Wheel in the Sky Keeps Burning
by Mike Lee
Title
Wheel in the Sky Keeps Burning
Artist
Mike Lee
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
This shot consists of the Amedee Lime Kiln in in rural Lassen County, California, USA and approximately 75 minutes of trailing stars overhead. The image was shot well in to “astro darkness” on a moonless night and composed to capture the north celestial pole, specifically the star Polaris, in the constellation Ursa Minor (Latin for “lesser bear”), more commonly known as The Little Dipper. The image was created by blending images using a combination of stationary low level lighting and “light painting” with a handheld flashlight.
This abandoned lime kiln is near the site of the long defunct town of Amedee between the community of Wendel and the Nevada state line. Deposits of lime, a key ingredient in the manufacture of concrete, were discovered in the area at the end of the 19th century, leading to this kiln’s construction in 1893. However, the enterprise was shortly abandoned due to unfavorable economic conditions. The idea was revisited in 1913 and the kiln was pressed back in service, only to be abandoned yet again. In 1920 one more local business man fired the kiln up and used the lime produced to make concrete for a Susanville California apartment complex that still exists today. After completion of the apartment complex the kiln was abandoned once and for all in 1927 due to the generally poor quality of the lime.
(Source; Tim Purdy, Lassen County Historian (tipurdy.org))
Uploaded
April 2nd, 2021
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Comments (71)
Mike Lee
Thanks, Nirav - I've gotten better at it now but this one took me 3 tries before I liked it.
Nirav Shah
This is one seriously well done technical piece! I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to get this long exposure and blending/stacking technique right, but the result is fantastic! l/f
CAROLE SPANDAU
Your artwork has been featured on the homepage of FAA Gallery Home For All Artists Who Create. Please post your amazing artwork in our` Archive your January Features` discussion.
Ron Long Ltd Photography
Excellent work Mike! I know from experience how difficult it is to match an illuminated foreground to a long exposure night image. l/f
Mike Lee replied:
Thank you very much, Ron! It took me 3 trips to get it where I like it - luckily it's fairly close to home :)
Allan Van Gasbeck
Congratulations! Your outstanding artwork has been chosen as a FEATURE in the “The Skyscapes” group on Fine Art America — You are invited to post your featured image to the featured image discussion thread as a permanent place to continue to get exposure even after the image is no longer on the Home Page.
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