Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: William Walker on August 25, 2011, 02:40:35 pm

Title: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: William Walker on August 25, 2011, 02:40:35 pm

Your comments are always welcome. Thank you.

William

Title: Re: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: RSL on August 25, 2011, 03:09:20 pm

William, It's a great shot. The lowering clouds and the steam -- I assume it's steam -- from the stack in the background make the picture. The light's wonderful. This is one of those landscapes or, in this case, seascapes that's validated by the hand of man. Bravo!

Title: Re: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: Riaan van Wyk on August 25, 2011, 04:16:20 pm

Captivating photo Wiliam. Maybe a bit "tight" for me at the top of the frame but it's a minor. The endurance of the early sugar industry pioneers came to mind when I saw your photo. Many people lost ( and made) fortunes in the early colonial period of Natal with sugar cane and sugar mills. You would probably find that this mill- looks like it's on the middle North Coast somewhere by looking at the sea and rocks- was built and rebuilt at the turn of the century. Some off topic and useless information.   

Title: Re: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: RSL on August 25, 2011, 06:17:32 pm

Riaan, Here in the U.S., Florida went through something like that back before the Civil War. Here's part of what's left of one of the Florida mills of the early 1800s.

Title: Re: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: Riaan van Wyk on August 26, 2011, 01:48:45 am

Russ, it saddens me when I see things like the ruins depicted in your photo. It's as if I can feel the despair of the people who had to give it all up.

Title: Re: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: William Walker on August 26, 2011, 02:32:26 am

Russ and Riaan

Thanks for your comments:

Riaan, I take your point about being a bit tight at the top - that was my one concern when I posted it. I took it a while ago and cannot remember if there was a reason for not including more sky. (It is the Sezela Mill at Pennington on the South Coast.)

Russ, firstly, a "Bravo!" from you is really pleasing! Thank you.

Secondly, if it were not for the ongoing debate on this forum about "the hand of man", I would never have taken the shot. For that, I thank you and all the other people who have taken part in that debate. I have been to that spot before and deliberately avoided the mill! My horizons have been expanded.

The old mill is still there and it seems to be in pretty good condition, I'll post a picture of it later when I get home.

Thanks again
William

Title: Re: Sugar Mill by the Sea
Post by: Heinz on August 26, 2011, 04:29:04 pm

It is the quality of the light in this image that makes it outstanding. Well seen.