The barn with the chequered roof

Terry Baker
printed on Giclée Epson Semi-Gloss

This derelict barn in Normandy, France, was photographed on medium format black and white film which was then converted to a digital file for editing in Photoshop. These old half-timbered (maison a colombage) buildings are a feature of rural Normandy, and many have fallen into disuse and decay, a sad loss to the countryside and to the old, traditional ways of building. When these beautiful structures finally give up the ghost and return to the ground which bore them it will be to our loss. They were constructed with love, care and, above all, craftsmanship. Images such as this will become the memento mori of what once was, but now, alas, forgotten by all save a few. This is why the print has been selectively toned to mimic the effects of gold toning on silver image printing, another dying traditional technique practised, perhaps, by a tiny handful of enthusiasts. This edifice has not yet given up all its ghosts, but sooner or later there will be little left to house them.