An OWL with a camera

http://www.linkmuseum.org/

One of my favorite photographers is O Winston Link who became famous for his night shots in the 1950's at the end of the steam locomotive era.

He also made sound recordings of trains which also also famous among railroad fans.

The major body of his work is now at the O. Winston Link museum which is located in the Ex-Norfolk & Western Terminal in Roanoke, Virginia.

I recently made my first visit to the museum and was impressed by the collection of photographic prints (most done my OWL himself) and also the collection of the equipment which O. Winston used to make his photographs.

His work challenges me to place the railroads in a greater context. They are less about locomotives and more about how the locomotives interacted with the employees and the landscape. This balance is what makes his work so different than many other photographers of the period who focused on the 3/4 view of steam engines. It really is the difference between a still-life and a landscape.






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Spring is coming - time to get planting

It feels like Spring today in South Carolina. The highs are supposed to be near 80 degrees and everyone is quickly forgetting the recent cold spell.

One great thing about spring is watching the tractors prepare the fields for planting. I enjoy watching the crops grow as I commute back and forth to work. I get to guess what they are planting in each field, then watch the crops as they grow week by week.

This year I plan on doing a series photographing one field each week during the growing season.. we'll discover together what kind of crop it will be.

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It takes dedicated people

The steam engines we have preserved today only exist because of the dedication of railfans. These railfans contribute time and money to help insure that the locomotives continue to be preserved for future generations.

Hopefully one day soon, we'll get to see the C&O 614  back on the rails under her own power.

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Ginning Snow

This old Cotton Gin lost its roof during a storm but the equipment still remains inside. I'm hoping it is preserved instead of ending up as scrap somewhere.

A rare snowfall dusts the rusting equipment in this mornings shot.



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Looking towards Spring and Summer

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Augusta Bridge

Augusta Bridge, originally uploaded by Gene Bowker.

The NS Bridge over the Augusta River is one of my favorite subjects to shoot.

Here is a shot I took back in June of 2009

Wordless Wednesday - Old Iron

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Down the race

Down the race, originally uploaded by Gene Bowker.

A fall shot down the millrace at Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia