rural – Denise Bush's Photo Blog

Road Trip Relics

On a recent overnight road trip, Brent and I discovered some fascinating relics. I enjoyed exploring to find and shoot them! Each one has its own imagined story, since there is little to no information about why the inhabitants vanished. I hope you enjoy seeing my latest captures below. These relics may not be around much longer!

And speaking of relics, it’s come to my attention that the theme used for this blog is no longer supported and needs updating to a ‘responsive’ theme (template). I will be studying the best way to do this and am hoping there won’t be too many kinks. I am concerned images uploaded before August 2021 may not look acceptable as they were sized very small. I’ve been sharing my images and thoughts about photography since 2009 and this theme has served me well. Blogging is a wonderful way to archive work and including this entry I’ve posted 452 times. Most often posts display several photos following a topic of my choosing, and I’ve posted 3,121 images to date. Thanks very much for following along … and please stay tuned!

UPDATE: I pulled the switch and this is my new theme. I chose something similar and think it worked out well, and without any apparent glitches … yay!

An old brick house glows in the golden hour sun below beautiful clouds. — ‘The Brick House’ © Denise Bush

Barns and sheds part to reveal a mound in the distance. — ‘A Distant Mound’ © Denise Bush

The sky blue color and unusual siding call attention to this little relic. — ‘Diamond Sided’ © Denise Bush

An old Dodge sits on top of a foundation providing a covered storage space. — ‘Storage Solutions’ © Denise Bush

A little house sits abandoned long ago on the plains of the west. — ‘Little House On The Plains’ © Denise Bush

A shelter built from adobe bricks and mud holds onto history with a weathered patina. — ‘Adobe Shelter’ © Denise Bush

A little house, quaint adn new at one time, weathers with age. — ‘Gone’ © Denise Bush

Old weathered buildings are in a perfect setting below Colorado's beautiful mountains. — ‘Relics Below’ © Denise Bush

An old barn stands out with its red weathered siding. — ‘Red Barn & Silo’ © Denise Bush

A windmill and some old tractor wheels make an intriguing rural scene under ominous looking storm clouds. — ‘Windmill & Wheels’ © Denise Bush

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Random Rural & Relics

Side-tracked with autumn images I had forgotten some of these, just waiting in the wings. Once I process images I like to gather them into sets and post them here on my photo blog. It’s one of the ways I archive my work. I can look back and see what I’ve done. Just some of the images posted might make it into my year-end favorites, as organized on my website. I’ll be working on ‘2019 Favorites’ soon! The photos here are still more from a summer trip to South Dakota and Wyoming. And there’s one image from Colorado … see if you can guess which one it is!

An old grain elevator sits conveniently beside the tracks in an old abandoned town in South Dakota. — ‘The Other Side Of The Tracks’ © Denise Bush

A cow peeks around the corner of an old shoolhouse in South Dakota. — ‘Peek-A-Boo Cow’ © Denise Bush

Distant grain bins and a gentle green landscape combine for a pleasing rural scene. — ‘Distant Grain Bins’ © Denise Bush

This horse has made itself at home in an old schoolhouse. — ‘When Horses Go To School’ © Denise Bush

An old-fashioned windmill spins in the breeze atop a grassy hill. — ‘Windmill In Motion’ © Denise Bush

A backwoods cabin has all the makings for off the grid living. — ‘Rustic Find’ © Denise Bush

This old facade is full of diagonal, horizontal and vertical lines, then enhanced further by the weathered texture. — ‘Lots Of Lines’ © Denise Bush

An old building is reflected from across a deserted town in Wyoming. — ‘Reflections Of The Past’ © Denise Bush

Cabin Collection

It has been a while since I’ve posted the weathered little structures found along the way. I’ve been all wrapped up in shooting and then processing my fall foliage images! This set shows several photos that document the finds and record their existence. They’ve been patiently waiting to be shared. Evoking all kinds of questions I wonder who built them, used them, and what are their stories?

‘Cabin Amid Hay Harvest’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or order a print*

Tiny Shelter Beside Aspens’ © Denise Bush
*Added to my ‘Remnants & Remains’ Gallery*

Along Country Roads

One of my favorite things to do is to take a drive in the country looking for interesting subjects to photograph. It’s a great cure for cabin fever and I enjoy it even more when I capture images worth processing and posting. Somedays that doesn’t happen but I often learn something about a location for the next time. The weather, a different time of day or even time of year can make a big difference. I always hope for beautiful cloud patterns but Mother Nature can please … and she can disappoint! Finding a great location or subject, then being there at the right time are just as important as knowing how to use your equipment. The following images come from several different outings in the last month. All but two were shot along country roads quite close to home.

‘Little Shack in Winter’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or purchase a print*

Rural Scenery

I have always been drawn to rural scenes and taking rides in the country (with my camera of course) is a favorite pastime. Perhaps I was a farmer in a previous life! Give me a country road and I’m happy … put a barn or shack on it and I’m even happier … and a mountain back-drop or setting moon … ecstatic! Here are few rural scenes I enjoyed shooting recently. In processing them I took care of some haze that was present on this particular morning caused from the wildfires all the way in California! Not too far from home, I am looking forward to shooting at these locations again.

'Hay Rake in Morning Sun' © Denise Bush — ‘Hay Rake in Morning Sun’ © Denise Bush
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'Mountain Barn' © Denise Bush — ‘Mountain Barn’ © Denise Bush

'Summer Cloud Over Barn' © Denise Bush — ‘Summer Cloud Over Barn’ © Denise Bush

'Moon Over Tiny House' © Denise Bush — ‘Moon Over Tiny House’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or order a print*

Abstract Expressionism … at a Crossroads

While traveling south on a photo adventure last week my friend and I stopped to photograph some rather unique abandoned buildings. Situated at a busy crossroads in a rural setting, they more than stood out with their bold, abstract expressionistic designs. Odd and fascinating they provided a fun subject as I set out to photograph the artwork in such a way to repurpose it, and make it my own.

Places Close To Home

Here are some random images, all shot within an hour or so of my home in Southern New Jersey. We are situated between Philadelphia and Atlantic City in a region know as the Pinelands, a dense oak and pine forest known for its diverse flora and fauna. Living here has its own advantages … photographically speaking and I enjoy capturing the local scenery. The forest has many sand roads that lead to ponds, streams and bogs worth photographing. Rural scenes and Americana interest me so I also enjoy the surrounding farmland, known for it’s Jersey corn, tomatoes, blueberries and cranberries. Another plus is that we have the Jersey Shore nearby where areas on the bay and the surf coming in along the ocean offer even more possibilities. Representing the Pinelands, rural scenes and even the coast, here are some photos from places close to my home.

'Rural Relics' © Denise Bush — ‘Rural Relics’ © Denise Bush

'Sea Captain's House' © Denise Bush — ‘Sea Captain’s House’ © Denise Bush

Forsaken Farm

In my last post I talked about exploring new ideas while continuing to shoot my usual subjects. That certainly includes my love for old barns. I often say in jest that I could make an abandoned barn, coffee table book. On a recent trip and early morning shoot I captured this barn that begged to be processed … immediately!