Ancient Ruins

Silo near Carpenter, Illinois
November 10, 2010
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Like that "missile" off the coast of California this week, things in photographs are not always as they seem.  Is this an ancient ruin along Highway 140? A stone tower with a ladder on the outside for Rapunzel? Or an old grain silo made of bricks that refuses to crumble after everything around it has? Well, since we're in Illinois that last option is probably correct. In this photo there are other strange sights, too, including stars that trail circling Polaris, and the tiny community known as Carpenter glowing pink along the horizon. That's what a long exposure will do. Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 200; Focal length: 18 mm.