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Posts Tagged ‘machinery’

Photos: This is what it looks like when farm machinery goes to battle

23 Jun
The Lind Combine Demolition Derby takes place the second weekend of June every year, and draws huge numbers of people to a town with a population of around 550.
Panasonic Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4 | ISO 100 | F5.6 | 1/100 sec

Lind is one of those western American towns that, unfortunately, a lot of folks have forgotten about. It was never a huge town, but the railroad brought enough hustle and bustle to support people’s jobs and families. But then the completion of Interstate 90 from Seattle to Boston effectively altered the flow of people around Lind instead of through it.

There are still a handful of businesses scraping by – Slim’s Tavern is one, and Jim’s Market is another. Although, given that Slim’s is owned by a man named Skip, it seems unlikely that Jim’s Market is still owned by someone who goes by Jim. Then again, Slim’s has literally been around for more than a hundred years, so I guess an eventual change in ownership was inevitable.

Bill, at his home one block off main street in downtown Lind. Bill used to be the announcer for the demolition derby, but health problems have forced him to retire and pass on the torch.
Lumix S 24-105mm F4 | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F4

A friend and I went to Lind for the one weekend a year where Slim’s Tavern is packed to the rafters. It’s the only weekend where Skip’s grandson comes through not just to visit, but to help out behind the bar, pouring shots of Jaegermeister and Fireball, neither of which is stocked (or needed) for the bar’s regulars the rest of the year. There are only two beers on tap: Budweiser and Bud Light, and they ran out of Bud Light.

The second weekend in June is home to the Lind Combine Demolition Derby. There are pickup truck races too, and there’s a parade, but the main attraction concerns the smashing of ancient combine harvesters. These mechanical steel farm hands belch out black diesel smoke as they slam into each other in the arena to the sounds of cheers and the crushing of beer cans.

The tail-end (pun intended) of the parade.
Lumix S 24-105mm F4 | ISO 100 | 1/1250 sec | F4

So how exactly does a combine demolition derby work? There are several heats taking place over the course of the afternoon starting at 1pm sharp, and if a driver hasn’t made contact with another combine in three minutes, he or she is disqualified. The last wreck still moving at the end of each 15-minute heat is the winner, and in-between heats there are intermissions where teams may make some repairs if necessary. Honestly, the full rules are pretty thorough.

And lest anyone worry about the waste involved in smashing up perfectly good equipment – well, it’s not exactly perfectly good. The rules require the combines to be quite old, and most people are upgrading to fancier GPS-driven equipment anyway. Will they eventually run out of old combines? Perhaps. But for now, that’s a bridge best crossed when it’s arrived at.

In any case, my friend and I showed up on the morning before the main event, just catching the tail-end of the parade. The plan? Talk to the locals, soak up the culture, and photograph the crap out of everything. It was a spectacle the likes of which I’ve never seen before, and won’t likely see again (until next year, anyway).

Spectators in the beer garden are kept some distance from the combines, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get covered in dust.
Lumix S 24-105mm F4 | ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | F4

I used the new Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R. This brief story, and the point of our trip, are about the town and pictures of Lind and not about the gear we used, so I won’t go into too much detail beyond the fact that it was a great camera for this sort of work. In short, it was responsive, sealed against the dust and beer, and gave me tons of resolution and great color out-of-camera.

Some of these images will make a reappearance in our full S1R review, but for now, enjoy the sights of Lind, Washington, during the one weekend where the town’s status rises to that of ‘destination’, the streets are crowded, and late at night, the bar is once again packed.

Spectators exit the stands after most of the combines have died.
Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F8

All images in this story are processed through Adobe Camera Raw 11, using the ‘Camera Standard’ color profile.

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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27 Images of Powerful and Practical Machinery

22 Aug

If you live in an urban area there is probably some construction and/or machinery around, somewhere. Machines can make interesting photographic subjects. Let’s see what some other photographers found:

Photograph Cog wheels by Jaromír Chalabala on 500px

Cog wheels by Jaromír Chalabala on 500px

Photograph Toronto Distillery District 01 by Brian Carson on 500px

Toronto Distillery District 01 by Brian Carson on 500px

Photograph stopped time by jacek tomczak on 500px

stopped time by jacek tomczak on 500px

Photograph hand by ÖmerCan Can?dar on 500px

hand by ÖmerCan Can?dar on 500px

Photograph Usine S - Contrivance by Maarten Tummers  on 500px

Usine S – Contrivance by Maarten Tummers on 500px

Photograph The Requiem of Machinery by Christian Boss on 500px

The Requiem of Machinery by Christian Boss on 500px

Photograph Old machinery by Luca Gaverina on 500px

Old machinery by Luca Gaverina on 500px

Photograph Building Construction with Cranes in the evening. by SAMART BOONYANG on 500px

