(Bi-) Centennial in Black-and-White

In the Company of Plants and Rocks turns 200 today -- i.e. this is my 200th post!  In celebration, I returned to Centennial, Wyoming, also featured in my 100th post, for a day of old-fashioned photography at the Nici Self Historical Museum.

My plan was to shoot in black-and-white.  We often think of black-and-white photography as old-fashioned, so antiques at the Museum seemed ideal subjects.  I searched online for advice, compiled a cheat sheet of tips (below), and headed west to Centennial.  It was opening day of the 2013 season.

The Nici Self Historical Museum is housed in the depot of the Laramie Hahn’s Peak & Pacific Railroad (above), dedicated July 4, 1907.  The line was built to bring in tourists from the Union Pacific line in Laramie.

Tip #1  Shoot in color, see in black and white.

Almost everyone advises to shoot in color and convert to black-and-white later, rather than using the camera’s black-and-white mode.  Post-processing programs do a better job, and it’s easier to tweak results on a computer.  Of course shooting in black-and-white mode allows for immediate feedback from the LCD, but in reality, many of the features of concern are too subtle to see, at least with my Canon Rebel T3i.

So it’s necessary to visualize a black-and-white version of a scene in one’s mind, to see things without the distraction of color, to imagine lighting, textures and objects in shades of gray.  Will there be something of interest?  Will the subject or message be clear in the absence of color?

This photo was easy to anticipate, since the typewriter was black and white to begin with.

It was fairly easy to visualize backlit landscapes in black and white.  Below, Buckeye School, and the old beehive burner from a nearby sawmill; horse-drawn plow in foreground.

Tip #2  Avoid scenes and subjects that depend on color for interest and appeal.

The wheel of a 1917 fire engine is boring in black-and-white.  The message of the photo is clear, but the scene feels lifeless without the bright contrasting colors.

Tip #3  In the absence of color, emphasize other elements.

Shapes, lines, structure, pattern, texture ... all can be intriguing in the absence of color. This is convenient, as I like composing with these things.  I like shooting just part of what we typically consider a scene.  Below, blades of a Rotary Hoe Renovator used at the University of Wyoming to raise sunflowers for feed.  Purchased in 1930.

All the old machinery on the Museum grounds kept me fascinated for a long time.  Below, gear wheels on a hay baler built by the Admiral Hay Press Co. in Kansas City, Missouri in 1920.  It was made to bail hay, but probably was used in Centennial to bail paper.

Tip #4  Keep it simple.

Without color to bring out various objects in a photo, I found myself tending towards simplicity, as crutter suggested in a helpful post at Digital Photography World:

“look out for subjects that feature simple, strong lines and shapes ... black-and-white images need strong compositions to really work.  Keep an eye out for strong lines or features in your scene that can be used as leading lines, or positioned diagonally across the frame to create dynamic images.”

Threshing machine, 1899-1916.

Handle of a press used at the University of Wyoming to render lard from butchered hogs.  The lard was sold to the Gem City Grocery in Laramie.

Tip #5  Think about light.

Strong contrast makes a black-and-white photo more bold or striking.  Again, simplifying seems to help in emphasizing composition in light and shade.

The blacksmith's shop.

A logger's tools.

Silhouettes are obvious high-contrast subjects, like these patterned curtains against the Museum's bedroom window.

At the other end of the spectrum (ha!) are high-key photos.  A light background and diffuse light to minimize shadows are recommended.  The pale green jewelry box below was sitting on a white window sill in the bedroom.  I brightened the scene in post-processing, as the camera over-compensated for all the light.  I also reduced contrast.  To give a softer more old-fashioned look, I maxed out the De-noise slider in iPhoto.

Tip #6  Avoid bland skies.

This was something I hadn’t thought about before.  Converted to black-and-white, a gorgeous blue sky becomes a very boring gray.  Dramatic skies are much better (it helps to crank up the contrast a bit).

Buckeye School -- one-room schoolhouse used from 1906 to the early 1960s.

Tip #7  Don’t forego post-processing.

During my self-education online, it became clear that it's just fine to modify photos.  After all, the camera itself processes images and may make less-than-perfect decisions.  Most often I played with contrast, highlights and shadows, using iPhoto for almost everything.

The Old-fashioned Look

Hanging out in the past with all the antiques and memories made me want to emphasize old-fashioned in my photos.  I experimented with graininess in post-processing, using the Artistic > Film Grain filter in Photoshop.  I sometimes reduced the apparent quality of images by taking away detail with the De-noise slider in iPhoto, as in the jewelry box photo earlier in the post.

Betsy takes time to enjoy a subtly grainy scene.

Photos don’t have to be black-and-white to look old.  Reducing saturation (color) often is all that's needed to go back to a time of softer, subtler scenes and beauty.

Wax cylinder recordings of “Elizabeth AND Dora Singing” and “E. S. Oslen Singing.”

A well-stocked kitchen shelf.

Wood stove in the Buckeye School ...

... and a well-read book.

I also experimented with old-fashioned rules of composition ... or lack thereof.  In looking at really old photos, it seems photography had a different purpose then, perhaps more documentation than art.  There was less concern for some of the things we worry about now -- like rules of composition.  Symmetry wasn't a big concern, for example.

Two old sawmill blades patiently pose for a portrait.

Particularly characteristic of the times were stiff, unnatural portraits -- unavoidable due to very slow film.  Subjects had to sit as still as possible for uncomfortably long periods of time.  In the photo below, taken in Centennial Valley the early 1900s, the subjects did well for the most part.  Only the dog failed to cooperate.

From the Geddes Collection, Nici Self Historical Museum.

