minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I so seldom do anything with old vehicles, but sometimes I run into one I can't resist. Maybe someone more practiced with this type of thing can tell me what I might do differently.

As usual, I included a bunch of stuff in the frame. It was tempting to capture even more because there was so much good junk there, but it got too dark and icy to capture anything. Old ladies from Mississippi go into a state of suspended animation when it gets below 20.

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Japakomom Loc: Originally from the Last Frontier

My first time to comment in the critique forum.
It seems that everyone in the Critique Forum lives in the best places for photography. I need to find a better place to live!
The composition on this allows my eye to travel the truck to the right and then follow the building back to the upper left. Personally, I do not think you left too much in. I truly like what you have done here. Thank you for sharing!

PaulG Loc: Western Australia

Fabulous picture Minnie; very moody and atmospheric. Seeing it's the "critique" section I'd better be picky though. Cars (especially old ones), machinery, buildings are perfect subjects for HDR, so great choice here. Photography is so subjective and it really does come down to personal opinion so here is mine. The sign poking above the truck grabs my attention, particularly as it is colourful and centrally located. The background goings on are interesting but also slightly distracting. As an overall "scene" picture it's a very good and informative shot. If the focus is the truck there is a lot you could do to really emphasise that aspect - desaturate/DOF... If it were my image that's what I would concentrate on but then that might not have been your intention? I think with any photograph the overriding objective should always be; identify the subject (multiple subjects don't usually work) and how to really push that to the fore, and what is the intended story/message of the photo. Your picture has a certain nostalgic feel to it and does require much more than a cursory glance. Perhaps a lower and closer angle on the truck? To me that would make it far more dominant. It's all a matter of choice though and personal preference. The colours compliment the subject very well and I love that brooding sky.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thank you! and welcome to the critique board, you did a great job for your first go by telling me what you liked and why. I appreciate it. I share your challenge in finding interesting things to shoot, I may live in the most un-photogenic state in the union for landscapes (which is most of what I do) so I'm always scratching for subjects.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for that detailed feedback. You have described my typical composition accurately. I always have too much "interesting" stuff hanging around my subjects. I liked the sign and wanted it in, then I started liking the old gin, the bottle tree, the broken washing machine, etc etc. I need to trim it down to just the truck and the sign. I do have a couple of shots lower and closer, maybe I should work them up too and see what happens. Again, thanks for all your help.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

As an HDR man I dream about this type of vehicle!!
The star of the show is the old truck and personally I think there is too much background clutter although its interesting in its own way. Seeing this I would have got closer and much lower to take the the shot. Car owners often express surprise at a tall skinny English guy lying on the ground in front of their car. it would have resulted in a more dramatic shot and automatically eliminated the clutter. How it would have affected your beloved sign Im not sure. May have resulted in a need to clone it out.
A shot from the back of the vehicle with a low viewpoint would also often work.
A full on side shot to show background and sign and your mission is now complete.
The HDR look is just perfect here but if you emphasize the rust in PP it will rock!!!!
By the way getting on the ground and lying flat out to take photos requires the ladies to wear trousers. I can get down easily sometimes need assistance to get back up.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

Nice work Minnie.
I think the processing is perfect for this image, and its not pushed too far either. Nice work.
The composition, I'd mark as pretty good but I would have liked a bit more room behind the F truck.
I don't think you can move to the right because it would be detrimental in shifting the signs to above the roof instead of towards the front of the car, above the bonnet.
I don't like clutter, I don't find this cluttered, I'd more call it .... environmental context.
One thing that I would like begone though, is the christmas tree? on the far right edge.
If the camera was swivelled a few degrees right, it would get rid of that "christmas tree" and would put a little more space behind the F truck.
I like it Minnie, you did good.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for this detailed feedback. I wish I'd taken some from behind the thing, that was the only angle I completely missed. I can jazz up the rust a bit experimentally and see what it does.

I often take photos lying flat on the ground, but the ground was so wet and it was so cold, I just didn't do it this time. There's a bunch of these old things at a rather sterile nearby location, so I can easily try some of the low angle shots you guys have described next time I'm there and see what I can do with a 9mm lens, which is my widest. I wanted this one to scream "delta culture" so I left all that mess in there, for better or worse. I'm a photographic hoarder.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thank you for the encouragement and for the detailed feedback. I was aiming for a processing that was a bit gritty but didn't yell "HDR" and retained the gloomy "blue" look it had in real life. After all, Clarksdale is the home of the Blues. You are correct that I let the sign dictate the angle, rightly or wrongly, trying to get it in the "right" place. The mess to the right that is out of the frame is worse than the mess on the left, but I think I have one with that stuff in it. As I agree with you on the space issue over there, I will look at it again and see what can be done to mitigate the mess.

I think the "Christmas tree" you're referencing is on the left side of the frame - it is a bottle tree, a southern culture element. To make one, you collect old bottles of various colors, clear off the labels, and stick them upside down on the branches of a smallish dead tree or bush. Evil spirits are caught in the empty bottles and kept out of your house. Everybody needs one!

SoHillGuy Loc: Washington

OH! Minniev, your going to have the Pickers from T.V. looking for this place. The American, and Texaco signs would be the big draw for them. I for one do like the fact that the photo has a bunch of clutter as some refer to it. I would actually like to be able to see it more clearly. Next time if you are including objects in the background maybe you could adjust your exposure for a greater DOF.

The only thing I might do is remove the wires. Wires for some reason are not pleasing, or should I say not complimentary.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thank you for the comments! You're right about the DOF, if I'd had time to go fetch my tripod out of the truck before it got dark, I'd have given myself more options there! I dislike wires too, and will probably tangle with them, though removing them is not my best talent, and it generally makes me kind of crazy and mean.