Barn, Cape Cod, Massachusetts c. 1937 - 1981

Ansel Adams made this photograph of a barn on Cape Cod using black and white film. What strikes me is the way Adams uses light and shadow, not just to describe the barn, but to create a mood, a feeling of quiet observation. Look at the texture he coaxes from the wooden planks, each with its own grain and history etched into the surface. Then there is the stark geometry of the barn itself. A sharp contrast with the softer, cloud-filled sky. My eye is drawn to the weather vane at the very top, a tiny detail that seems to capture the essence of the place and the passing of time. Adams' work, like that of the painter Edward Hopper, another New England observer, reminds me that simplicity can be profound. It’s not just about what you see, but how you see it.