Taken at a ranch from a dusty roadside somewhere in west Texas, I thought the flat lighting tended to lend itself to the scene in the dry conditions.
E-5, Zuiko 14-54 at the long end, -1/3EV
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Bill, I’m a big fan, no pun intended, of these old Aeromotor style windmills. This scene is an excellent example for the need of these units in most arid regions. Without water these areas are not sustainable for life. This unit looks almost brand new or well taken care of for sure…
Although they were plentiful in the outer So Cal farms and ranches in the earlier days most have fallen prey to the urbanization of the entire area. I have several photos from those days that are enjoyable remembrance from an era gone by…
As a side note: a real good friend of mine knew Tex Burdick very well. Tex’s family was the largest distributor and installation company of windmills throughout the southwest and Mexico. His book; Blades in the Sky: Windmilling Through the Eyes of B.H. “Tex” Burdick is an interesting paperback to read…
Oh Yes…the singular tree is nice too…
Bill this view tells the story of the “high plains” very well, with the dry conditions, blue sky, windmill, water tank and tree. The only reason the tree can survive is from overflow water out of the tank. The mid-day light shows off the tree’s green and the windmill’s red well. As Paul notes, that windmill is in great condition.
Wow. I grew up in much the same terrain not too far away, and you nailed it. The trees were pretty scarce in our area, but the open spaces broken by the windmills and occasional hills were made for long walks and the creak of saddle leather.
One of my youthful jobs was maintaining the windmills so I’m well acquainted. I agree that this is a new one. The framing on the tower is quite modern compared to those of yore, and frankly it’s good to see them still in production. Interesting side note about the modern world: On the ranches I know they’re being replaced by solar power, which works with or without the wind. And provided you fence out the cows to avoid them using the panels for chin and back rubs, quite durable and dependable. On a recent visit, one rancher is experimenting with the addition of a battery bank for additional pumping in hours of darkness. Sorry for the essay, but you clearly inspired it with this great photo!
Bill: Don’t you love coming upon a scene like this that 99.5% of folks would drive right by and then you get to make a compelling image of it? My only suggestion for the shot would be to crop some from top and bottom to give the tree and windmill more prominence but that would take away from the implied wide open spaces. Nicely seen and captured.>=))>
Many thanks to @Paul_Breitkreuz @Mark_Seaver @Hank_Pennington and @Bill_Fach. Paul and Hank, no apology necessary on the stories. On the contrary I really appreciate all the interesting experiences y’all have had with these. As a kid I didn’t see these except one at my great-grandparents’ farm in the Delta. I most associate these with a creaky, rusty and broken down ones seen on occasion, After your comments I looked at this one and noticed that one of the blades and other parts were replaced. Mark, after I posted this I immediately had the same thoughts about the option of a panoramic. This one is a re-framed content aware stretched version. Thanks again, gang.
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Nice scene, Bill. The lighting does fit the subject very well. I kinda like Bill’s suggestion of a pano crop and then you would have two different interpretations of this fine scene.