Building Construction with Cranes in the evening. by SAMART BOONYANG on 500px

Photograph Constructing landcapes by Luke Chung on 500px

Constructing landcapes by Luke Chung on 500px

Photograph Toronto: City of Cranes by Evgeny Tchebotarev on 500px

Toronto: City of Cranes by Evgeny Tchebotarev on 500px

Photograph Oil worker silhouette by Zoran Orcik on 500px

Oil worker silhouette by Zoran Orcik on 500px

Photograph Clouds Adjustment by trynidada on 500px

Clouds Adjustment by trynidada on 500px

Photograph Construction Workers by Ognian Medarov on 500px

Construction Workers by Ognian Medarov on 500px

Photograph Votecrab II. by Peter Majkut on 500px

Votecrab II. by Peter Majkut on 500px

Photograph The backhoe foot by Phoomin Karagate on 500px

The backhoe foot by Phoomin Karagate on 500px

Photograph The beast on the beach by Morgan Tiphagne on 500px

The beast on the beach by Morgan Tiphagne on 500px

Photograph backhoe/retroexcavadora by sairacaz (Abad Torres) on 500px

backhoe/retroexcavadora by sairacaz (Abad Torres) on 500px

Photograph Edit by Chatrawee Wiratgasem on 500px

Edit by Chatrawee Wiratgasem on 500px

Photograph ABSTRACT YELLOW CRANE by imageaddition on 500px

ABSTRACT YELLOW CRANE by imageaddition on 500px

Photograph Hard Work by Joop Snijder on 500px

Hard Work by Joop Snijder on 500px

Photograph Chain by Faruk Barabhuiya on 500px

Chain by Faruk Barabhuiya on 500px

Photograph (machine) by Gerhard Speck on 500px

(machine) by Gerhard Speck on 500px

Photograph Schwader by Tobias Müller on 500px

Schwader by Tobias Müller on 500px

Photograph Camera Gear by Phoomin Karagate on 500px

Camera Gear by Phoomin Karagate on 500px

Photograph wood & metal by Lucage Photography  on 500px

wood & metal by Lucage Photography on 500px

Photograph IVZN6 by Peter Majkut on 500px

IVZN6 by Peter Majkut on 500px

Photograph Cutter by Jack Daugherty on 500px

Cutter by Jack Daugherty on 500px

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The post 27 Images of Powerful and Practical Machinery by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)

22 Dec

Check out these visual art images:

Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
visual art
Image by Z33 art centre, Hasselt
These appliances and objects are normally situated behind the scenes of a performance or show. The machines often look like medieval instruments (of torture). At the same time, they are often high-technological objects, that fulfil complex functions. They form a large contrast with the extreme esthetical images that they produce.

The overview of machines by Kris Verdonck addresses the field of tension between man and machine in today’s society. What relationship can/must/do people want to enter into with technology? How difficult is the balancing act between human control and submission to machines?

credits:
Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
visual art
Image by Z33 art centre, Hasselt
These appliances and objects are normally situated behind the scenes of a performance or show. The machines often look like medieval instruments (of torture). At the same time, they are often high-technological objects, that fulfil complex functions. They form a large contrast with the extreme esthetical images that they produce.

The overview of machines by Kris Verdonck addresses the field of tension between man and machine in today’s society. What relationship can/must/do people want to enter into with technology? How difficult is the balancing act between human control and submission to machines?

credits:
Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
visual art
Image by Z33 art centre, Hasselt
These appliances and objects are normally situated behind the scenes of a performance or show. The machines often look like medieval instruments (of torture). At the same time, they are often high-technological objects, that fulfil complex functions. They form a large contrast with the extreme esthetical images that they produce.

The overview of machines by Kris Verdonck addresses the field of tension between man and machine in today’s society. What relationship can/must/do people want to enter into with technology? How difficult is the balancing act between human control and submission to machines?

credits:
Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

 
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Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)

11 Nov

Check out these visual art images:

Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
visual art
Image by Z33 art centre, Hasselt
These appliances and objects are normally situated behind the scenes of a performance or show. The machines often look like medieval instruments (of torture). At the same time, they are often high-technological objects, that fulfil complex functions. They form a large contrast with the extreme esthetical images that they produce.

The overview of machines by Kris Verdonck addresses the field of tension between man and machine in today’s society. What relationship can/must/do people want to enter into with technology? How difficult is the balancing act between human control and submission to machines?

credits:
Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
visual art
Image by Z33 art centre, Hasselt
These appliances and objects are normally situated behind the scenes of a performance or show. The machines often look like medieval instruments (of torture). At the same time, they are often high-technological objects, that fulfil complex functions. They form a large contrast with the extreme esthetical images that they produce.

The overview of machines by Kris Verdonck addresses the field of tension between man and machine in today’s society. What relationship can/must/do people want to enter into with technology? How difficult is the balancing act between human control and submission to machines?

credits:
Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – Warehouse of machinery, used in performances / installations (1995 – present)
photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION #1 – GOSSIP
visual art
Image by Z33 art centre, Hasselt
The garden installation EXOTE shapes a spatial environment for the characters of Kris Verdonck’s Kafka-esque world. This end-of-the-world landscape houses a selection of the most invasive alien species (plants and animals) in Belgium, which constitute a genuine threat to biodiversity, the economy and public health. Due to man’s interference, the species have been brought out of their natural environment and now form a threat for other, native species. EXOTE stands as a metaphor for a world in which man is increasingly forced to protect himself from an environment that he himself has created.

As certain non-native species in the installation present a potential threat to biodiversity in Hasselt and the surrounding areas, visitors need to be aware that even the smallest seed or animal cannot be allowed to escape. The evolution of the garden, the protective clothing and the safety provisions involved in the installation form an essential and necessary part of the artwork.

Opening night 30.04.2011

credits:
EXOTE (2011), by Kris Verdonck
Produced for the exhibition Kris Verdonck – EXHIBITION at #1
photo: Kristof Vrancken / Z33

 
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