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Industrial Series - Barad-dûr (The Dark Tower)
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Dec 20, 2014 00:05:28   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
I am not too familiar with quarry operations, so I can't tell you for what purpose this structure is used in day-to-day operations. Perhaps somebody knows? To me, it is a large black tower standing above the trees, blotting out the sun, and puts me in mind of J.R.R. Tolkein's fortress in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Dark Tower was described as existing on a massive scale, although Tolkien does not provide much detail beyond its huge size and immense strength. The fortress was constructed with a "topmost tower" and many other towers:
"...rising black, blacker and darker than the vast shades amid which it stood, the cruel pinnacles and iron crown of the topmost tower of Barad-dûr."

It is otherwise described as dark and surrounded in shadow, so that it could not be clearly seen. In his vision at Amon Hen, Frodo Baggins perceived the immense tower as:
"...wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant... Barad-dûr, Fortress of Sauron."
There was an incredibly high look-out post, called the "Window of the Eye" at the top of the Dark Tower. This window was visible from Mount Doom where Frodo and Sam had a terrible glimpse of the Eye of Sauron.

There is a painting by Tolkien of Barad-dûr viewed from the east. However since he did not publish it during his lifetime, it is unclear how close the painting is to his mature vision of the great tower. The picture shows only the left edge of the lower part of a structure that seems to be constructed of immense masonry blocks of some greyish stone. The few existing windows are small and either dark or lighted dark red; one is clearly barred. One high, thin vertical spire is visible in the background. The whole fortress seems to stand on top of a large monolithic rock with almost vertical edges and a relatively flat top. A narrow stone bridge leads across the chasm to the single visible doorway, through which flames can be seen inside the great tower. An erupting volcano (Mount Doom) can be seen in the background and what appears to be a lava stream flowing from there towards Barad-dûr.


(I seem to have returned to the Dark Side).


(Download)

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Dec 20, 2014 00:24:05   #
oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA
 
Bob Yankle wrote:
I am not too familiar with quarry operations, so I can't tell you for what purpose this structure is used in day-to-day operations. ...(I seem to have returned to the Dark Side).


crusher

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Dec 20, 2014 00:28:05   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
oldtigger wrote:
crusher
Thanks oldtigger. I knew there must be "somebody" who was familiar with this type of structure. Industrial rock crusher it is then.

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Dec 20, 2014 03:04:16   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
I am getting this strange urge to Re-read the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings again. I do that about every couple or three years anyway.

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Dec 20, 2014 07:30:49   #
Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts
 
Hmm. Shouldn't there be legions of orcs swarming around this thing? Or maybe the five o'clock whistle had already blown...

Interesting shot and processing.

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Dec 20, 2014 07:36:54   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
robertjerl wrote:
I am getting this strange urge to Re-read the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings again. I do that about every couple or three years anyway.
Now that the Lord of the Rings movies directed by Peter Jackson are out on DVD, I've resorted to watching THEM rather than going back to the books . I've read each one of them 3 times (including the Hobbit) though, so I can't say that my literary education has been lacking Jerry.

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Dec 20, 2014 07:40:39   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
Treepusher wrote:
Hmm. Shouldn't there be legions of orcs swarming around this thing? Or maybe the five o'clock whistle had already blown...

Interesting shot and processing.
Methinks they've swapped out their wargs for mack trucks Randy. And there are still quite a few of those moving about the countryside.

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Dec 20, 2014 15:12:34   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
I have those also.
The Ring movies are all excellent.
I think he over reached on the trilogy for The Hobbit, would have been better as one long movie. But it won't stop me from seeing the last movie, in spite of poor reviews. My daughter is home for break and even if no one else wants to go I will take her to see it in the next week.
Today and tomorrow I am playing Santa Train on the 4-8:30PM shift. Will make a stab at pictures before my shift starts, it is pulled by our steam engine this weekend.
Bob Yankle wrote:
Now that the Lord of the Rings movies directed by Peter Jackson are out on DVD, I've resorted to watching THEM rather than going back to the books . I've read each one of them 3 times (including the Hobbit) though, so I can't say that my literary education has been lacking Jerry.

