Project: Backroads & Barn Tours
I cannot say exactly how or when I developed my love of old barns. My first memorable experience was somewhere around 1983, making me about 12-years-old. I remember being struck by its sheer size and the smell of hay permeating the air. At one time it had been a livestock barn, but it had been years since any animals were housed there, so it lacked the odor I am now familiar with whenever I approach a current working barn.
Years later, I had only just began dabbling in photography when I came across a beautiful scene while out for a drive in the Missouri countryside. Smack in the middle of gorgeous field of green grass stood an old deteriorating structure that I’m pretty sure was once a barn. (See original photo above.) I’m not sure what sort of barn and at the time I really was not aware of the many barn types and their specific uses. I just knew that I wanted to capture the scene in that moment so I could remember it long after it was gone. Given the condition I found it in, I was pretty sure its time was quickly coming to an end.
Today I am introducing you to my latest project, Backroads and Barn Tours. Since that first barn scene in Missouri, I have hoped to share my love of these structures in a way that would preserve their rustic charm as well as their indelible history. I love the practicality and resourcefulness behind their creation, and I believe it to be of valuable importance, as their presence in our landscapes change with innovation, to preserve some memory of these rustic, wooden beauties.
While my photography journey began with barns, much like them, my work has evolved. Wandering backroads scouting for old farms put me in direct connection with the landscapes around them and living in the Midwest brought the added bonus of changing seasons. My once loathsome attitude towards winter disappeared as I began to appreciate the various traits ice and snow added to fence rows and leafless trees.
In the fall of 2016, I attended my first Iowa Barn Tour. The Iowa Barn Foundation is a group that helps to raise awareness and funds for the restoration and care of barns across the state both working and historic. Now, every year in both the spring and fall, I anticipate and prepare for this fascinating opportunity to get an up-close look at some of the oldest barns and cribs in Iowa.
Round, square, traditional, small to imposingly massive…Iowa has a rich history of farming and barn building, and to witness the efforts being made to preserve that history, makes my heart happy. Every tour allows me to experience people and places I might not otherwise find on my own. I am a wanderer at heart, but Iowa has over 36 million acres and thousands of miles of roads. Narrowing some of that down is invaluable and having a means of organizing my focus has proven beneficial. I now have a better awareness of the various landscapes across Iowa and I’m grateful for its influence on my photography.
Over the next…well, months, maybe even a year or two, through this project I hope to share the parts and pieces of my journey; past, present and future. I’m not entirely sure how it is going to look and most likely, much like my photography, it will evolve and you, will get to help. Throughout this project I look forward to feedback from those willing to give it. Whether it’s in response to posts, blogs, or emails, I would greatly appreciate your constructive input, opinions, and suggestions.
Two years after I photographed that first barn scene, I revisited the site and the structure had completely collapsed. Barely visible amongst the bramble of weeds and tangled vines it took me a couple passes through the area to find it. It may seem silly, but I was a little bit heartbroken as I surveyed the remains of what once was probably a vital and useful framework. Someone had put hard work, time, and sweat into its construction. Memories, most likely were made inside and outside it’s four walls. The nostalgia is not simply about the structure but also the people who built it, used it, and loved it and the land it was built on.
As my life and my work evolve, I have a greater appreciation for our history of creativity, simplicity, and resourcefulness. Barns, landscape, nature…they are my connection to that history, and serve as my inspiration for the present and the future.
