The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Truly a dying piece of equipment as time goes by. Urbanization is a gain for some and a loss for others.
These windmill water pumps helped farmers and ranchers use land that was destined to be dust bowls. I photographed this one at sunrise with low ground fog still clearing in the far distance.
A coworker I knew was a friend of the Tex Burdick family out of El Paseo TX. The book, Blades in the Sky, was entirely about the family business which had crews installing these units throuhgout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Mexico. Their business was primarily during the Depression Era from around 1923 to 1942 as I recall. I think the actual units, Aeromotors, were made in Chicago and shipped west.
Specific Feedback
ANY
Technical Details
Photographed at sunrise with lifting fog.
Mamiya RB67 ProSD - Mamiya 90mm - Velvia 50
Paul, this is a great look at this windmill. The warmt and gentleness of the light are showing off the entire scene. Brings back the days of growing up in Western Nebraska… I still see a few windmills scattered around Montana, but it’s been a while since I saw one working.
Hey Mark, thank you for the review & comment. Sounds like you had spent time in the breadbasket of the USA.
Even in So Cal rural areas we had these pumping water everywhere. Urbanization has pushed farming and ranching out of So Cal for the most part. I spent A LOT of time as a teen farming & ranching. Moving irrigation pipe for potatoes, plowing fields for potatoes, wheat, & alfalfa, cutting & stacking hay, loading box cars with 50 lb. potatoe burlap sacks, and all facets of poultry industry.
How things have changed…
I remember us having a brief discussion about one of these windmills a while back, it was over another windmill image you had posted in B&W if I recall correctly.
It turned out that my neighbor had the book “Blades In The Sky” so I was able to read it and return it to him.
Great story and I enjoyed reading about your own story as young person (in your response to Mark).
Awesome image here and the windmill looks to be a rather good shape.
The composition is spot on in my view, Paul!
Great colors as well! (as usual, Velvia 50 is a winning choice)
Thank you Merv for the message here. As always I appreciate the review and comments. I do recall our talk awhile back about the windmills and also the book Blades in The Sky. The thought of them being paid $2 a day and working sunrise to sunset brings real meaning to how tough life was in those depression era days.
