By Peter Illott.
Taken in July outside the Bundaberg Rum Distillery in East Bundaberg. The night was very dark and very cold and with a strong southerly wind blowing smoke from the chimneys…
Bundy Rum, by Peter Illott
Nikon D810; Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2 lens @ 45mm; f/16; 20s
Shot taken in July outside the Bundaberg Rum Distillery in East Bundaberg. The night was very dark and very cold and with a strong southerly wind blowing the smoke from the chimneys nearly flat.
We could see the smoke the previous evening and thought it would make a good long exposure, so we scouted a safe spot and set up to get several shots from varying angles. The light streaks are from the truck lights travelling in and out of the compound.
Don’s response
Well spotted Peter, those glowing plumes are really what this picture is all about. They have an almost three-dimensional quality that encourages the eye to linger.
From the look of the location, you didn’t have many options about where you could set up. The consequence is that the drama of the plumes is forced to compete with the less interesting foreground elements (like that sign for instance).
If you get the chance again, maybe take along something with a little more reach (a 70-200mm perhaps) so that you can make a picture that avoids that sign and the undistinguished detail to the left of the stacks, and which also crops out that starburst light on the right.
