Open To All Winds Photo

Photographer’s Note

This house belongs to friends sheepbreeders and cider makers I visited yesterday on the Neubourg plateau. On their land, I found this typical Normandy "longère", (long and narrow farm building). The right part is the residential place. Under the roof, there was place to put grain introduced thru the little window. On the left, place for tools, machines, and on the other end (not on photo), place for horses. Cattle was in another building. All together, it's not rich materials, slate roof, cob walls, and not many oak pieces of wood.
I asked them if they intended to rebuilt it one day. They said it would be too expensive, so every year the plateau wind destroys it a little bit more...
There were heavy rain and hail showers that day, but just a little opening in the clouds to let the sunshine in.

avigur_11, femkevdh, maphoto, digi-mom, orme, CVTJan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

kourosh (2368) 2004-04-08 11:29

i like the gray colors here. strange! how many doors does it have? interesting shot.
well done.

avigur_11 (21271) 2004-04-08 12:43

It looks like a houricane has passed by. I love those square tiles, even if they are broken. This is an amazing sgot, Jean Michel, very well done.

femkevdh (2633) 2004-04-08 14:31

people still actually live here?? Amazing! excellent title.
Great subject and very well captured.

Gbutler (737) 2004-04-08 15:31

Great shot and awesome description of it...would love to visit a place like this and wander around for hours looking for things (both small and large) to photograph! I think this would look great in B/W-I may try to do a workshop for that one too.

maphoto (8076) 2004-04-08 19:26

Simple but beautiful image, interesting shot, well done.

orme (6746) 2004-04-09 10:04

An interesting shot, Jean Michel, with a good note. The structure looks as if it could collapse at any moment. The roof reminds me of fish scales. Well framed.

CVTJan (1244) 2004-04-10 1:52

Dear Jean, this one is really looking like it is collapsing every second. Good composition, just a shame that the sky was not performing for a good contrast, but on the other hand that gry sky is adding to the atmosphere. Well seen and taken. Yours, Jan

digi-mom (1064) 2004-04-10 11:19

So nice and sharp - I love this roof, and the patterns in the wood work. Great capture.

ianmcall (1213) 2004-04-13 9:12

Lovely range of gray tnes and I like all the tilted angles. A charming shot of an building past its prime. Good light and a nice close frame.

dsidwell (9745) 2004-05-13 12:17

Nice, straightforward architectural shot of this structure. Nice composition with the space at right. Looks like an interesting place!

RegisMinot (1317) 2004-08-28 10:01

Le sujet photographié est hors du commun. Il est dommage que vos amis ne puissent rénover cette maison. Les bois gris et la patine du temps sont bien rendus. Je me suis permis d'ajouter cette photo au thème des maisons à colombage (half-timbering around the world).