I drive by The Grand Old Lady at least once a week. I have often looked at her from the road and admired her beauty. I had even stopped and photographed her once before. I thought that I had seen all that was to see of her. But I was wrong! As I passed by one day, I noticed a building set back on the property that I had not seen before, so on this sunny day, I set out toward the back of the property to see what the "new" building was. I walked past "Buster" and around the end of the Grand Old Lady and was surprised by what I saw- two silos completely invisible from the road! Even more amazing was the material they were made of, ceramic tile. I stood there, looking at how beautiful they were as they reached up into the bright blue sky, utterly amazed. I momentarily forgot about my quest to see the "new" building and went to view these fascinating structures more closely. The sad thing about our culture today is the emphasis on youth and the segregation of generations. We drive along the roadways of life, barely glancing at the people we see as we travel to and fro. We think we know what the lay of the land is, what each life phase is all about, and rarely take the time to look beyond our narrow little viewfinder. Maybe once in a while, we catch a glimpse of something we never noticed before, but if we have places to go, and people to see, we may not take the time for a second glance or further investigation. But if we do; if we really want to stop, get out of the car, and walk to the "back of the property", we might be surprised by what we find there. If we take the time to talk and listen to a young teen, or a person who's weathered with age, we might discover silos made of ceramic tile. Like the Grand Old Lady, who looks abandoned and weathered from the road, but holds exciting discoveries for those who stop and take the time to get to know her, it is easy to pass the same judgment on people we pass by everyday and for them to pass judgment on us. I admit that in my life right now, there is a part of me that wants to hibernate from life. My body aches from arthritis, my joints refuse to move sometimes, and the day to day grind is taking its toll on my motivation to keep going in spite of these limitations. But on days when I've picked up the camera, explored my world and made a surprising discovery, I realize that I cannot accept a sedentary conclusion to my life nor can I accept my culture's obsession with youth. Like the Grand Old Lady, I still have a few surprises to unveil. And although my sides are weathered and a few panes of glass have broken over the years, I've been made with unique materials that shine in the midday sun. I am just waiting to be discovered.
Very effective photo--so simple and strong, like the silos. The builders' craftsmanship is astounding--they definitely built these to last. I'm so glad you discovered them--keep on walking to the back of the property!
The grand old lady shows off her powerful strength here with these siles. Beautiful tiles and great craftmanship. Youth is overestimated and wisdom isn't recognized in the elderly anymore it seems. Beautiful composition, Ann. Touching.
Ah Ann! You are a unique and beautiful person just like these ceramic tiles on these silos. My grandmother started raising 5 children at 70 years old so I have an immense respect for the wisdom and stick to it to ness of those older than myself. It is sad that our culture does not revere those who are older and usually much wiser than the youngsters!
I love how real this (as the eye would see it) looks. And, that is film. Hmmm, perhaps I will start a new challenge entitled "Same shot, film and digital" to see the difference. Perhaps it would get Canon, Nikon, et al, to get off their digi-butts and work on White Balance and Zone exposure.
@kimmiesue Thank you Kim! @simster Thank you Simmy! @woot Thank you Davide! @allie912 Thank you Allison!
Thank you so much for those uplifting comments!
@digitalrn Thank you Rick! @httpgeffed Thank you Colleen! @potsbypam Thank you Pam! You are such a blessing! @sarasdadandmom Thank you Terry!
Thank you all for those kind words- they are truly appreciated!
@cluvlj Thanks C and LJ- interesting, I've been thinking about doing a side by side because I did take some digital shots that day too. But if you do a challenge like that, I would try it out on a new subject.
great angle, great shot, ann. is that the reason perhaps that the silos look newer than the barn, because they're made of ceramic tiles? but one would suppose that exposure would still hurt them, but they look almost new.
i got my photos that i took last weekend with my old minolta slr. exactly the same shot as my photo on the 19th, the one from the film was clearer and more vivid. and whereas the snowy scenes seem to come out black and white using a digital camera, the ones from the film, however drab the colours, look like coloured pictures. go figure.
@kimmistephens Thank you Kimmi! @summerfield Thanks Vikki! Yes, I think the tiles mask their age, but I also think they may have been added on later (or upgraded to the tile later). Some tiles are designed to take the cold and weather. My husband the tile man did someone's balcony in tile not too long ago. And yes that's the nature of film- it warms up even the drabbest colors.
@cimes1 Thank you Carole!
@karenann Thank you Karenann!
Thanks to all of you- your encouragement makes my day!
@simster Thank you Simmy!
@woot Thank you Davide!
@allie912 Thank you Allison!
Thank you so much for those uplifting comments!
@httpgeffed Thank you Colleen!
@potsbypam Thank you Pam! You are such a blessing!
@sarasdadandmom Thank you Terry!
Thank you all for those kind words- they are truly appreciated!
i got my photos that i took last weekend with my old minolta slr. exactly the same shot as my photo on the 19th, the one from the film was clearer and more vivid. and whereas the snowy scenes seem to come out black and white using a digital camera, the ones from the film, however drab the colours, look like coloured pictures. go figure.
@summerfield Thanks Vikki! Yes, I think the tiles mask their age, but I also think they may have been added on later (or upgraded to the tile later). Some tiles are designed to take the cold and weather. My husband the tile man did someone's balcony in tile not too long ago. And yes that's the nature of film- it warms up even the drabbest colors.
@alia_801 Thank you Alia!
@peterdegraaff Thank you Peter!
@la_photographic Thank you Laura!