Vindicator Mine

[RSL]

Headstand and processing plant. The mine was in operation about 1910.

[Rob C]

I like the atmosphere, but wish you'd considered a PC objective! With that 800 Super-dooper it would be worth it.

(No, I don't mean the Photoshop kind of PC any more than the moral.)

Rob C

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... wish you'd considered a PC objective! ...

Indeed, Russ, I always found your (and Rob's, for that matter) PC to be too subjective!

[francois]

Very nice, the sky is perfect to a dramatic mood to this old building.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

I like it Russ - except, I think I would have tried moving around until I found a composition that possibly avoided getting the winding gear in the background and that definitely avoided getting the small part of the fence in the foreground.

But other than that, your '800 super-dooper' camera certainly takes some nice pictures [sic].

 

Dave

[wmchauncey]

Gotta agree with Dave here...sky is good, subject is good, conversion is good, but...ya needed to work the shot a bit more to find that perfect sweet spot.       

[RSL]

I don't agree about the "winding gear" on the headstand. It's what gets the miners down into the mine and it's what pulls the ore and the miners back up. Wouldn't look right without it? But it would have been nice to eliminate the fence. No way to do it. I even tried putting the tripod outside the fence, but that didn't work either. The pathway makes a sharp turn at that point and the areas outside the path are piled high with tailings. It was all I could do to get a position that would give me both the headstand and the plant.

And, yes, Dave. The results are a lot like what I used to get with my 4 x 5. Occasionally I'd set up at an art fair and people wold come by and say: "Them's real clear pictures."

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

"It's so beautifully composed! You must have a great camera!" 

I'd be tempted to clone out the fence, but otherwise it's just fine. Haven't seen a few old mines (mainly in Death Valley), I want to see ALL of the remnants of that hard life. It's hard for us today to imagine the amount of sheer manual physical labor that went into building those structures, and then went into extracting the ore.

Thanks for sharing it, Russ.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

I don't agree about the "winding gear" on the headstand. It's what gets the miners down into the mine and it's what pulls the ore and the miners back up. Wouldn't look right without it? But it would have been nice to eliminate the fence. No way to do it. I even tried putting the tripod outside the fence, but that didn't work either. The pathway makes a sharp turn at that point and the areas outside the path are piled high with tailings. It was all I could do to get a position that would give me both the headstand and the plant.

And, yes, Dave. The results are a lot like what I used to get with my 4 x 5. Occasionally I'd set up at an art fair and people world come by and say: "Them's real clear pictures."

I was only joking Russ, but you knew that.

Yes I think the winding gear is part of the scene and I also totally agree with you that you have to take the shot in the best way that you can in any given situation. I know we are always trying to get what we think is the perfect composition, but sometimes, we just have to work with what we can and sometimes the shot can become more interesting as a result.

Dave

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Of course Edward Weston might have spiced up the scene by putting nude models looking out of each empty window frame, some wearing gas masks.
So why didn't you do that, Russ?     

[RSL]

I'd consider it, Eric, but I'm not sure I could get them up that stairway.