We spent a recent Sunday morning trudging through an abandoned farmstead north of Chicago with our photo friend, Jay.
The day was dreary, which seemed to fit well with the feeling as we photographed the old farmhouse and barns that remain on the property.
When we looked at the images in Lightroom, color just didn't seem to fit the downcast mood that permeated the place.
So we shifted to Black and White.
We like the results.
Any comments?
For more images, visit www.ernestjschweitphotography.com. You'll need to navigate to the Midwest Barns portfolio.

As nice as this scene is, it almost never saw the light of day.
We almost missed the place as we drove through southwestern Illinois recently.
It sits below the road and as we drove by, it took a second look before we spotted it.
And it  took a third look at all the images from our trip in Lightroom the other day before we noticed it. Now that its out there, though, I think the wait was worth it. For more barn images, and other images from our  portfolio, visit www.ernestjschweitphotography.com

The skies were clear, the sun was hot and the corn was pretty far along when I discovered this scene in western Illinois, south of Macomb, the other day.
We were on a Sunday drive just for fun with my son, who had recently graduated Western Illinois University, when this place appeared on the horizon.The last four years, we have made many images on trips to see my son, but now that he's graduated, there won't be many journeys to this part of the midwest.

We organized a barn shoot the other day for some of our students from Harper College in Palatine, Ill.
Our destination was the Fox River Grove/Barrington Area, where we found this wonderful red barn in a huge meadow.
Truth is, we had shot this barn before, so we challenged ourselves to find a new perspective.
We grabbed a 28 to 80 zoom, our trusty tripod and went to work. Here's the result.
For more of our images, visit our new web site, www.ernestjschweitphotography.com or "like" us on Facebook at Ernest J. Schweit photography.
More photos from the Harper shoot in the days ahead.

I'm not sure why, but I've always been fascinated by old barn doors. There's something almost mystical about the grain of the old wood, the rust of the joints and locks and the reflections of the window glass.

Here's our latest barn door find, the one on the side of an old barn near Lincolnshire, Ill., northwest of the Chicago.

The entire farmstead--or what's left of it--is below.

I'm always on the lookout for old barns to photograph, so if you know of any, send me a note, OK?

The suburban sprawl has eaten up most of the farms northwest of Chicago. But here and there,  you can still find vestiges of the area's agricultural past. 
We found this one in Lake County near Lincolnshire. This tattered barn and silos stand near a huge high school and subdivisions with large, fancy homes.
It is doubtful that moms in their mini-vans driving to soccer games or teenagers heading to school are aware of the history that this farm, and others like it, recall.

On a weekend vacation in Wisconsin, we stumbled upon this round barn in Grafton. We struggled with how to capture its beauty on the rainy early spring day, but settled on this panoramic look that placed its in its environment, nestled in some pine trees set back a bit from a rural two lane highway. Round barns had their day in this country as experimental buildings promoted because, at the time, they were thought to provide more efficient use of space. They are usually found near agricultural colleges where academics  promoted their use. See more of our work on Facebook at Ernest J. Schweit Photography

Can't wait for the snow to blanket my part of the midwest so we can get out shootin' more barns.

In the meantime, this one will have to do:  a snow scene that appears in my book, "Wisconsin Barns." We captured this barn near Spring Lake, Wisc.

To be truthful, the hay rolls scattered in the white fields caught my attention first; there happened to be a cool barn sitting against a hill full of trees in the background, so it worked out. 

Looking forward to more; and soon!

Traveling to Macomb, Ill., the other day, we came across this scene near LaSalle, a naked tree against the fall sky with a lone farm building against the horizon. A common scene in these flatlands, the scene is a reminder how empty and lonely the country can appear. For more of my work, visit www.mfisherstudios.com. Just click on Ernest J. Schweit photography. Or 'like' us on facebook; search for Ernest J. Schweit photography.

Sometimes an old barn will grab my attention for the way it sits in its surroundings. Such was the case with this beauty we found out near a golf course in Belvidere, Ill.

Sitting among the grasses and brush, this old beauty seemed to be about to be swallowed up by its surroundings, like so many other barns we've seen.

Hang in there!

Western Illinois winter

Desolation is the word that sprung to mind when I saw this old red barn along Route 150  during a recent trip through Western Illinois. The spindly, barren trees, grey skies and snow sprinkled field made this old barn look lonelier than it would have looked surrounded by lush trees, crops in the field and a bright blue sky. Yet many old barns I've come across have a lonely look to them, as if they've seen better days and now they're cast aside.

Hay rolls in winter

Finding new and interesting settings to photograph a barn can be challenging, especially when winter is whipping across the farmland of western Illinois. We discovered these rolls of hay in a field along Illinois Route 150. Conveniently, a farmhouse and a barn were nearby, so we put 'em together and viola! Something a little different. I might take a different perspective if I had it to do over again, but hey, like I said, it was c-c-cold outside and I feel fortunate to have captured this image before my fingers froze!

Happy New Year!

Happy holidays!

A fresh snow had fallen the night before we made this image on a country road in Lake County, Ill. The snow covered trees made for a nice framing device and the light from the clear blue winter sky still makes me feel cold.
Consider this my holiday gift to everyone who stops here; especially those who do so on a regular basis as followers.
Have a great holiday and a happy and healthy new year!

Farmhouse of mystery

The old farmhouse looked scary, almost like a haunted house, when we found it on a recent fall morning. Of course, the muted light from a  rain shower passing through McHenry County didn't hurt the effect. An abandoned house like this --with its prevailing sense of mystery--seems to pose more questions then it answers. But that's fine. It might look ugly to some, but I see a beauty in it that rivals one of those the big houses with a longest drive-way.