conkerwood

This is a beaten up old farm house at the edge of a cane field. As a lover of all things decaying and rusting this is my kind of subject but I know it won't appeal to everyone. I am, however, completely mystified by the graffitti. It could be a tag I suppose but that doesn't seem to fit with the arrow, if the arrow was done at the same time. Really I have no idea but still it forms part of the story of the house and somehow it kind of belongs there. FYC

Peter

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jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Maybe there's money hidden in that old structure, and the graffiti is a not-so-subtle reminder of the location. :-D :-D

Nice photo, by the way.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Excellent exposure and composition. The addition of a little mystery adds to the nature of the shot. Well done.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I spent a lot of time viewing the details of this image - very compelling visual + thinking about the history.

One thing I'd do if mine is increase the contrast or do a levels adjustment. Possibly some use of colored filters in the b&w processing too, to darken or lighten the grass etc. The gritty character of the scene isn't fully realized with the gentle processing I see here.

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

Peter unless this is the look your going for with your new processing technique, I tend to agree with Linda about a bit more grit.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

I live with tin buildings and houses not so far away and have yet to find a way to really make corrugated iron photogenically interesting. Even rusty stuff and HDR fails.
Its an intriguing story but the blandness of the tin hut sorta kills it off. Maybe a pushed process gritty and grungy? My other bugbear here is concrete block buildings.
Anyone who can make a concrete block interesting?
I know the art farty can stare at a picture of one for hours it seems with imagination running wild. Im talking about folks who are wired up correctly!

Singing Swan

I like it just because I'm a fan of places like this too. There's always a chance you can find a forgotten or lost treasure in such places. I found a 1901 coin in the crack of a step once. I bet there's one of those old fashioned piggy banks buried there somewhere.... some kid having a blast on a rainy day, hmm?

conkerwood

Ah I reckon you have to have a hole in your soul if you don't get inspired by rust and dilapidated buildings though I am with you all the way on the concrete blocks. But you and Linda are probably right this needs to be grittier, obviously I was being a little timid. So I have attacked the levels and re-posted the result. I like it much better but I suspect I may be fighting a losing battle about convincing you that corrugated iron is a worthy subject.

Catch you soon my friend.

Peter

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Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Better my man but still only a small cigar lol
I suffer from iron building overkill my friend. Your dilapidated shed would make a comfortable dwelling for many here.
Keep safe Peter

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I like it better too, though I might try to find a way to lighten the graffiti without it being obvious :)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

A very interesting point here that might be worth a separate topic for discussion - that photographic subjects or settings that are painful or controversial to a viewer because of their own circumstances, beliefs or experiences. For example, I don't enjoy seeing anything related to hunting animals for sport.

conkerwood

Yeah it is an interesting question and Billy makes a very valid point about context. I love the rusting dilapidated building in the context of a beautiful countryside, for the history that it conveys. But if for many it is what home is, then its a completely different context and maybe there are sensitivity issues involved. I tend to be very strong in fighting any form of enforced censorship of photography/art (other than clearly illegal stuff) but like many I practice some self censorship in what I photograph and post. Like most people I don't photograph anything dead or injured in fact I recall only once ever seeing such a pic on any photography site. But even for this pic of an old house I was a little hesitant. The words 'baby cash' could have referred to something unpleasant so I did an internet search for any incidents in the area which the words could relate to. I found nothing so I was happy to post and leave the words as a mystery.

Many thanks for the feedback and your thoughts.

Peter