Crossville Mill

[smoke665]

When I was a kid, every town of more than a few people had a feed mill. Farmers could take their grain, hay, etc., and have them ground/mixed for feed. You don't see them as much anymore, as farms have gotten larger, the mills larger and farther between. This one like most small towns has gone by the wayside.
Crossville Mill20210919_4765.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

 

[K9Kirk]

Nice shot. Kinda sad to see'em go.

 

[smoke665]

Nice shot. Kinda sad to see'em go.

They did more than just grind feed. There was generally a coffee pot and few chairs where local farmers congregated to catch up on the news, solve world problems, trade farming observations, and discuss the local sports teams. This mill, like the one I remember, has passed into history. The whine of the hammer mill silenced, the smell of the fresh ground ingredients gone, and the voices of the farmers silent, I miss those days.

 

[jeffashman]

A nice, evocative shot! How would that look in B&W?

 

[smoke665]

A nice, evocative shot! How would that look in B&W?

Thank you. I believe the decision to go B&W or color is one that should be made before you snap the shutter, not as an afterthought. B&W would not have captured the detail, patina and textures of the old paint and brick of the building.

 

[K9Kirk]

They did more than just grind feed. There was generally a coffee pot and few chairs where local farmers congregated to catch up on the news, solve world problems, trade farming observations, and discuss the local sports teams. This mill, like the one I remember, has passed into history. The whine of the hammer mill silenced, the smell of the fresh ground ingredients gone, and the voices of the farmers silent, I miss those days.

Thank god there's still a few old country stores around. Whenever I see one I get a strong urge to go inside because there's always something special to see. It's like being a kid in a candy store again.

 

[jcdeboever]

Thank you. I believe the decision to go B&W or color is one that should be made before you snap the shutter, not as an afterthought. B&W would not have captured the detail, patina and textures of the old paint and brick of the building.

Nice shot. I see that shot in B & W all the way but I see that way a lot. I agree about making that decision before. I would have definitely shot that in B & W but that doesn't take anything away from your rendering. The only thing I would do to it is straighten it a smudge. I converted it to B & W and it works either way.

 

[smoke665]

@jcdeboever Thank you. I have nothing against B&W, or those who favor it, I frequently use it myself, however, many times it can become a panacea for difficult compositions. We see in color, but have more difficulty seeing the contrast in color, so we reach for B&W as crutch. In this shot I felt like B&W would not have fully conveyed the mood of the heavy sky, nor the rust streaks caused by the years of corrosive feed/water runoff down the side of the building. It is a choice that in the end boils down to the photographers vision for the image.

You're right on the straightening, i missed it initially. I've already corrected, but hadn't updated, because I was curious how many would catch it. You were the only one!

 

[jcdeboever]

@jcdeboever Thank you. I have nothing against B&W, or those who favor it, I frequently use it myself, however, many times it can become a panacea for difficult compositions. We see in color, but have more difficulty seeing the contrast in color, so we reach for B&W as crutch. In this shot I felt like B&W would not have fully conveyed the mood of the heavy sky, nor the rust streaks caused by the years of corrosive feed/water runoff down the side of the building. It is a choice that in the end boils down to the photographers vision for the image.

You're right on the straightening, i missed it initially. I've already corrected, but hadn't updated, because I was curious how many would catch it. You were the only one!

Do you want me to post the b & w conversion I did?

 

[smoke665]

Do you want me to post the b & w conversion I did?

No thank you. As stated earlier " It is a choice that in the end boils down to the photographers vision for the image", my choice was color, I'll stick with it.