I wandered about her grounds for two hours. I stood off at a distance at first, not sure if I should go closer, but eventually the need for more detail in the shot, an overriding sense of curiosity drew me closer to the buildings and had me courageously peering inside. I dreamed of farmhands and animals working in harmony, imagined the sounds of Guernseys lowing and tractors humming, and pictured bales of hay being tossed about by pitchforks. I lamented over broken windows, rusty hinges and peeling paint, then placed the viewfinder against my face and turned sorrow into scenic beauty. I remembered a former day when blossoms delicately decorated her ancient trees and the grass was a carpet of green. Yet I also found beauty in the earthen hues of winter that now blanketed the land about her and knew that it would not be long before the blossoms would return. And as I turned my direction back toward my car, and lifted my face to the sun one more time, I couldn't help but turn around and look back. She was still there; massive, majestic, and mystery-laden. When you have a camera in your hands, and you look back, sometimes the final shot is the best of all. It has been said that there is no use in looking back. In many ways, this could be true. You cannot physically change your past. You cannot take back ill-spoken words. You can't repeat your moments of joy or success exactly as they had been before. If you become stuck in the past, in looking back continually, you will never move forward and you may miss out on something even better. If you only think of the immediate, you may ruin what lies ahead. And if you only think about the future, you might miss the best details of the here and now. Yes, there are dangers in looking back, but this is not true in photography. In photography, the more you look at a subject, the more you see. It is one thing to develop your technical skills, but developing your powers of observation is of an even greater importance. And in some cases the two go hand in hand. It is the nature of our culture today to get things done quickly, to rush through a moment and move on to the next, to never look back at all. We are completely focused on the immediate. It is a dangerous thing to never look back, or look ahead. In this moment, as I look back at the Grand Old Lady I am reminded in my own life to not only look back but to enjoy the here and now and to look ahead for what is to come. So, I turn once again, walk down the driveway and climb into my car with a smile on my face. And as I pull away to head toward home I think to myself, "She truly is a Grand Old Lady, and she is a great teacher too."
I totally agree with you.. elder people said.. the one who doesn't know about the past will not be able to make a future.. in which I believe.. but nowadays it is tomorrow which is important.. not even the time at which we are.. " developing your powers of observation is of an even greater importance"... I love that .. and the photo too.. it is nice knowing you.. I am happy about it..
such eloquent writing and poignant observation to accompany this beautiful photo. this shot is one of your bests, ann. if i look through your albums and am made to choose just one that i like best, this would be it.
What a grand ending. Beautiful composition and framing on this, Ann. What a great metaphor you have made of this farm. The parallel of our lives with the grand old lady. This would make a lovely short story . . fiction OR non-fiction.
@kezzam Thank you so much Kerry! @woot Thank you Davide! @prttblues Thank you Bev! @summerfield Thank you Vikki! @httpgeffed Thank you Colleen! @dmariewms Thank you Marie! I thought about that too. It must have been great to grow up on this farm! @kimmistephens Thank you Kimmi! @karenann Thank you Karenann! I'm researching places I might submit it.
I really like this photo, too--what a great old place! Like the framing of the tree branches. Your commentary is so meaningful--these old places can teach us a lot...
@pandorasecho Thank you Dixie! @eudora Thank you Diane! @potsbypam Thank you Pam!
Thanks to each one of you. Such lovely comments are so meaningful to me!
Powerful thoughts, thanks for taking the time to share them with us. In fact your thoughts could have the tag of this week's theme of balance as you talk of living in the moment with a good balance between looking to the past and looking forward to the future. A wonderful picture too!
It makes a great point for your words Ann. And I am one that will frequently look back upon what has happened, and it is comforting knowing that it all serves a great purpose as we continue on. It gives us hope, becasue from the past we can be assured that the future will hold nothing more thatn we can handle, and our needs will be sufficiently met.
@louisefrance Thank you Louise for those kind words. I do hope for a balance in my life- always trying to keep the right perspective of past, present and future with God's help. @peterdegraaff Thank you Peter! Yes, it is a huge barn and this is one of my favorite views of her (which is why I saved it for the last of the series). @digitalrn Thank you Rick for your thoughtful comment. I know how powerful the combination of past, present and future is in your family right now, so they have an even greater impact on me as I read them.
February 24th, 2012
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@kerristephens Thanks Kerri!
@woot Thank you Davide!
@prttblues Thank you Bev!
@summerfield Thank you Vikki!
@httpgeffed Thank you Colleen!
@dmariewms Thank you Marie! I thought about that too. It must have been great to grow up on this farm!
@kimmistephens Thank you Kimmi!
@karenann Thank you Karenann! I'm researching places I might submit it.
@bkbinthecity thank you Brian!
Thank you both- this has been a special series for me. I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it.
@eudora Thank you Diane!
@potsbypam Thank you Pam!
Thanks to each one of you. Such lovely comments are so meaningful to me!
@peterdegraaff Thank you Peter! Yes, it is a huge barn and this is one of my favorite views of her (which is why I saved it for the last of the series).
@digitalrn Thank you Rick for your thoughtful comment. I know how powerful the combination of past, present and future is in your family right now, so they have an even greater impact on me as I read them.