By Scott Shephard
Anyone who has driven a few miles north of Watertown on Highway 81 has no doubt seen this venerable grain elevator standing silently along the train tracks. Today, trains still pass by this spot but they don't stop here any more.
In 1984 Terry Redlin created a sort of portrait of this place in a painting entitled, "Prairie Skyline." Like most of his paintings, everything is a bit idealized, but, frankly, I think that is what art is supposed to do.
My photo, on the other hand, stands more as a document than it does as art. But that was my intent. One of my missions lately is to try to record prairies relics like this before they disappear. And because I'm not the first to photograph these buildings, my drone gives me the opportunity to offer you a different perspective.
Redlin lets us see this from track level. I'd like to think that what we see in this photo and those that follow is a pheasant's eye view.
Be sure to click on this picture to go to the Redlin Gallery web page and read a little of the back story of this painting.
Phantom 4 FC330 1/100s f/2.8 ISO100 3.61mm (35mm eq:20mm)