I am a severe cold wimp, and knowing that I had to go out and photograph in 14 degree, snow-covered farm flatland filled me with inexpressible fear. Once at the Mascoutah, Illinois destination, I was overwhelmed with how peaceful and beautiful this plot of land was, even in the dead of winter. And there was a Quonset Hut!
This farm was typical in that there are many outbuildings, and I’m always fascinated by their kind of simple geometry springing out of stark, flat land. Add to that a white ground against a weak, wavering sky and it becomes photographic nirvana.
When I freeze-frame surroundings through a camera eye, the rest of the world drops away. It’s my purest form of being calmly and peacefully detached from my body, a state that sex, drugs and spirituality try to get us to with varying results. This is the poetic way of saying that I completely forgot how damn cold it was while obsessively snapping every square foot of the property.
Granted, most of these snowy shots have that classic Photography 101 look to them, but objects against snow tend to feel that way, in general. Obviously I feel no shame about that since I’m sharing them with you. Also, I wanted to give a shout out to Mascoutah, a town I look forward to getting more familiar with once spring has sprung.
As a southern Illinois native, I have deep love for towns like Mascoutah. Thank you for this post; I have accumulated much information on some of the towns there but have never published any of it.
I love the photo of the truck with the bumper sticker! Thanks for giving a shout out to Mascoutah. I have worked there for a few years now, and it really does have that Mayberry feel. My co-workers and I walk down Main Street to get lunch and run errands, and many of the shopkeepers know us by name. It’s as close to Mayberry as any place I know.