Pre-War Barns

[Pete Askew]

Here is a short series of pictures of some old barns dating from the 1920's. The larger of the two was home to some 600 chickens in the 1950's producing eggs that were sold in West Berlin. The barns themselves were in the former DDR and so some cross-border trade was involved! Although unrenovated they are still in use but not for chickens!

The shots were taken just as a storm started. The first rain was falling but the sun was still breaking through the clouds as thunder rumbled all around creating a wonderful glowing light with some deep shade.

Leica M9 + 35 f 1/1.4 ISO 320 f 1/4 - 1/5.6 1/45s Modified Tin Type in SilverFX Pro via LR and PS.

 

[Paul Lange]

Nice set Pete although I'm still trying to decide if the Lidl carrier bag in the first one adds or subtracts from the image. I like the Tin Type effect too. Some may argue that effects like these are gimmicks to turn uninteresting photo into an interesting one. My opinion is that what they do is filter out so that the final image shows what it was about the scene that caught your eye.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Paul. Actually I had this conversion in mind when I shot them as Tin Types have this sort of ethereal glow to them (and of course this is a simulation of a genuine printing process). It matched the mood / lighting at the time and I was thinking that it would be nice to go back at some point (they are just up the road) and shoot them on film using 5x4 - I'll ask the owner when I give him the first set of prints. I left the Lidl bag in deliberately (along with the clutter around the other shed) as this was all part of the place along with old paint buckets etc. I did 'de-emphasize' the bright, white satelite dish though!

 

[Hamish Gill]

I like em mate!
I don't think this sort of thing is a gimmick ...
If this was a gimmick then where is the line that any pp becomes a gimmick??
The content is made more interesting by the pp ... But isn't that what pp is for?

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Hamish. My first thoughts on seeing these buildings tucked away at the back of an overgrown and negletected garden and almost invisible behind some trees was that is was a bit like stepping back in time. The impression was very much like they had been forgotten. Of course they haven't and they are still in use (hence my desire to leave the Lidl bag etc) but the owner has no deisre to tidy them (romanticism in part - they were built by his grandfather). Because of this I wanted to use an old style to present them and to reflect the stillness and solitude they imbue and the modified Tin Type seemed ideal especially when altered to re-create better the glowing light present at the time (sun bounced around by the falling rain). So no, not a gimmick at all and had I shot them on film I would have followed a printing and processing route that would have given a similar effect. They are now printed 30 cm on their smallest size ready to hand over and I plan to print an extra set to hang in the studio for now.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

The lighting in #1 is something special Pete - and I like the PP a lot - think it suits the subject and helps to tell a story

 

[Ralph Thornton]

A perfect conversion for this subject. I especially think the light/dark areas work well in this series. How bout that plastic chair in front of the old shed? Interesting combination.

 

[Alastair Cummins]

I like these alot, but that carrier bag does look a bit too much out of place IMO

 

[Barry Keavney]

I really like these Pete. Have you ever read "Walk across America - Peter Jenkins?" These are like the photos from the book of places he has visit back then for Nat Geo. Love the PP...Authentic

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Barry. Not read the book but will look a copy up. Thanks for the tip.