[Daniel Smith]

Black & White

on: November 27, 2019 at 6:17 pm

Coming back from picking up a gallery show to deliver to the next venue I was driving back roads. This small country schoolhouse, restored and preserved really did look nice. Stopped to let the Golden Retreiver run around in the corn field while I photographed inside. Clean and quiet with no wind coming through the windows even as I could hear it whistling outside.

 

 

 

 

A lot of these old places are no longer standing. Nice to see some being taken care of rather than taken down for an extra acre for crops.

"A good still photograph, studied by an inquiring mind, frequently yields more information than a mile of moving images". Walter Cronkite, New York, June 1989

• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Daniel Smith.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Daniel Smith.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Daniel Smith.

[Kevin Raber Silver Member Posts: 1212]

Re: Dakota Schoolhouse

Reply #1 on: November 27, 2019 at 8:36 pm

Nice set of images.  Good to see that you stop rather than drive by and say I’ll come back another time.

[Daniel Smith Participant Posts: 98]

Re: Dakota Schoolhouse

Reply #2 on: November 28, 2019 at 2:33 am

When I go places I really try to have extra time so I have he option to stop and explore a location or subject. At least a look at it ‘just in case’ if nothing else.

Too often the old “I’ll come back” does not happen. Other times it happens and the building or whatever is no longer there. Absent a specific time to arrive somewhere I will photograph and work a bit on a location and let the rest of the trip fall where it may. This particular schoolhouse will most likely still be there as it is not the type someone tears down. Not the landowners or those who spent time on restoration and preservation. No accounting for jerks who would come by and do damage. Have seen that too often.

If you look at this and the image above of the room you will see the stapler has moved. A local farmer stopped to check when he saw my truck and as we were talking he straightened up a few things. He had attended the school when it was open, decades ago. Was proud of the job they did preserving it. When he saw I was photographing and we talked he said he had seen the photo exhibit I had just picked up. Glad someone goes to art galleries. One of these days the schoolhouses will be a show and maybe a book.

Working with B&W gives me a feel much different than color with these locations. Many images work well in B&W. A few, though for me not many – simply have to be color as that is what they are all about. Over the next few days I’ll post one of those.

"A good still photograph, studied by an inquiring mind, frequently yields more information than a mile of moving images". Walter Cronkite, New York, June 1989

[Mike Nelson Pedde Participant Posts: 641]

Re: Dakota Schoolhouse

Reply #3 on: February 2, 2020 at 1:12 am

Not specifically B&W but in line with the schoolhouse, a friend of ours invested countless hours over a period of years photographing old homesteads across Canada’s prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta). The finished product is an independently-published hardcover book called Prairie Sunset. If anyone’s interested you can find more here: https://prairiesunset.ca/

Mike

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Mike Nelson Pedde
Victoria, BC
https://www.wolfnowl.com/

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