Wheels-of-Industry_(click for larger view)

The wheels have stopped, perhaps forever, but the earth, clouds and sea are timeless.  Interesting wheels with their odd bolt arrangement, it would be interesting to know their original use.  As always, well done... Mike

They've come grinding to a halt. Mikes' comment is great and spot on, as is this image Alf. So well done my friend.

Best Always, Holger

Excellent processing, scene and effect, super image.

The processing is just the way I like it. Very nice image.

Alf, a colourful photograph of what can be a grey industrial landscape. The sky is amazing.

GC.

Hi Alf,  These wheels are certainly an anachronism, yet they are rolling right into the clouds.  The DOF is key to this image.  The sharp foreground is everything here.  This is another excellent wide angle shot.  Larry

I found these old wheels close to the entrance tunnel of "The Blue Lake" (see previous

image) I can't work out what they were used for, but I assume it was some kind of

machinery used in the quarry, or perhaps a winch mechanism. I composed the image

with the wheels in a fairly central position, but it seemed to wok with the clouds?...Your

thoughts and comments are always appreciated! Thank You!

Alf,

a great image of the old wheels, but the star of this show is the sky.  Great shot and very well done.

Alf,

 Beautiful image with amazing POV, colors & details.  Take care, Patsy

Nice composition and depth of field, well seen and presented.

Nicely done Alf, I like the contrasting colors with the rusty wheels and the blue clouded sky. The way you photographed this makes a big expanse, well done 

Another fabulous photograph :)  

The cloud formations marry up perfectly with the other natural objects, eg, the line of trees along the slate-covered track; the direction the wheels are facing; the lie of the hills - which leads us to an enchanting peek of the sea and horizon, creating a superb POV.   Another incredible sky technically and colourways; a sky which is gently encompassing the motionless wheels, which causes stirring thoughts of a long-gone part of British History.  My thoughts are the same as ML M (Mike) - in that I would love to know what this set of iron wheels, with its many bolts, was designed to do.  It surely had to be with reference to the transportation of slate within an active industry?

Or ... maybe not?

The image creates many questions in my mind.

I love it!  

I like the way the wheels propel us into the scene, also we are guided by the lines of clouds.  On the other hand, how nice if they would just vanish instead of polluting the scene becoming rusty (albeit charming) pollution.  The light on the orange hill is nice and the sky blue is deep and exhilarating.  I also like that we are not stuck (in view) behind the wheels like we sometimes are on a pier or from the back of a person or animal.  We can simply walk around it with our eyes and run into this wet, rocky nature.  

Well done.  Great image with excellent depth of field.  But I am most impressed that you accomplish this level of clarity handheld.

Excellent. I would probably do a BW version mostly because of the sky.

I did a quick conversion just for discussion but not a recommendation.

They keep me wondering as to what exactly they were used for, but so far I haven't come up with anything plausible. 

Many Thanks for interest and kind words Mike!

Alf

HOLGER

Many Thanks!  These wheels are destined only to be slowly returning to nature in the form of corrosion.

Best Regards

Alf

CHRIS

Many Thanks ....a little touch of HDR helped.

Alf

EYESTEIN

Sincere Thanks!

I used a bit of NIK HDR effects to finish this one.

Alf

GERALD

Thank You for your thoughts and positive feedback!

I used NIK HDR Effects to process this one....a bit more saturated than I would normally allow, but yes I liked the sky too :)

Alf

LARRY

I love the 14 - 24 mm Nikon lens, things look so different when you look through the viewfinder with it attached!  And the front to back sharpness is pretty much guaranteed

Sincere Thanks!

Alf

BILL

You are right! I found the sky first then looked for something to go in front of it :)

Many Thanks!

Alf

PATSY

Thank you so much for your positive feedback!

Kind Regards

Alf

GEORGE

Thank you for your comments and thoughtful feedback!

