Back from the Lens Doctor: EF 24-105 L

A while back, while photographing the Republic Steel East Thomas Plant and Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, I had the misfortune of dropping my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L lens from about should height and it landing lens first in the hard-pack road; actually, it wasn't even "dropping" it so much as it was the quick release plate disengaging from the tripod while it was slung over my shoulder and allowing gravity to do her worst. She did.

I began to notice in subsequent outings that the photos taken with the lens just weren't sharp. And the problem didn't improve regardless of focal length, aperture, or use of Image Stabilization. But in the words of the immortal GI Joe, "Knowing is only half the battle." The real issue was, what was I going to do about it. After a couple months of deliberation, I sent the lens off to Canon's repair center in Virginia. And they sent me quite the estimate; they could repair it for about a third of what I paid for it, which was not insubstantial. So rather than having an uber-expensive paperweight I ponied up the rubles. 

Upon the lens' return about 10 days later, I discovered, and I'm pretty certain about this, the lens now takes sharper photographs than when I first purchased it (used). And I learned a couple of valuable lessons through this experience:

• Buying used is not always the best alternative, even when you save several hundred dollars up front. If I had purchased the lens new, it would have still been under warranty when I dropped it and the repairs would have been covered by Canon; thus I came out about even in this thing.
• Don't rely on the quick release plate to stay mounted to the tripod. Take that extra couple of seconds to sling that camera over your shoulder or use the wrist strap.
• Canon's repair service has a really quick turnaround time, but I hope not to use again in the near future.

The subject of my first test shots was the closest cuddly thing at hand.

Darby wants to play ball. I want to test out my newly repaired lens.

Pit Run Vista, Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham

And finally, this is my favorite from the Wade Sand and Gravel Series, because among all of the photographs this one most reminds me of the seeping vistas of the Rocky Mountains. This is also the conclusion of the series as we move on to other things.

Pit Run Vistas at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

A Return to the Badlands, Wade Sand and Gravel

A Return to the Pit Run Badlands of Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Delineated Gravel Dunes, Wade Sand and Gravel

Drawing a Line in the Sand, Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Gently Sloped Dunes, Wade Sand and Gravel

Gently Sloped and Shaded Dunes of Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Weather-Beaten Mountains, Wade Sand and Gravel

This is the continuation of a series of photographs from pit run and gravel dunes at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, but which more closely resemble the roughest terrain of the Badlands or Rockies, or the windblown dunes of New Mexico and Utah. I love the photos of themselves, but am allthemore a fan because of their deception.

Mountains of Pit Run at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Canyon Walls, Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham

This is the continuation of a series of photographs from pit run and gravel dunes at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, but which more closely resemble the roughest terrain of the Badlands or Rockies, or the windblown dunes of New Mexico and Utah. I love the photos of themselves, but am allthemore a fan because of their deception.

Canyon Walls made Pit Run at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Pit Run at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham

This photograph will serve as the commencement of a series of photographs from pit run and gravel dunes at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, but which more closely resemble the roughest terrain of the Badlands or Rockies, or the windblown dunes of New Mexico and Utah. I love the photos of themselves, but am allthemore a fan because of their deception.

Reminiscent of the Badlands at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham

Having now been on the premises of Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, Alabama, on a couple of occasions, I continue to be impressed with the scope of these sorts of operations. The quarries, the machinery, the gravel, the pit run. And although this panorama was more of an afterthought (though an afterthought I spent considerable time in creating), it has become one of my favorites from the trip.

Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

This and other photographs from Wade Sand and Gravel and the Republic Steel, East Thomas Plant on the premises can be found in my Birmingham gallery.

Republic Steel, East Thomas Plant :: Meter Panel

Meter Panel, Republic Steel, East Thomas Plant, Birmingham

Meter Panels at Republic Steel's East Thomas Plant in Birmingham, Alabama, on the premises of Wade Sand and Gravel.

It's impossible to know what the function of this panel of meters once was while Republic Steel was still in operation. But now it sits defunct and destroyed in near darkness, alone, missing the daily bustle that formerly encompassed its steady operation.

The broken glass and chipping paint are constant reminders of the grand industrial past that is Birmingham's, iron and steel titan of the South. The ruins of the factors lie around the city like so mine dinosaur skeletons, scoured and scavenged. The meat was long ago picked away; all that is left is the bones.

Republic Steel's East Thomas Plant

A little more than a year ago, two friends and I were given permission to shoot the remains of Republic Steel's East Thomas plant, which lies on the premises of Wade Sand & Gravel on the western side of Birmingham. 

I haven't shared these photos until now, but at long last, here they are.

Part of the reason I share this now is that I've been given permission to photograph another historic Birmingham structure at the end of this week. I'm pretty excited, though I have no idea how it'll turn out; the only photos I've seen of the building's interior are nearly 100 years old.

Monster Mash

My first effort at any sort of video editing. This was shot while Pike, Allen, and I were exploring the ruins of Republic Steel, located at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham. It was shot on a Flip.