Photographing St James Silo Art

About the Artwork

St James Silo Art is a large historical mural painted across four GrainCorp silos in the small north-eastern Victorian town of St James.

Painted by local artist Tim Bowtell, the artwork was completed in two stages during 2018 and 2019.

The installation occupies four silos - two concrete and two metal - and tells the story of St James through agriculture, grain transport and one of the town's most famous former residents, Sir George James Coles.

Unlike silo artworks based around a single enormous portrait, St James should be read from one end to the other as a sequence of historical scenes.

The four principal themes are:

Clydesdale horses transporting wheat.
An early truck used to transport wheat to St James.
Sir George Coles and the original St James store.
Bag sewers preparing wheat for transport.

Together, these scenes tell the story of the people, animals and machinery involved in the development of St James as an important grain-handling centre.

The subdued, historical colour palette is particularly appropriate. Rather than making the silos appear like brightly coloured contemporary objects, the murals have the appearance of enormous historical photographs applied to the structures that once played such an important role in the town's agricultural economy.

Artwork / Subjects

Clydesdale Horses and Wheat Transport

At one end of the installation, a team of magnificent Clydesdale horses represents the period when horse-drawn wagons were fundamental to agriculture and grain transport.

Before trucks became commonplace, farmers relied upon teams of heavy horses to move enormous loads of bagged wheat from surrounding farms to St James.

This is one of the strongest photographic subjects in the installation because the horses provide movement and direction across the cylindrical silo surface.

Photograph:

The complete horse-and-wagon composition.
The horses as a group.
Individual horse heads.
Harness and equipment.
The driver.
Wheat bags and wagon details.

Look carefully at the driver. Artist Tim Bowtell included his own face in the horse-team scene, providing a small personal signature within the much larger historical narrative.

The First Wheat Truck

The next major scene represents the transition from horse-drawn transport to motor vehicles.

It depicts an early truck used to cart wheat to St James, positioned against a large wheat stack.

The truck belonged to J. I. and R. L. Martin.

Photographically, the truck provides an excellent contrast with the adjoining Clydesdales.

Consider making a composition that includes both subjects so that the technological transition from horse power to motor transport becomes immediately apparent.

Then use the 70-200mm for details of:

The truck.
Wheels.
Cab.
Wheat bags.
Wheat-stack textures.

Sir George Coles and the Original Store

Perhaps the best-known part of the St James artwork is the portrait of Sir George James Coles.

St James played an important role in the early history of the Coles retail business.

George James Coles was born in 1885 and attended St James State School. His family operated stores in the district, and he later returned to St James and purchased the family business in 1910.

After successfully operating the St James business, he eventually moved on to establish the retail enterprise that developed into the Coles organisation familiar throughout Australia today.

Bowtell's mural combines the portrait of Sir George Coles with an image of the original St James store.

This section deserves several photographs:

The complete Coles silo.
Sir George Coles' portrait.
The original store.
Details of the historic shopfront.
A composition showing the portrait and store together.

Tom and Dick Wren - Bag Sewers

Another silo depicts Tom and Dick Wren working as bag sewers.

Before modern bulk grain handling, enormous quantities of wheat were transported in individual bags.

Once filled, the bags had to be securely sewn before they could be stacked and transported.

It was physically demanding work, often performed outside under the hot north-eastern Victorian sun.

This scene is especially valuable because it records the human labour behind the enormous grain statistics associated with St James.

Use the 70-200mm to isolate:

The two workers.
Faces.
Hands.
Wheat bags.
Clothing.
Working details within the scene.

The Four-Silo Historical Narrative

The most important photograph at St James may ultimately be the one that shows all four murals as a single historical sequence.

Individually, the murals depict people, horses, machinery and buildings. Together they explain how the town developed around agriculture, grain transport and commerce.

Do not concentrate so heavily on the individual portraits that this relationship is lost.

Artist

St James Silo Art was painted by north-eastern Victorian artist Tim Bowtell.

Bowtell began his career in graphic design before concentrating increasingly on painting.

He studied Visual Arts at TAFE, held a solo exhibition at Benalla Art Gallery in 2011 and subsequently became involved in numerous mural and public-art projects.

The St James Silo Art Committee selected Bowtell after seeing his existing work and asked him to translate the town's history onto the enormous silo structures.

His graphic-design background is particularly evident in the way the separate historical elements have been organised into large, immediately readable compositions.

Rather than imposing an unrelated artwork onto the silos, Bowtell used historical photographs and local stories to create a visual history of St James.

Photographing the Artwork

Start with All Four Silos

Before concentrating on individual scenes, find a position from which the complete four-silo installation can be understood.

This is the essential establishing photograph.

Leave enough space around the structures to show that they are agricultural silos rather than cropping too tightly around the artwork.

Photograph the Historical Sequence

Work methodically from one end to the other:

Clydesdale team.
Early wheat truck.
Sir George Coles and the original store.
Tom and Dick Wren sewing wheat bags.

This gives you a consistent photographic record of the complete story.

Pairs of Silos

After recording the complete installation, look for compositions combining adjoining subjects.

The horse team and truck are particularly useful together because they represent two successive periods of agricultural transport.

Other pairs can show the relationship between grain handling, commerce and the people of St James.

Individual Historical Details

The 70-200mm is particularly useful here.

Look for:

Horse heads and harness.
Tim Bowtell's face in the horse-team scene.
Truck details.
Wheat stacks.
Sir George Coles' face.
Original shopfront details.
Bag sewers' faces and hands.
Individual wheat bags.
Paint and silo-surface texture.

Show the Agricultural Structure

Avoid treating the artwork as though it were painted on a flat gallery wall.

Include photographs showing:

The cylindrical concrete silos.
The metal silos.
Industrial fittings.
Weathered surfaces.
The surrounding grain-handling environment.

The agricultural structures are part of the story being told.

St James as Context

Include several photographs of the surrounding township.

The murals are fundamentally about St James, so photographs of the town, old buildings and agricultural landscape will make the finished gallery considerably stronger than a sequence consisting only of silo details.

Map

Location

St James Silo Art is located at the GrainCorp silos in the small rural township of St James in north-eastern Victoria.

Address:
23 Devenish Road,
St James VIC 3727

Google Maps: St James Silo Art

Access & Parking

St James Silo Art is a roadside attraction and the principal murals can be viewed from public areas close to the silos.

Current regional visitor information lists both car parking and coach parking at the attraction.

Public toilets, picnic facilities and food or refreshments are also listed in the immediate St James area.

Remember that the silos are GrainCorp property.

Stay within designated public areas and respect:

Fences.
Private property.
Railway infrastructure.
Operational signs.
Heavy-vehicle access.

Do not enter restricted grain-handling areas simply to obtain a more central photographic position.

Large Vehicles and Caravans

The availability of coach parking suggests that the location is accustomed to larger visitor vehicles.

However, when towing a large caravan, assess the current parking and turning arrangements before committing the complete rig to a confined area.

During busy periods, or if grain-handling activity is occurring, use a safe public parking position and walk to the viewing area if necessary.

Accessibility

St James Silo Art does not require a substantial walk and the main artwork can be appreciated from relatively close to the public viewing area.

This makes the location considerably easier to photograph than attractions requiring stairs or long walking tracks.

However, current tourism information does not provide enough detail to describe every photographic position as formally wheelchair accessible.

Depending on the exact viewpoint, surfaces may include roadside, gravel, grass or uneven ground.

The complete installation can nevertheless be seen from a distance, so a photographer with limited mobility should still be able to obtain useful photographs without approaching every silo closely.

Best Light

Early Morning

Early morning offers quieter conditions and low-angle light.

Side lighting can reveal the cylindrical shape of the silos and the different textures of concrete and metal.

Morning is also useful if St James is being combined with several other locations on the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail.

Late Afternoon

Late afternoon can be particularly effective for the historical, sepia-toned character of the artwork.

Warm directional light complements Bowtell's subdued palette and can strengthen the impression of looking at enormous historical photographs.

Bright Overcast

Bright overcast is excellent for documenting the artwork itself.

Soft light reduces harsh reflections and provides relatively even illumination across:

Faces.
Horses.
Wheat bags.
Historic vehicles.
Concrete and metal surfaces.

