Smelter Skelter
Here are some rusty structures from the ore processing area of the mill at New Idria mercury mine in San Benito county, CA, now a long forgotten ghost town. If you have ever dreamed of escaping to your own personal paradise, alone in the dark, where the only critters trying to attack you are ones that can tolerate the extreme toxicity of the air, soil, and water, THIS may be your place.
There was a concentration of chemical fumes on this spot that caused my eyes to water and even induced lightheadedness after awhile. I suspect something in the stream of water or soil, but I had to move away after 20mins of shooting some frames.
As I was shooting this, the aggressive caretaker was searching for me, so I dropped to the ground and hid until he passed. This went on several times over a couple of hours until he finally caught me returning to my truck, shone his beam on me and very kindly and invited me to "Get the __ out!!". I had to assume he also had his firearm trained on me, so I cheerfully acquiesced.
Lens is the DFA 25mm f/4 on the 645Z. 272sec exposure for the foreground and a composite of 206 30second star trail images, representing nearly 2 hours of the Earth's rotation. Did you think the stars are white? Well, they definitely range from warm to cool, which explains the various colors apparent in the streaks. Neato! All oblique light on the structures is from the full moon.
Thanks for looking. For the full effect, dim the lights and press L on your keyboard now...if you DARE!!
Smelter Skelter
Here are some rusty structures from the ore processing area of the mill at New Idria mercury mine in San Benito county, CA, now a long forgotten ghost town. If you have ever dreamed of escaping to your own personal paradise, alone in the dark, where the only critters trying to attack you are ones that can tolerate the extreme toxicity of the air, soil, and water, THIS may be your place.
There was a concentration of chemical fumes on this spot that caused my eyes to water and even induced lightheadedness after awhile. I suspect something in the stream of water or soil, but I had to move away after 20mins of shooting some frames.
As I was shooting this, the aggressive caretaker was searching for me, so I dropped to the ground and hid until he passed. This went on several times over a couple of hours until he finally caught me returning to my truck, shone his beam on me and very kindly and invited me to "Get the __ out!!". I had to assume he also had his firearm trained on me, so I cheerfully acquiesced.
Lens is the DFA 25mm f/4 on the 645Z. 272sec exposure for the foreground and a composite of 206 30second star trail images, representing nearly 2 hours of the Earth's rotation. Did you think the stars are white? Well, they definitely range from warm to cool, which explains the various colors apparent in the streaks. Neato! All oblique light on the structures is from the full moon.
Thanks for looking. For the full effect, dim the lights and press L on your keyboard now...if you DARE!!