As a teenager I went to Galveston to tan on the beach or to buy old jeans at Col. Bubbie's (who died just recently) military surplus store but in middle age and since I have become interested in photography I love to go to Galveston for the photo opportunities --- from birds, architecture, landscapes, boats, people, street photography, events like Mardi Gras and Dickens on the Strand, you can always find something interesting to photograph there. We had a photo club assignment for Old Galveston in January and I decided to shoot many of the weathered window shutters and arched doors, as well as other architectural elements. Those alleys are rich with details like murals, old brickwork, rusty metal shutters, signs, meter boxes and pipes that make wonderful graphic designs. Some are in worse shape since Hurricane Ike devastated the island last September, but many look pretty much the same.Camera info: Nikon D200, 18 -70 mm 3.5 - 5.6 lens, top image at f7.1 and 1/250th at ISO 650 fine weather whitebalance, bottom image: f11 at 1/90th ISO 400, fluorescent white balance (?how did that happen?)
Post processing: top image: duplicated the background in softlight at 70% opacity, levels for brightness, Popsickle for sharpening in softlight mode, duplicated Popsickle for more sharpening. Bottom image: cloned out a metal storage building and replicated the base of one column, duplicated that layer in softlight at 50%, levels for brightness, curves for contrast, Creamsickle action at 40% opacity, black and white adjustment layer at 20% for desaturation, merged layers in hardlight blending mode at 20% opacity, sharpened with the Edge.
I like both of these shots. I would like to see a high-contrast black and white version of both of them. I think that might add some to the nitty gritty of your subject. Good work.
ReplyDeleteYes, I like them a lot too. What about a high contrast sepia version too? I like your header for the blog.
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