By Scott Shephard

A couple days ago, I talked about my photography of old buildings as a sort of pure documentation. Today's photo, of a farmhouse about 20 miles north of Watertown, stands as something more (or less) than that. Frankly, it is fairly rare these days that I use the kind of filters I used on this photo. But this morning my inner muse said, "Gothic." And so here you have it.

This photo belies the kind of day it was when I made this photo. The sky was blue and beautiful, the light was strong and clear and there wasn't a breath of wind. Even without a camera, it would have been a perfect day to be in a part of South Dakota that refreshes and enriches my soul. Almost any place in my great state on a day like this would do this.

Like the barn from yesterday, I wonder about this farmstead. Wouldn't it be great to sit down and share coffee and stories with the people who last lived here? Wouldn't it be even better to sit and talk to the people who built this big old house and who farmed land that in this location is glaciated and strewn with boulders? But those folks are long gone. . . .

Phantom 4 Pro FC330 1/60s f/2.8 ISO100 4mm (35mm eq:20mm)

Location: 45°9'35" N 97°11'58" W

Here's a 360 flyover that gives you a little more realistic view of this farmstead: