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Surfboat, Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, circa 1902
Surfboat, Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, circa 1902
PenelopeK


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Ansel Adams III (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: Challenges: People, Other
Camera: Canon EOS-7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Date: May 17, 2012
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 125
Shutter: 1/20, 1/6, 0.3 sec
Galleries: Architecture, Black and White
Date Uploaded: May 20, 2012

 Thanks for the votes and comments. I'm sure that not being a landscape was a disadvantage, so I'm pleased with how this did.

HDR from 3 images using Nik HDR Efex. Conversion to B&W and tonal adjustments with Nik SEP 2. Adjusted slight skew.

I thought it might look better with a horizontal flip, so the oars led your eye into the picture on the left but then realized the lettering on the boat would be backwards.

[May. 23rd, 2012 12:10:54 PM]

I did the conversion to B&W in two steps. In the first step I used Nik SEP 2 to get the levels of brightness and contrast I wanted in different zones. I changed the mode of that layer to luminosity so color was preserved. In the second step, I went back to SEP2 again and adjusted to color channels, to see what effect that had, mainly on the walls and beams because of the red hue present there. At the same time I used multiple linked U points to increase structure on the boat surface. This layer was retained in normal mode.
Note: To keep the color information available before you go back to SEP the second time you need to create a duplicate of the layer below the first SEP layer and merge that with that SEP layer, and use that merged layer for the second SEP 2 step.

I don't always approach B&W conversion this way, but I was pretty happy with the results of the first step and I didn't want to lose that if I wanted to undo some of the later steps. I saved the first step as a preset so I could always have got back to that that way, but I also like being able to see the effects of changing opacity for a particular step once I am back in Photoshop, which making separate layers for each step allows.

[May. 27th, 2012 01:21:24 PM]

Going to this recently restored museum out at Race Point Beach in Provincetown was prompted by an article about it in the local newspaper the day before. Robert Bear_music pointed out that the building might have potential for an Ansel Adams type shot. The hours it was open were wrongly stated as being 1-3 pm on only Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it was already Wednesday. In fact it *is* also open on weekends. Robert couldn't go on Thursday but I already had an appointment at a location part way there so I decided to go. A fascinating place. They have restored it to its appearance in 1902 when it was owned and manned by the "US Life-Saving Service", later taken over by the US Coast Guard.

Images IMG_3640-3642

Statistics
Place: 10 out of 97
Avg (all users): 6.6204
Avg (commenters): 8.0000
Avg (participants): 6.2045
Avg (non-participants): 6.9063
Views since voting: 2071
Views during voting: 267
Votes: 108
Comments: 19
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
 05/28/2012 12:30:44 PM
Way to go, sweetie!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2012 10:56:37 AM
I didn't vote this challenge but this would have been in my top 3. Beautiful

PS I like the crop

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2012 08:46:48 AM
Originally posted by blindjustice:
The processing is subtle and fine. I especially like the door and the window, the lines giving movement to the boat.


Thanks Paul. Those were definitively key elements that drew me to this, plus the light on the oars.

Regarding the crop. Thanks for the feedback from those who commented on it. I was at the wide end of this lens and I couldn't stand any further back. I was up against a locked door. I could have switched to the 10-22mm lens but I really wanted the benefit of the L glass in my 24-105mm lens plus the area around the bottom of the boat was marred (IMO) by metal supports and other objects. Once home, I considered cropping more off the bottom to get away from the look of having "just" missed getting all the boat in the image, but to my eyes that just wasn't as interesting.

Message edited by author 2012-05-31 21:03:41.
 05/28/2012 06:31:36 AM
Nice to see it just made it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2012 03:42:11 AM
The processing is subtle and fine. I especially like the door and the window, the lines giving movement to the boat.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 09:02:25 PM
Congrats on the TT Penny, love the way you PP this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 08:39:15 PM
Beautiful shot and excellent processing. Such rich tones. Nice to see an interior shot do well along the landscapes.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 08:27:44 PM
Congrats on your top 10 finish. It's a joy to view.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 08:13:11 PM
Wonderful tones! Very well done, Penny. Congrats on the win in the BYOAC and a top ten!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/27/2012 01:09:29 PM
Lovely image. Contrast and crisp detail is spot on. Nice take on the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 12:37:01 PM
doh! This crop made the photo so hard to appreciate!!!!

I love the guy standing in the background, and the oars on the wall... But why oh why did you not give me the bottom of the stern of this boat??

Anyway, I'm still giving this an 8, but I would have gladly given a 9 otherwise, and maybe a 10 - it's an excellent shot. Thanks for sharing it with us.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 07:44:39 AM
Though I am far from an Ansel expert, this does not strike me as a typical subject; however, that does not detract in the slightest for me. The lighting, crisp detail even in the shadows, full range of tones from white to black, textures and compositional balance make this entirely suitable for the challenge IMO. In my top three.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/27/2012 12:42:05 AM
A good mono conversion, although not so keen on the cramped composition, in particular the missing section from the bottom of the boat. A very impressive deep depth of field.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/26/2012 10:17:33 AM
Lovely bw tones and detail. (voted earlier)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/26/2012 07:40:03 AM
Composition and processing make this image a top tenner for me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/25/2012 08:46:29 AM
A very expertly rendered architectural shot, which should be treated as a good representation of AA's style. Great control of shadow detail. If this is HDR, it is masterfully done. Love the clarity and elements of interest. This is one of my top 10 picks. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2012 09:53:56 PM
I have been going back through the images to comment, to me this one stands alone as both a very good image, and also capturing a classic feel of a possible Adams shot, good luck in the challenge I'd put this on the front page.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2012 06:30:17 AM
Lovely black and white--the texture is really brought out nicely. (voted earlier)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2012 03:51:35 AM
Nice processing and intresting subject.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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