Grain elevator in Wilsall, Montana
In the process of getting ready to talk about my U.S. 89 project on Saturday, I decided to pull together the images I made since I last gave this talk in May to see which ones to add to the presentation.
One night in my Moab motel room last May, I made a list of the essential images I needed to finish the project, and I left there committed to go get them. Since then, I have driven to both ends of the historic Highway 89 again (that's about 3,200 miles round-trip). I have been to Montana twice, Arizona twice, and five of the seven national parks, all in about five months. Except for the ones I have blogged, the +10,000 RAW files I shot since May have been filed, backed-up and set aside for "when I have time." Basically I came home, repacked, and went back out on the road all summer.
I knew I had worked my way pretty far down my list. But I still didn't have a sense of what I'd accomplished until I started selecting RAW files for processing. I might have said I had a dozen or two to finish, because my original list wasn't that long. After I copied over 200 files into the work folder, let's just say that "when I have time" has now become something of an emergency.
Like this grain elevator, opportunities presented themselves that weren't on my targeted list. When I stopped in Wilsall, I was, in fact, driving between two "must get" locations when a thunderstorm kicked up over the Absarokas to the south of the Shield River Valley. I have already confessed my near-obsession with grain elevators, and I stayed for a very long series of images that pleased me greatly.
Needless to say, I won't be adding 200+ images to my presentation. Since I am talking about "working in project mode," I may add a section at the end of recent images to show how the project has been built image by image. By the way, I spent so much time at Wilsall, I missed sunset at the second "must get" location and I had to stay in Montana another night. I think it was worth it.
Comments (7)
I have no doubt that this image was one that pleased you greatly. Amazing capture with beautiful light.
Posted by BWJones | October 22, 2008 10:36 AM
Posted on October 22, 2008 10:36
This is really a superb image with the golden field and shades throughout the tiles of the building. I'm looking forward to seeing your finished work when the book is complete.
Posted by Jeremy Hall | October 22, 2008 10:49 AM
Posted on October 22, 2008 10:49
Ann,
The more I read about this awesome project, the more I'm motivated to start one of my own.
Since I live on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH/Highway 1), I think I have my subject before me.
Thanks for being so motivational!
Posted by Trevor Carpenter | October 22, 2008 11:57 AM
Posted on October 22, 2008 11:57
Trevor, PCH has enough material on it for a series of books.
Of course, Ann probably feels that way about US89 at this point.
Harley
Posted by Harley Pebley | October 22, 2008 2:01 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 14:01
Harley, you're probably right. Maybe I'll do the section from Ventura County (Pt. Mugu Rock) up to San Luis Obispo (Morro Rock).
Posted by Trevor Carpenter | October 22, 2008 2:08 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 14:08
One of the things I will say on Saturday in Montpelier is to think carefully about the scale of the project. I freely admit I underestimated how much time, effort and money this project would take. I don't regret it now, but I wouldn't say it has been easy. There are lots of ways to chunk down a project into manageable bits, which is what I eventually had to do after I got started.
Posted by Ann | October 22, 2008 3:00 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 15:00
I already posted on Flickr. But I wanted to post here, too. I love this photo. It's an iconic image of the West and a disappearing North American rural landmark. I love the dark, foreboding sky in the background, the fence in the foreground, and the light reflecting off the bent metal of the grain elevator. This is beautiful in so many ways. I could see it as a magazine cover or a framed print.
I also like the blog description of your process and how this was an accidental find. I think that often, the photos we aren't looking for can be the best. They're our enlightening moments, our inspiration. The gods were with you on this one.
I am curious about your presentation. I want to know more and possibly attend.
Glad I got to see this photo. It's an inspiration for me. It makes me want to get on the road.
Posted by Photo-John | October 23, 2008 1:06 PM
Posted on October 23, 2008 13:06