Thursday, June 9, 2011

does shooting into other people's windows

make one a photographer in search of a subject,
a pervert subject to criminal action,
or something else all together?

i don't expect to find an answer to today's question quite so easily (unless bob chimes in)
but in response to yesterday's question about red barns:
(this explanation came from a site called wiki answers)
Answer:
Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red.
  • Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.


Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.
As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.
Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used.
My dad and grandpa have been farmers their entire lives and they used to tease us kids that the barn was red because it was the most noticeable when the snow was falling sideways and you could barely see because of the sleet and hail.


Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_are_barns_traditionally_painted_red#ixzz1OiKPloLx


25 comments:

Cezar and Léia said...

Quand même!
It's very interesting to know about the "red barn", thanks a lot! :)
*** I love your words and the window is adorable!
Very smart!
Léia

Malyss said...

I plead guilty!If it's a criminal action, I'm a hard recidivist,windows are one of my favorite subjects.It's like to look into some's eyes to see a soul...

Birdman said...

Thanks for the info on red barns. Can't wait til someone asks me why barns are often red.
On today's shot? Borderline pervert, I'd say. hahahaha

PerthDailyPhoto said...

A touch voyeuristic hahaha! but let's face it, if it's enticing looking, who's going to resist?? Great shot Brattcat.

Doug Hickok said...

Thanks for your red barn explanation. Very interesting. As for windows, for me it's just a matter of the composition of their beautiful symmetry. Windows and doors make well ordered images. And, sorry for the "harry" ordeal, otherwise known as the misadventures of posting too late at night :^)

Sharon Creech said...

Thanks for the red barn info. And as for the window, hmm, perhaps it makes you an Observer-Transformer, one who observes in order to transform what he/she sees into another art form. Then again, maybe it just makes you nosy. :)

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

This is very interesting...

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

That flower is smelling very beautiful which I showed my last post.

Kate said...

Thanks for the history lesson on red barns. Coming from snowy Midwest, I think I like your family's explanation the best. The window is framed well!

Jilly said...

I think shooting into other people's windows doesn't make one a photographer in search of a subject but in this case, a photographer who has found her subject and what a fascinating one too. So pretty. As always, it makes us ask, who, why etc.

Loved the explanation of the red barns and your father and grandfather's comment. How did you get that explanation into a box?

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

Julie and I just returned from a week taking photos in the California Sierra foothills wine country, Sequoia and Yosemite. We got some old barn photos with unfinished barn siding, and one at a winery that was newly painted a deep, deep red.

VP said...

I feel guilty, I have tried many times to stop, but...

Sharon said...

I'm hoping its not a criminal action because I have certainly done it.

Virginia said...

I hope you don't end up in the "pokey" for that BC! If you do, call Bob.
V

john bain said...

It's not something I would do. Not with my record! Only joking, but I still think I'd ask first. Suspicious lot the neighbourhood watch brigade.

Small City Scenes said...

A peeping Thomasina!! MB

Roger & Janet said...

I created a "business" card that has my name, phone number and website. Then if there are any questions, or if I feel I should alert someone to me posting something that they may find intrusive, I give them the card to show that I'm not a complete wacko.

Anya said...

Nice to read about the red barns !!!
Never heard before :P

Well about the window
I don't know
but you can look in my widow SURE
:))

Unknown said...

"Curiosity killed the cat!" :-))) Thanks for the answer on red barns.

Jack said...

I think it makes you a pervert, brattcat!

Thanks for the answer. It includes ferrous oxide, so I am awarding myself some points.

If you visited the Atheneum today, I hope you enjoyed the water lilies exhibition and also stayed to see other exhibitions in the museum.

Lowell said...

Thanks for all that information about red barns. I'm going to store that away so I can answer well if I'm ever asked why a red barn and not a blue barn. :-)

Shooting in windows is OK if it's done with a camera and you don't inadvertently take a picture of naked people or other such and try to sell them on the Internet. I think that could get you into trouble.

I see no problem with this shot.

Is this your window?

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Well.... Perverts, unite!

I'm with you on this one! So is Mr. Bird!

Bises,
Genie

Sunny said...

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I haven't been on line much lately.
RiverFest is still up in the air, I'm really not going to know until last minute. Still having health issues. Now they are saying rain for Saturday in which case it's a definite no.
I plan (crossing fingers) to be in Rowe in July, hopefully my leg will be completely better and I'll be off all the meds.
☼ Sunny

Gunn said...

Interesting.
- I do like to take photos of windows and doors... like many of us CDP people do.
Nice photo this.

Bert said...

If a man looks through a window and happens to see a woman in a state of undress, he's a voyeur, a peeping Tom, a pervert.
If a woman looks through a window and happens to see a man in a state of undress, he's an exhibitionist, a flasher, a pervert.
Sometimes you just can't win!