Alf

TONY B

Sincere Thanks  It was a bit of a challenge lining up the sky with the wheels, I was kind of half crouched which is why I ended up taing the shot hand held!

Best Regards

Alf

SANS

I am glad you spotted the sea and the horizon in the distance, knowing it is there is one thing, seeing it is quite another :)

 I am sure you are right about the wheels somehow being connected to the slate quarry. I was thinking of some kind of winding mechanism, as the wheels don't appear to be of the road going type. If only objects could talk, what amazing stories they could tell!

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback!

Alf

DONNA

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback!

I suppose their epitaph should be "Rust in Peace"

I am comforted by the fact that the whole site is a strike back from mother nature as she slowly takes back what was rightfully hers.  The wound that man has inflicted on the landscape slowly healing with the passage of time and the wheels now silent and static, ever corroding and returning to the ground from whence they came.

Alf

WAYNE

I have to be honest I am not usually great at hand held shots, which is why my tripod goes everywhere with me. But on this occasion the shooting position was most awkward, and I just got lucky!

Many Thanks

Alf

TONY H

Ahhhh You have stole my thunder!

The B & W version was exactly what I was going to post next and for all the reasons you stated too!

Best Regards

Alf

Hi Alf, superb perspective and composition as always! Love the movement and cloud formation in the sky giving a feeling of time moving ever forward but those old wheels belonging very much to the past. Looking forward to seeing the B/W version too. All the best. Sarah.

ı like bw.version

Alf,

I like the way the sky comes down to the horizon, our attention is focused on the wheels with their unique makeup.

Jim

Thank you so much for your interest and kind words!

I like your analogy of time moving forward and the wheel staying very much in the past!  It kind of says it all!

Best Regards

Alf

MEHMET

Thank you for your visit and feedback!  Much appreciated!

Alf

JIM

The wheels are strange, not like anything I've seen before!

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback!

Alf

The visual interest in the foreground is truly captivating and does make one pause to wonder about what they old rusty wheel belonged to. But then our eyes are further drawn into the image by those glorious clouds overhead. This impressive POV was well chosen. A view as far as the eye can see! The trees and various vegetation on the outer perimeter is also an invitation into the composition. Lovely quality of light throughout Alf !

What's nice about the color version Alf posted is that, though the perspective stands out as a strong feature and highlights the subject against the background, the colors and processing are understated and create a kind of simple and elegant atmosphere. The provided black and white conversion is not at all as simple, providing a very high contrast and shocking counterpart to the original. The black and white may well catch more eyes but at a cost, of subtlety and nuance, which recommends the color original, at least in my eyes. Making a deep blue sky black with white clouds almost supernaturally billowing against it isn't terribly evocative as much as it is dazzling. Allowing, on the other hand, soft colors and textures to penetrate the feelings of a viewer may be a risk in situations where viewers are not likely to want such penetration and may well prefer to be smacked in the face by a thumbnail they can say thrills them, but it is the sign of a sensitive photographer and purveyor of images, which I believe Alf to be.

Many Thanks for your  thoughtful feedback!

I have to admit that my first inclination was try and do some kind of clever abstract with a close up of the wheels taken at a bizarre angle. But that just didn't seem to look right. I then looked up whilst still looking through the viewfinder and the clouds seemed to converge which was the moment I could then "see" the photograph.

Best Regards

Alf

FRED

Thank you for taking the time to make a comparison with the B & W image.

I did think about processing my own version of a B & W but hesitated after seeing Tony's version. I have to agree with you that the high contrast rendition in the B & W loses something, not least some subtle detail in the trees.

If the soft colours and textures can stir the feelings of the viewer rather than create a brief but blunt impact that is more evident with the B & W version, then I will go with the colour version every time.

Albeit I am a great fan of B & W images, but I prefer the B & W processing to convey a lasting mood and atmosphere rather than just creating a more spectacular, high impact image that is noticed immediately and forgotten nearly as quickly.

Best Regards

Alf