It is particularly useful when your priority is a technically accurate record of all four murals.

Dramatic Weather

The relatively restrained colour of the artwork means that a dramatic sky can add considerable atmosphere without competing excessively with the mural.

Broken cloud, approaching rain or shafts of sunlight across the surrounding agricultural landscape may provide some of the strongest environmental photographs.

Nearby

St James Township

Spend some time exploring St James itself.

The silo artwork is based directly upon the town's history, so photographs of surviving buildings and streets provide useful context.

Look for:

Historic shopfronts.
Old buildings.
St James Public Hall.
The old gaol.
Railway and grain-handling heritage.
Agricultural details.

Devenish Silo Art

Devenish is approximately 8 km south of St James and is an obvious companion silo-art location.

Cam Scale's murals honour men and women from the Devenish district who served in Australia's armed forces.

The military subject and contemporary portrait style provide a strong contrast with the historical agricultural narrative at St James.

Goorambat Silo Art

Continue south beyond Devenish to Goorambat.

Jimmy Dvate's wildlife and Clydesdale murals provide another completely different interpretation of large-scale rural public art.

Sophia at Goorambat

While at Goorambat, also photograph Sophia, Adnate's large mural inside the Uniting Church.

The controlled indoor light and intimate church setting provide a striking contrast with the enormous outdoor silo artworks.

Tungamah Silo Art

Tungamah lies approximately 15 km north of St James.

Sobrane Simcock's colourful native-bird murals provide one of the strongest visual contrasts with Bowtell's subdued historical imagery.

Katamatite Silo Art

Continuing through the North East Art Trail brings the photographer to Katamatite, another major silo-art location.

It can be combined with St James, Tungamah, Devenish and Goorambat to form a substantial regional public-art itinerary.

Winton Wetlands

Winton Wetlands provides a very different photographic environment and can be combined with the North East Silo Art Trail.

Subjects include:

Wetland landscapes.
Birdlife.
Dead-tree forms.
Public art.
Guido van Helten's CFA water-tank mural.

How to Get There

From Benalla

St James can be approached from Benalla as part of the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail.

A particularly logical photographic sequence is:

Benalla.
Goorambat.
Devenish.
St James.
Tungamah.
Katamatite.

This route provides an excellent progression through very different artists, subjects and rural landscapes.

From Devenish

St James is approximately 8 km north of Devenish.

The short distance makes it easy to photograph both locations during the same morning or afternoon.

From Tungamah

Tungamah is approximately 15 km north of St James.

The two locations work particularly well together photographically because Tungamah's colourful native birds contrast strongly with the historical, muted St James murals.

Travelling with a Caravan

The North East Silo Art Trail follows generally straightforward regional roads and is well suited to touring.

With a large tow vehicle and caravan, allow additional time for parking at the individual art sites.

At St James, remain clear of any operational GrainCorp access and use designated public parking rather than assuming that an apparently open grain-handling area is available for turning.

Techniques used

Techniques

Kit used

My kit

Where to Stay

Benalla

Benalla makes a practical photographic base for the southern and central sections of the North East Art Trail.

It also provides substantial additional photographic opportunities, including:

Benalla street art.
Lake Benalla.
Benalla Art Gallery.
Botanic gardens.
Nearby Winton Wetlands.

Yarrawonga

Yarrawonga is a useful alternative base when concentrating on the northern end of the trail around St James, Tungamah and Katamatite.

It also adds Lake Mulwala, Murray River landscapes and water-based subjects to a predominantly rural-art itinerary.

St James and Nearby Small Towns

Smaller-scale accommodation and camping opportunities may also be available in towns along the trail.

These can be particularly useful when the objective is to photograph the silos during both late-afternoon and early-morning light.

Travelling with a Large Caravan

For a large tow vehicle and caravan, I would use a suitable caravan park in a regional centre as a base and explore the individual silo-art towns with the tow vehicle alone whenever practical.

Before booking, provide the accommodation operator with the complete vehicle and caravan dimensions and confirm:

Site length.
Turning room.
Access-road width.
Whether a drive-through site is available.

Photographic Recommendations

16-35mm

The 16-35mm is useful for environmental views and where the available working distance is restricted.

