Virginia City, Nevada

The monument inscripton reads:

Catherine L., Wife of Sol. Noel, Died May 20, 1896, Aged 48 Years

(Sol. is short for Solomon)

During my time as a geologist in Nevada I also carried a 4x5 field camera with me whenever possible. This photograph was made during an off day in the hills above the gold and silver mining town of Virginia City.

I had already set the camera up when a strong afternoon thunderstorm struck. Quickly covering the camera with a bent piece of cardboard under a plastic trash bag, I sat it out in my truck. As soon as the rain stopped, I got out, removed the coverings, and made this picture in the late afternoon light. A deep yellow filter was sufficient to dramatically darken the sky as the elevation was over 6,000 feet.

This original mid-80s vintage print shows delicate highlight and inscription detail in the sun-facing portions of the two monuments. You may not be able to see all of those clipped values on your monitor.
Location
Masonic Cemetery, Virginia City, Nevada, USA
Equipment Used
Zone VI (Wista) 4x5, 210mm f/5.6 Symmar-S-MC, Zone VI heavy-duty tripod
Exposure
Unrecorded
Film & Developer
Kodak TXP in Kodak HC110, dilution B
Paper & Developer
Zone VI Brilliant, Grade 2, Kodak Dektol
Lens Filter
Dark Yellow at 6,150 feet (1,875 meters) elevation
Is this print for sale?
  1. Yes
Ya know Ken, this is just fantastic! I love the story here too. Did you wait for that cloud to appear behind the tree to give it more pop or was that part a fortunate accident? I suppose, knowing your skill level, it was on purpose...
 
Quite stunning shot indeed. It is so well balanced across its entire width.
 
Very very nice tonality and great tenacity on your part
 
The white you handled wonderfully well, as well as the other tones. Keep up the great work.Bill
 
Just beautiful; excellent composition, tones and most of all good timing
 
A beautiful composition and print.
 
Thank you everyone for your generous comments. This one was always a personal favorite. Both photographically and as a reminder of that particular long ago time.
 

Media information

Category
Standard Gallery
Added by
Ken Nadvornick
Date added
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Comment count
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Image metadata

Filename
masoniccemetery.jpg
File size
257.7 KB
Dimensions
850px x 554px

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