I was in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario a few falls ago on business and wanted to shoot fall colour in the Agawa Canyon. This is a very popular destination for fall colour. So I packed a Mamiya AFD II and a P45+ along with a few lenses and a tripod.
On the way to my hotel from the airport I passed a set of train tracks that I had passed over many times before. This time I noticed a train in the yard of Essar Steel (formerly and more famously known as Algoma Steel). I guessed that the sun would go down behind that scene in a few hours and would make a nice image. So, having checked into my hotel, I came back as the sun was going down. Much to my delight, I was right. The scene was shaping up as predicted.
As I was shooting the yard lights came on and everything was in place for one of my favourite industrial landscapes ever.
120mm at f/32 for 20 seconds, P45+
The board chair of the Sault area hospital ended up purchasing a large print for her father who worked at Algoma Steel for many years before his retirement. I also donated a framed version of this image to the hospital to celebrate substantial completion of their new hospital construction project. The CEO loved it and claimed it for his office, which makes me happy.
What about the fall colour? None of the images of traditional fall colour was as satisfying or meaningful to me as this image. Sometimes you go shooting looking for one kind of shot and you end up with another. Follow the light.
