This month's entry is also related to the defunct Milwaukee Road Rail Line. This tower was built around 1909 at Beverly, WA. The tower supported a water tank, ostensibly to service Steam Locomotives. Steamers were phased out starting 1920, in favor of electrics, then diesels about 1971. The line went bust in 1980. The water tank sat on top of the tower, and an open area was below. Unknown what the open space was intended to be used for, but I guess storage. The doorway is about 6 feet tall.
Beverly is now a drab, depressing place, barely alive. This tower and a nearby industrial building get worked over by the "kids". The image was shot on the Nikon D800E, Sigma 24-105 at 24mm on a tripod. ISO 100. The exposures are 1/2 sec. 1/8 sec. and 1/500 sec. at F8.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 8 comments posted
Max Burke
I have visited this forgotten county between Vantage and the Tri-cities, Washington. A good record of what happens in isolated places where people have chosen to practice their art of spray painting what almost appear encrypted messages. It is a good choice for HDR based on your results of a clear outside the bldg scene and the trash and writing on the brick walls. I can't recall or noticing ever seeing a brick water tower for steam locomotives so, to me this adds something to the image too. Posted: 09/11/2019 16:47:10
I was corrected on the use of this tower. According to a local, this tower held an oil tank. I wasn't informed if the oil was fuel for steamers or diesels. My guess is diesels, based on the timing of conversion from steam to electric locomotives. Posted: 09/18/2019 22:55:18
Rick Cloran
A tale of the footprints we leave behind as society evolves and moves. Well captured and the blend looks even. The interior of the tower looks fine. The exterior part of the scene looks a little flat. Hard to say if adding a little more contrast in that section would improve it or not.
Odd bit of trivia, I grew up in Beverly, MA. The industry that was there when I was a kid has all faded away. In that Beverly's case, however, new businesses have moved in and it remains a very active city with a population a little larger than when I was growing up. They have always argued with a town called Marblehead over which is the "birthplace of the American Navy". It was the Marblehead shipwrights who built many of the privateers used by the colonies in the Revolution, hence Marblehead's claim. Many of them sailed out of Beverly harbor, and it was Beverly that took the shelling when the British tried to capture or destroy them. Beverly always figured if they were the ones getting shot at, they deserved the title. Posted: 09/12/2019 17:00:28
Brad Ashbrook
Very cool.. Posted: 09/18/2019 22:29:13
Brad Ashbrook
Pretty cool scene and I like your composition with the inside and outside. Not sure which software you used but there seems to be some ghosting around the doorway. I think a little contrast would help if that area is cleaned up.. perhaps a little texture as well. Posted: 09/18/2019 22:30:30
Lisa Cuchara
I love abandoned places, but it is sad to see them taken over in this fashion, rather than just left to nature taking over.
How did you edit that original into the inside scene? LOL. I assume that they are just two variants...
The doorway and woodwork at the door need some dehaze or something Posted: 09/21/2019 10:47:01
I spot metered the subject, shot some brackets, then combined 3 exposures. Minor tweaking of contrast and brightness. Probably touched the saturation of the yellows. Basically, I got lucky with the blend in Aurora 18. Posted: 09/21/2019 11:49:46
Beautiful colors. Blending looks good to me. Good details in both the inside and the outside portions. It may need, in my eyes,to increase the contrast a little bit. Congratulations. Posted: 09/28/2019 04:17:58
