Eckley Miners' Village -- coal breaker

Eckley was a "patch town" in the anthracite coal-mining region of eastern Pennsylvania. Such towns were built to house miners in remote mining villages during the mid-1800s. Travel was difficult, so the miners essentially needed to rent the duplex houses from the coal companies and buy goods at the company store. There is evidence of much change in some other patch towns, but the buildings in Eckley look much like they must have long ago before the mining operations were modernized and the need for so many laborers diminished. Although a few people still live there, the community is now under the administration of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. In 1968, Paramount used the location for filming The Molly Maguires, starring Sean Connery. Up until the age of 14, when they would have gone to work in the mines, children worked in the bottom of the coal breakers, throwing away waste rock and helping to sort the coal by size. This breaker and a few other buildings in town were built -- probably to replace ones that were no longer standing -- by Paramount for the movie.


Attachment 158540


Nikon D3S, ISO 400, f/22, nine-exposure HDR at 1 EV intervals, zoom lens at 24mm

processing highlights

• Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Hard Light blend mode
• Nik Color Efex -- Tonal Contrast
• Fractalius -- three black & white layers; Multiply, Divide, Multiply blend modes
• Snap Art Line Art -- two black & white layers; Multiply and Divide with inverse masks
• Simplify -- saved black & white Edges preset, Multiply
• Alien Skin Exposure -- mostly sepia-toning and vignetting, 55% opacity

Pure Dennis magic! The muted colors create the perfect mood for your story of the harsh life of mining coal. Brings to mind the old songs "Big, Bad John" and "Sixteen Tons"!

I knew it was yours the moment I saw it. Again, beautiful Thanks for the history lesson to make t more meaningful. Having the fences on both sides makes the eye look to the center. Good comp and techniques.

Very nice processing, as always, and I like the point of view you chose for your photo. The muted colors work very well.

Very cool! Love your watercolor paintings! That's supposed to be the most challenging of painting techniques.

Perfect treatment for this image. It makes me want to go visit this place. Very nice framing. The details of the building and old train car are accentuated by the less detailed surroundings. Beautiful clouds. I like the subdued colors. Wish there was separation between the train car and the building. Excellent work.

I really like this one Dennis, for many reasons. Of course your magic treatment is always stellar, but this image has much more than that going on. I love the leading lines, composition, and balance of the scene. Really very nicely done.

I admire the image and see the magic as well. And kudos for reveling your processing techniques so others may learn.

Great processing, and wonderful location!