being in law enforcement, I could not get close enough for photos of either without trespassing. It just wasn't an option for me. I will have to try and figure out who owns the property and see if they will give me permission to enter at a later time.
Well, I had my heart set on creating a photograph or two and I wasn't willing to let it go just yet. The sun was still low enough that I had a little more usable light to work with. I got back in my truck and continued on down the road. I ventured on a few roads that I had not been on previously just to see if I could find something worth a frame or two. It was not looking good as I drove. An hour past, and the sun was getting a little bit too strong for my liking. Just as I had decided that this was futile, I found a small barn on the side of West Rd, near Pine Hall Rd. It wasn't anything special, but the vines on the outer wall caught my eye, as did the rusty roof. The bare trees behind it seemed to fit the story. Also, for once the sky was cooperating. While there were no clouds, the barn was situated in a way that I had the Northern sky behind it. This may mean nothing to you, but for me it meant that I could use my polarizer to its full potential as the Northern sky is the deepest blue. I started to get excited about this one.
I got out of the truck and set up my camera. I chose to use my 17-40mm f/4L so that I could get in close and include the trees and sky. I had to be careful because the sun was slightly behind my position causing a nice long shadow of yours truly. I'm not one to want to be in pictures so I worked out compositions that avoided my shadow. Ironically, I ended up with just seven frames of this barn. Out of those frames, it was the very first one that I shot that really caught my eye and became a New Addition to the gallery. It had a sense of drama with the perspective, and everything just fell together nicely. It is rare that the first frame that I shoot turns out to be my favorite, but in this case there was no competition.
After about 20 minutes working the barn, I was packing up and heading home to take care of some things around the house. The Trekking for the weekend was over, but at least I managed to get out and play with the camera for a bit. There are events in each of our lives that require a little bit of effort to really get past, and I am very happy that I have my photography as some personal therapy. The concentration that it took to create this one image, and the focus it required to make it work was the beginning process of my healing.
Posted by Greg A. Kiser at 11/8/2009 11:06 AM 
Categories: Rustic,Trek
Tags: NC North Carolina Piedmont
Categories: Rustic,Trek
Tags: NC North Carolina Piedmont
HBO, so glad that you have your photography to help you through this tough time and any others. Pic was great as usual. Im happy that you were able to get something this weekend! xoxox
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I've just spent an enjoyable rainy afternoon looking through your art gallery. So beautiful!
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I see the tall straight trees preparing to sleep until spring; not the climbing vines that would try to strangle what is already dead.
Your photograph shows life resting for the next challenge.
As we all have to do in order to give of our best.
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