Avoid automatically using 16mm to fit the complete installation into the frame.

Extreme wide-angle perspective can exaggerate the nearest silo and distort both people and horses.

24mm Tilt-Shift

The 24mm tilt-shift should be one of the most useful specialist lenses at St James.

The four adjoining tall silos contain strong vertical lines and detailed historical imagery, so keeping the camera level while shifting the lens upwards will produce a much more accurate representation than pointing a conventional wide-angle lens steeply upwards.

24-70mm

The 24-70mm would be my principal general-purpose lens.

Use it for:

The complete four-silo installation.
Pairs of silos.
Individual historical scenes.
Environmental photographs.
Town and agricultural context.

70-200mm

The 70-200mm is particularly important at St James.

There are numerous historical details that deserve separate photographs:

Sir George Coles' portrait.
Faces of Tom and Dick Wren.
Clydesdale heads.
Harness.
Tim Bowtell's hidden self-portrait.
The truck.
Original store details.
Wheat bags.

Fuji GX680

The Fuji GX680 is particularly well suited to St James because the installation combines architectural geometry with a long, detailed mural.

I would first scout the strongest position using the digital camera, then set up the GX680 for one or two carefully considered photographs rather than attempting to duplicate every digital composition.

The most obvious GX680 subject is a formal, technically controlled photograph of the complete four-silo historical sequence.

Tripod

A tripod is worthwhile when using:

The 24mm tilt-shift.
The Fuji GX680.
Shifted multi-frame photographs.
Low-light or blue-hour compositions.

Circular Polariser

A circular polariser may be useful for controlling reflections and increasing separation between the silos and a blue sky.

However, watch its effect carefully when photographing the metal silos and large areas of sky with a wide-angle lens.

Uneven polarisation can become more distracting than the reflections it removes.

Controlling Perspective

Perspective control is particularly important at St James.

The combination of four tall adjoining silos, human figures, horses, buildings and machinery makes perspective distortion more obvious than at many abstract or wildlife-based silo artworks.

First Choice - Increase Shooting Distance

Before applying any optical correction, move as far back as the available safe public viewing position allows.

Using a longer focal length from greater distance helps:

Reduce apparent convergence.
Preserve the relative widths of the silos.
Maintain natural proportions in faces.
Prevent the nearest horse or figure becoming exaggerated.

Where possible, try the 24-70mm around 35-70mm before resorting to an extreme wide-angle viewpoint.

Using the 24mm Tilt-Shift

Your 24mm tilt-shift is probably the best tool for producing a technically accurate digital record of the complete installation.

Mount the camera on a tripod and level the camera body carefully.

Keep the sensor plane vertical and use upward shift to include the top of the silos.

This avoids the converging verticals produced by tilting the complete camera upwards.

If one frame cannot comfortably contain the entire height, make a shifted sequence:

Lower frame.
Central frame.
Upper frame.

Keep the camera body and tripod completely stationary and move only the lens shift.

These frames can later be stitched into a very high-resolution photograph with excellent geometric control.

For the principal documentary photograph, use shift rather than tilt.

Using the Fuji GX680

The Fuji GX680 with full movements allows the same architectural principle to be applied even more deliberately.

Level the camera and keep the film plane vertical.

Use:

Front rise to include the upper silos.
Front lateral shift if the best tripod position is not perfectly centred.
Minimal front tilt unless specifically required to alter the plane of focus.

Avoid unnecessary rear tilt or swing for the principal documentary image, because changing the film-plane orientation deliberately changes the apparent geometry of the silos.

One interesting GX680 approach would be to make a carefully controlled panoramic interpretation of all four historical scenes while preserving parallel verticals and the relative proportions of the silo structures.

Human Faces and Horses

Perspective control matters for more than keeping silo edges parallel.

Standing very close with a wide-angle lens can also distort Sir George Coles' face, the bag sewers and the Clydesdale horses.

For those subjects, moving farther back and using the 70-200mm may produce a more faithful representation than correcting a close wide-angle photograph later in software.

Using the DJI Mavic 2 Pro

A drone could potentially provide an elevated view that reduces the steep upward angle of the ground-level viewpoint and shows the complete GrainCorp complex within the St James landscape.

