As far as I can tell, most landscape photographers agree, that there is something special about old barns.

Beauty in New England Barns

a barb wire fence leads the eye up to the next post to the trees and then the barn. Snow blankets everything with quiet. — The farm relaxes after the busy part of the year.

The allure of a Vermont barn in the snow, either in grey, brown, or once in a while red, that makes most of us want to stop and photograph it. Those of us who capture what we find beautiful don’t really realize all the work that revolves around barns and farms.

I have been familiarized with farm life by my wife who grew up on a dairy farm in Northern Vermont. It was when we were on our first visit to her ***Parents*** that I was acquainted with the term, “dairy-aire“. (the smell of manure being spread on the ground)

Some things like creemees (soft-serve ice cream), I’m ready to enjoy but dairy-aire is something I still wrinkle my nose up at. Don’t get it yet? (think about the southern end of a northbound cow..), got the picture?

Anyway, dairy farms have this dairy-aire about them and one good whiff might make you swear off barns altogether. But we rarely get so close that we need to worry about that small downside.

Lisa told me about her father’s other barns that held hay bales, silage, and equipment. These were magical places to explore as children and she remembers jumping from the second level into mounds of sawdust.

What I’m looking for in a barn

Not too new, not too old* (see next)
Aged but not collapsed (a grey patina is nice but I love a barn painted red under a coat of snow)
Not at the edge of the road (Northern VT has a lot like that)
Distance is ok as long as it’s not a dot in the valley
If the barn was from the 40s or 50s, it may have had an advertisement painted on it, bonus points for that.
If there is a wooded hillside rising behind the barn/farm then you can bet there will be great fall color in the fall.
If there is a lonely barn out in the field, all by itself, is there a good view of it now, or would catching it in winter when it takes on a bluish hue in the late afternoon, be better?

When in doubt, should you ask for permission?

Here is a favorite book in my Amazon store on New England barns. This guide will give the town to find the barn but not the exact location. It also describes the historical nature and how and why it was built. I think it will give you some good ideas in your search.

I had someone ask me on my blog if it was ok to enter a field in order to get a picture. I went to my expert on these matters. Lisa says if you don’t see a house visible and there is no barbed wire/wooden fence, and you’re not trampling crops, then you’re probably ok. But don’t blame her if you climb over the fence and get halfway across before you realize that the bull whose pasture you’re in can cross it a lot faster than you can… Nuff said.

Also in winter, the farms shut down and things become quiet. It does not mean the owner is not busy. He is relaxing, this relaxation consists of repairing equipment, caring for livestock, planning on what is needed for the spring planting, and planning for the care of the land for the coming season.

Vermont barn under blanket of snow — Vermont barn under a blanket of snow

No matter the style or condition of his barn, this building is one of the most important buildings that the farmer owns. Whether it holds farm equipment or livestock, the farmer relies on the building for his and his family’s livelihood. So, when you next pass by a farm and ramshackle barns and the smell of the earth along with other Dairy-Aire smells, think about the families who give their lives to taking care of the land upon which our daily bread comes from. Without the farmer taking care of and tending the land we would be forever hungry.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

Visit my Amazon affiliate store for items that Lisa and I have curated for you. These items are either New England-made or things we think will make your fall foliage trip more successful.