Smokin'

[Ironwood]

Distilling Ethanol in Mackay.

[Ironwood]

A slightly less cooked version...

[Toddyh]

I like both Brad, but I think the first is so dramatic. Really like it. Would have never thought a smoke stack could look that cool.

[Ironwood]

Cheers Todd. I rarely do HDR's, and never take them to this extreme when I do, but this time I was trying to give it that extreme dramatic look, like a dirty factory pumping more pollution into an already polluted atmosphere. ( The Sugar Mill / Distillery isn't a bad polluter ,they say whats coming out of the stacks is mostly steam, and the sky here is filled with rainclouds at the moment )

I had someone on another forum tell me that I took the first one too far, that's why I did the 2nd version which they approved of .

In this case, I still prefer the first version, because that is the look I was trying to achieve with this exercise.

[Isac]

Both good Ironwood. Oh that rhymes. Would also look good in B&W, but that's just me.

[Ironwood]

Thanks Isac, your a poet and you didn't know it
B&W it is then.

I use Nik Silver Efex for my B&W conversions, never noticed this happening before, the first version is the neutral preset, which is OK, the 2nd one is using the Wet Rocks preset, it has put a white halo around everything, you can notice it most on the top of the RH smokestack. The halo effect was evident on all of the more extreme presets.
EDIT- OK viewing at these small file sizes its not so evident, but at full size its quite noticeable.

[Isac]

Good work Ironwood. I like the B&W treatment. Looks a bit eerie but that's a good thing.

[seaslug]

Like the HDR treatment. Do you know what they burn in the distillation process?

[Ironwood]

Cheers Greg. They burn Bagasse, which is a byproduct from the sugarcane, it's the fibrous waste left after they extract the juice from the cane , they stockpile it during the cane crushing season and use it for the distillery as they need it.

[eaglem]

Bob Brown will be pleased!

[Ironwood]

Bob Brown will be pleased!

It might take his mind off Adani for a while