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Dec 21, 2014 08:06:41   #
Psergel Loc: New Mexico
 
Very VERY good Bob!! You are doing some really great B&W.

I don't know how may times I've read the LOR books but it's been a few.
Peter Jackson's screen interpretations of the ring books are very good but also riddled with excess. I never felt that the Orcs in the books were quite as grotesque as Jackson makes them in the movies. Those little flashes of evil from Bilbo and power from Galadriel were really clumsy etc.. Overall, however, the movie were pretty darn good. I own them and about once a year I have a LOR marathon in my living room with my younger daughter who is kind of a LOR geek😄
By the time he gets to doing the Hobbit he's become a student of Michael Bay and I found those movies to be almost unwatchable.

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Dec 21, 2014 08:15:15   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
Psergel wrote:
Very VERY good Bob!! You are doing some really great B&W.

I don't know how may times I've read the LOR books but it's been a few.
Peter Jackson's screen interpretations of the ring books are very good but also riddled with excess. I never felt that the Orcs in the books were quite as grotesque as Jackson makes them in the movies. Those little flashes of evil from Bilbo and power from Galadriel were really clumsy etc.. Overall, however, the movie were pretty darn good. I own them and about once a year I have a LOR marathon in my living room with my younger daughter who is kind of a LOR geek😄
By the time he gets to doing the Hobbit he's become a student of Michael Bay and I found those movies to be almost unwatchable.
Very VERY good Bob!! You are doing some really gr... (show quote)
Thanks Psergei. I seem to gravitate to dark images. I've tried my hand at high-key images once or twice, and failed miserably.

I agree with you about the Hobbit - overdone to say the least, and not nearly as good as the images I produced in my mind when I read the book. There is one series of movies, though, I would like to see Peter Jackson do next - the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

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Dec 21, 2014 08:16:21   #
loboimages Loc: Texas
 
Don't know the official name of the unit, but, I believe, it is used to reduce the mined material in to various cuts (sizes) depending on consumer needs.

Beautiful photo. Tolkien would love it.

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Dec 21, 2014 08:21:38   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
loboimages wrote:
Don't know the official name of the unit, but, I believe, it is used to reduce the mined material in to various cuts (sizes) depending on consumer needs.

Beautiful photo. Tolkien would love it.
Thanks for your comments loboimages. I've frequently found that my interpretation of images via post processing is often as much fun as shooting them in the first place.

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Dec 21, 2014 08:56:24   #
ediesaul
 
Bob Yankle wrote:
I am not too familiar with quarry operations...


This artwork, I hesitate to call it a photo, is the most awesome I've seen from you, Bob. There is so much I can say about it. To my novice eyes, it looks like multiple photos because I see a ship and water and I see land; I see the effects of nails in a wooden frame. Despite all the effects, your subject matter is crystal clear. This is the first photo I've seen posted on this site that has brought tears to my eyes. I definitely need to study this further. Thank you, Bob, for your contributions.

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Dec 21, 2014 09:03:34   #
Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC
 
ediesaul wrote:
This artwork, I hesitate to call it a photo, is the most awesome I've seen from you, Bob. There is so much I can say about it. To my novice eyes, it looks like multiple photos because I see a ship and water and I see land; I see the effects of nails in a wooden frame. Despite all the effects, your subject matter is crystal clear. This is the first photo I've seen posted on this site that has brought tears to my eyes. I definitely need to study this further. Thank you, Bob, for your contributions.
This artwork, I hesitate to call it a photo, is th... (show quote)
I assure you Edie, it was not my intent to drive people to tears. Thanks for you comments ...... I hope my next topics are a bit more cheerful, or light-hearted.

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Dec 21, 2014 09:24:03   #
Psergel Loc: New Mexico
 
Bob Yankle wrote:
Thanks Psergei. I seem to gravitate to dark images. I've tried my hand at high-key images once or twice, and failed miserably.

I agree with you about the Hobbit - overdone to say the least, and not nearly as good as the images I produced in my mind when I read the book. There is one series of movies, though, I would like to see Peter Jackson do next - the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

When I'm done with the Game of Thrones books (a song of ice and fire) I'll have to give the dragonriders a look.
Sometimes I feel like a guy my age should be reading things more down to earth but....you only live once.

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