One of my favorite subjects to photo are the "threshing bees" held in late summer, mostly in the Midwest. These feature demonstrations of antique farm machinery in action, with steam tractors the stars of the show. These mostly draw a rural crowd and there's generally one somewhere within driving distance every weekend from the first of August until the end of September. They range from a few hundred people to over 50,000! The rules are pretty lax which makes access easy. Most attendees have lived on farms and know how to act around large machinery. It's understood that if you are careless and get squished it's your own fault. I use a mix of photo gear: modern Nikon DSLR for fast action and color photos, period correct (1900-1930) gear for portraits and stationary subjects. This year I also shot some glass plates, most of which turned out well. I take portraits of people with their machines for free, and am the "official" photographer for a couple of these events. For 4x5 I am using my Chamonix 045n because it's so light and quick to use. Lenses are: 4 inch Dagor in compound shutter (1908), 150mm Heliar in dial set (1938), and a 240mm Dagor in compound (1910). The Heliar is my favorite for portraits, but I can't believe how crisp the 240mm Dagor is and use it for detail shots.
1. Andover, SD. The Ladies of Steam, Heliar & dry plate.
2. Andover, SD. Steering gear on Case 110 tractor, Dagor 240mm & FP4
3. Menno, SD. Trio of Case steam tractors, Heliar & dry plate
4. Menno, SD. Gearing on McCormick separator, Dagor 240mm & FP4
Kent in SD
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