However, do not assume that a drone flight is permitted simply because the artwork is publicly viewable.

Before flying:

Check current CASA airspace and operating restrictions.
Use a CASA-verified drone safety application.
Identify a legal launch and recovery location.
Confirm any landowner or GrainCorp permission required.
Maintain required separation from people.
Remain clear of roads, vehicles and operational grain activity.

If a flight is legal, safe and appropriately authorised, avoid simply making a higher version of the ground photograph.

Instead, use the elevated viewpoint to show the relationship between the four silos, St James township and the surrounding grain-growing landscape.

Suggested Photographic Sequence

Walk the public viewing area first.

Understand how the four historical scenes relate before setting up the tripod.
Make the complete four-silo establishing photograph.

Start with the 24-70mm from as far back as practical.
Use the 24mm tilt-shift.

Make the technically controlled digital record with the camera level and upward shift.
Make a shifted multi-frame version.

This could become the highest-resolution record of the complete artwork.
Photograph the Clydesdale scene.

Record the complete team and then horse, harness, wagon and driver details.
Find Tim Bowtell's face.

Make a tight photograph of the artist incorporated into the horse-team scene.
Photograph the early wheat truck.

Make both a complete historical scene and tighter machinery details.
Combine horse and motor transport.

Look for a composition that visually explains the transition between the two periods.
Photograph Sir George Coles.

Record the complete silo, portrait and original store separately.
Photograph Tom and Dick Wren.

Concentrate on the people, their work and the wheat-bag details.
Switch to the Fuji GX680.

Make one or two deliberate architectural interpretations using front rise.
Photograph St James itself.

Record surviving historic buildings, streets and agricultural details that provide context for the murals.
Continue along the North East Art Trail.

Depending on direction and light, continue to Devenish or Tungamah.

How Long

A casual visitor could view St James Silo Art in approximately 15-20 minutes.

For a proper conventional photographic record of all four historical murals, allow approximately 45-60 minutes.

With the 24mm tilt-shift, 70-200mm and Fuji GX680, I would allow approximately 1.5-2 hours.

This provides enough time to photograph the complete installation, individual scenes, historical details and several perspective-controlled compositions without rushing.

If also documenting St James township and its surviving historical elements, allow approximately 2-3 hours.

Priority Photographs

Complete four-silo historical composition.
Technically corrected complete installation using the 24mm tilt-shift.
High-resolution shifted multi-frame photograph.
Fuji GX680 architectural interpretation.
Complete Clydesdale horse-and-wagon scene.
Clydesdale heads and harness details.
Tim Bowtell's face within the horse-team artwork.
Complete early wheat-truck scene.
Truck and wheat-stack details.
Horse team and motor vehicle together to show the transition in transport.
Complete Sir George Coles silo.
Sir George Coles portrait.
Original St James store.
Historic shopfront detail.
Complete Tom and Dick Wren bag-sewing scene.
Portrait of the two workers.
Hands and wheat-bag details.
Concrete and metal silo textures.
Artwork with St James township context.
Artwork with surrounding agricultural landscape.
Elevated silo/town/agricultural-landscape composition if drone use is legal, safe and appropriately authorised.

Artwork Information table

Location	St James, Victoria
Artwork	St James Silo Art
Artist	Tim Bowtell
Completed	2018 and 2019
Structures	Four GrainCorp silos - two concrete and two metal
Principal subjects	Clydesdale wheat team, early wheat truck, Sir George Coles and original store, and wheat-bag sewers Tom and Dick Wren
Theme	St James history, agriculture, grain transport, commerce and community
Silo ownership	GrainCorp
Historical grain record	405,000 bushels / 135,000 bags received during the 1915-16 wheat season
Address	23 Devenish Road, St James VIC 3727
Entry	Free
Opening	Open at all times
Parking	Car and coach parking listed
Principal general lens	24-70mm
Perspective-control lens	24mm tilt-shift
Detail lens	70-200mm
Technical camera	Fuji GX680 with front rise / shift
Suggested silo photography time	1.5-2 hours with full photographic equipment
Suggested complete St James visit	Approximately 2-3 hours