October 22 moody images

Pontiac under the moon in the weeds

In this set of photos, my goal was to capture the mood rather than the image as a snapshot.  The Pontiac under the moon is one of my more complimented images.  I think it would work well as one of a series of notecards. What do you think?

You can see the moon barely visible just above the front left corner of the car in the trees.  It was another one of those hazy, overcast fall afternoons. My goal that day was not to photograph the car.  In fact, it was an after thought. My goal was another set of images of the old Wilton Coal Mine entrance — again here stylized to represent the surreal and even “spooky” mood of that area.

Wilton Coal Mine entrance

Photoshop filters enhanced the natural light and glow of the golden hour to create that warm surreal effect.  In the photo of the coal mine entrance, can you spot the full moon? It’s just above the horizon next to the mine entrance, between it and the tree on the horizon.

This scene is just east of Wilton about a mile.  It captures my imagination every time I see it or visit it because of the old stories I’ve read about life during the mine’s peak — a time when this region of the United States was in its infancy and growing quickly.

Moon glow

Scattered around the pasture are other reminders of days gone by including the old Pontiac.  In a few days I think I’ll have to return to capture more of the imagery, but most capture more of the mood of the region.  The full moon rising only added to the surreal spooky atmosphere.

I dunno. How do you present an image with its natural “feel” by merely pressing the shutter release on a camera.  I believe some crafty artwork applied post processing helps tell the story.

February 28

There’s not much left of Dodge, North Dakota.  The railroad pulled out and left the grain elevator which had been an investment in not only the community but the area.  It stands idle in the rolling hills bluffs and buttes of western North Dakota.  The deteriorating church in the foreground is also testament to the decline of rural communities. I guess the sower went forth elsewhere to sow.

I’ve shot the church in years past in different weather and different lights. This time I drove, up a hill south of Dodge, hiked a short bit to get the church lined up with the grain elevator.  I’ve thought of ways to filter the image, to do some “fixing” in post–processing, but decided just showing it as it is tells the story.

Meanwhile, down the rail line a ways, is another grain elevator that still struggles without its rail line.The Killdeer elevator serves area ranchers with storage and with feed supplies.  On a full-moon night, I caught the moon peeking through scattered clouds behind the elevator. To get the angle I wanted, I climbed a snow stockpile the city had pushed up in the elevator yard.  I dug in my boots in to the side of the snow pile, laid in a still position, bracing the camera to remain steady for the long exposure.  I know more than one vehicle passed me thinking perhaps that I was some drunk laying in the snow.  Who knows, I may still be there. Maybe I should go back and look.

January 1, 2010

January 1, 2010

Wilton's Farmers Union Elevator at sunset under a full moon

And so here starts the ND 365 endeavor.  A new year and a full moon, the first of two in January 2010.  As it comes up over the horizon to the east, the sun is setting in the west and casting a golden glow on Wilton’s Farmers Union Elevator.  The Wilton FU Elevator is growing with additional storage bins this winter – each one is equivalent to the entire elevator storage of the first Wilton grain elevator in the early 1900’s.