I wanted to shoot my own old-fashioned portrait of Centennial citizens, and the Museum staff cheerfully agreed to pose for my experiment.  To make this an old photo, I took away all color, increased graininess, and reduced detail (De-noise slider).  I then added a layer of black specks and faded part of the image to show the passage of time.

The museum staff tried their hardest to sit still for the tiny fraction of a second required ...

... but it wasn’t easy!

A special “thank you” to Museum staffers Cecily, Deb and Nancy for providing access, information and lots of fun!

How to Get There

Centennial sits at the foot of the Medicine Bow Mountains in southeast Wyoming, 30 miles west of Laramie on Highway 130, the Snowy Range Road.  The Nici Self Historical Museum is on the left (south) coming into town.  It’s open Memorial Day to Labor Day, Thursday through Monday, noon to 4 PM.  In September, hours are noon to 4 PM on weekends.  Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.  Tours can be arranged during the off-season, or if one of the dedicated volunteer staff happens to drive by while you’re wandering around on the grounds, they’ll most likely stop and offer a tour!  To plan your visit, check out the new website.

Sources

Information about buildings and items at the Museum comes from the Outdoor Displays brochure (draft) and the Nici Self Historical Museum website.

Centennial

In 1875, gold was discovered on the eastern flank of the Medicine Bow Mountains in southeast Wyoming.  The settlement that sprang up in the valley below officially became a town the following year, and was called “Centennial” in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.  Thus it seems fitting to feature Centennial in celebration of another centennial event -- my 100th blog post.

Approaching Centennial from the east.  In 1875 gold was discovered on
Centennial Ridge, above the town to the west.

The first whites to settle the Centennial Valley were loggers and tie-hacks, supplying railroad ties for construction of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1868.  The work camp was abandoned after construction moved west, in part due to harassment by Indians.  Over the next decade, ranches were established under the Homestead Act, but it wasn’t until gold was discovered that a real community came to be.  The gold rush was short-lived -- the quartz vein was rich and eagerly followed, but in less than two years it disappeared at a fault, never to be found again.  Of course hopes didn't disappear, and exploration has continued off and on.  It has to be here somewhere, it has to be!

Centennial in the 1920s.  From Wyoming Tales and Trails; no source given.

From Passenger Railroads of the 1930s-1940s;
no source given.  Click to view.

The town hung on after the bust, populated by loggers and merchants supplying area ranchers.  There were two more mini-rushes, in 1902 and 1923-24, but they turned out to be little more than rumors.  Logging picked up in 1905 to supply timber to a coal mine in nearby Colorado, with a sawmill, planing mill and lumber yard added to the town.  A railroad from Laramie to the coal mine was completed as far as Centennial in 1907, finally reaching Coalmont near modern-day Walden in 1911 (Laramie, Hahns Peak and Pacific Railroad).   [The struggling line eventually was sold to Wyoming Colorado Railroad, which operated it as a tourist attraction, taking passengers across the Laramie Basin and up the east flank of the Medicine Bow Mountains to the crest at Fox Park.  Sadly the business came to an end and the line was abandoned in the 1990s.  The rail bed in the Medicine Bow Mountains is now open to hiking and biking.]

Centennial has been described as a “quaint little town” with “a history of failed dreams” but that is hardly the case.  It is a small but spirited burg of ca 100 dedicated souls, with a reputation for fun and creativity.  It serves as a key recreation gateway, winter and summer, and yet something ... maybe the harsh winters ... has kept commercialization under control.

The best source of information about Centennial happenings is the Centennial Branch of the Albany County Public Library. You can visit in person or online.

Above:  Librarian Deb welcomes all to the Centennial Library, built in 1993 with lots of volunteer help.  Whether you seek information, a charge for your iPad, internet access or simply a pleasant place to read for a bit, the staff are happy to help.

Below:  In 1979 the library moved into donated space -- Pat Self’s former Goodie Shoppe -- and James Michener attended the Grand Opening (his novel, Centennial, had been published five years earlier).

The Centennial Community Theatre / Albany County Theatre regularly presents comedies and musicals, always to a sell-out crowd.  See the CCT on MySpace.

In 2011, the 31st Annual Centennial Valley Art Show featured 46 artists from southern Wyoming and northern Colorado.

The Nici Self Museum “preserves, interprets, and celebrates the natural, cultural, and developmental history of the Centennial Valley and its people ...” focusing on railroads, mining, ranching, and timber harvest.  It is named for Bernice “Nici” Self, a founding member of the Centennial Valley Historical Association.  Nici and others persuaded the Union Pacific Railroad to donate the 1907 depot that now houses most of the museum’s collections.

The museum is open Memorial Day weekend through September but if you are lucky, as I was, a volunteer may let you in during the off-season!  Jim was repairing the carriage house when I was wandering around the property in March, and kindly offered to open the depot for a tour and photos.

Skis, wood stove and a hot bath are essential if you live in Centennial ...

... plus an office with all the modern conveniences.

Keep the kitchen pantry well-stocked (above and below) ...

... and the table nicely set.

The old beehive burner from the local sawmill is now part of the museum.

Some geology ...

Centennial is located at the north end of the Centennial Valley, a classic Laramide-style basin between two uplifts:  Sheep Mountain to the east and the Medicine Bow Mountains to the west.  Photo above modified from ArcGIS online; cross-section below by the author, 1984 (click to view).

How to get there ...

Centennial is just 30 miles west of Laramie on Highway 130, the Snowy Range Road.

From Google Maps, click to view.

And finally ...

Words of wisdom, Nici Self Museum, Centennial, Wyoming.