The Master In You: Topic for August - Less Than Pristine (Page 2): I think the sky replacement works well with photo. The colors and tones are similar to what you see on the ship...

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

I think the sky replacement works well with photo. The colors and tones are similar to what you see on the ship itself. Sometime back I saw a YouTube tutorial on getting rid of chain link fences. I think your rendition worked out well.

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

Linda From Maine wrote:

A stumble-upon scene in my apartment complex a cou... (show quote)

I remember seeing your color image. Jim Pops suggestion seems to work well in this posting. Reminds me of something you might see on a porch by the steps to someones front door.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

NJFrank wrote:

I remember seeing your color image. Jim Pops suggestion seems to work well in this posting. Reminds me of something you might see on a porch by the steps to someones front door.

Indeed!

Thanks Frank

edrobinsonjr Loc: Boise, Idaho

I took this in October of 2017 in one Boise's parks. Every time I come to it I want to do something to it but always end up leaving it alone.

Everything in the image strikes me as old and discarded. The boot has served well but where is it's mate? The old tree trunk and root seems to be commiserating with the boot. Sad.

I have tried cropping several ways but everything seems to belong.

Ed

(Download)

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

edrobinsonjr wrote:

I took this in October of 2017 in one Boise's parks. Every time I come to it I want to do something to it but always end up leaving it alone.

Everything in the image strikes me as old and discarded. The boot has served well but where is it's mate? The old tree trunk and root seems to be commiserating with the boot. Sad.

I have tried cropping several ways but everything seems to belong.

Ed

I can understand your problem. I would not know what to "edit" out of the photo, and still have the same photo. I think that I would leave all the elements alone; but I might try different strategies for processing the photo. You have chosen to remain true to the scene as you probably saw it; but there are a lot of possibilities that you might want to try.
Erich

captivecookie Loc: Washington state

Marking this so I can read it later. Liked all the pictures at first glance.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

I decided to post this in counterpoint to the USS United States. This old truck has outlived its life expectancy by several generations but here he is still chugging along, proving that being old and rusty does not mean you're dead. Now he has survived being in the wrong place, a picture taker with the wrong lens and an owner who didn't seem excited about having his truck preserved for posterity, he yelled at me in Spanish.

Best I could do Nikon D7200, 70-300 Kit lens, ISO 400, f8 @ 1:1000 and limited access to my subject.

(Download)

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

NJFrank wrote:

I think the sky replacement works well with photo. The colors and tones are similar to what you see on the ship itself. Sometime back I saw a YouTube tutorial on getting rid of chain link fences. I think your rendition worked out well.

I searched the available sky replacements until I found one that seemed to work. Thanks.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Curmudgeon wrote:

I decided to post this in counterpoint to the USS ... (show quote)

Surprised that the owner was peeved about you taking a photo. As for the connection to the ship....Ocean Liners became hopelessly obsolete as soon as transatlantic flight became commercially viable. Pick up trucks continue to be extremely useful. As long as you don't care about bells and whistles, the old ones are as practical as their newer counterparts. I never owned one before 2014 and now I can't imagine how I did without one all those years.
Erich

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

ebrunner wrote:

Surprised that the owner was peeved about you taking a photo. As for the connection to the ship....Ocean Liners became hopelessly obsolete as soon as transatlantic flight became commercially viable. Pick up trucks continue to be extremely useful. As long as you don't care about bells and whistles, the old ones are as practical as their newer counterparts. I never owned one before 2014 and now I can't imagine how I did without one all those years.
Erich

Me too.

Hopelessly obsolete? Only as high speed transportation to and from the Continent. Cruising for pleasure is highly popular and profitable. The Queen Mary II still makes high speed transatlantic scheduled runs. Cruise Lines provide cruises from 3 days to 6+ month tours.

Cunard Lines understood that there would always be a need and a market for Luxury transatlantic service. US Lines never figured that out. The result was the Queen Mary and the Queen Mary II continued on their run and continued to be profitable. US Lines allowed The SS United States to become obsolete. The only difference between the SS United States and my truck is that the truck owners refused to accept obsolesce.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

edrobinsonjr wrote:

I took this in October of 2017 in one Boise's parks. Every time I come to it I want to do something to it but always end up leaving it alone.

Everything in the image strikes me as old and discarded. The boot has served well but where is it's mate? The old tree trunk and root seems to be commiserating with the boot. Sad.

I have tried cropping several ways but everything seems to belong.

Ed

I like the pov, especially that the root runs from foreground to the tree. It's an engaging shot which does raise stimulating questions.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Curmudgeon wrote:

I decided to post this in counterpoint to the USS ... (show quote)

I prefer the rear view you included in your Photo Gallery topic. For me, that one better shows the value of the truck as a working person's tool.

In both pics, the juxtaposition against well kept newer homes is striking.

srt101fan

ebrunner wrote:

The Master in You is an evolution of the monthly Master's Critique. Here we will give you a "topic" each month with some themes to consider. Shoot some images with the topic in mind and then post them in this thread and tell us about them. Where did you shoot the image? What are your concerns and challenges with the image? How much, if any, consideration did you give to gear to get the image you wanted? You might also wish to address the themes that are mentioned along with the topic.

General guidelines: This is an open thread where you are encouraged to post your original works and discuss them. Please post only your own work. Do not post edits of another member's work unless you have asked that member for permission to edit. Remember that some people do not want their work edited by anyone. Please respect that. The topics will be active for one month at a time. You will have the entire month to ponder and work on the subject. Feel free to post at any time during the month. You can post more than one image. If you shoot more than one image on any given topic, you may make several submissions. That way we might be able to stimulate some conversations that act as inspiration or, at least, incentive for others to go out and try the topic themselves.

The original purpose of FYC was to be a "cafe" atmosphere where people gather to discuss topics pertaining to photography. It is hoped that this thread will encourage members to get out and shoot images that pertain to the topic and then enter into a discussion about your posts and the posts of others. This monthly topic is not about : "That is really nice" or "two thumbs up". While these are certainly legitimate responses, the aim of this topical thread is to throw a wider net. It is hoped that we will discuss what works and what does not work so well. If someone's work does not appeal to you, feel free to say so in a way that acknowledges that we all have different ideas about what appeals to us.

The Moderators

Topic Of The Month , August 2021: "Less Than Pristine "

Theme 1 How do you approach this topic Mechanical decay, industrial, urban decay, or rural buildings falling apart? What do you look for?

Theme 2 Processing: When do you say "too much"? Do you visualize post processing, or let it come to you?

For some time now, I've wanted to shoot the SS United States. This is the fastest Ocean Liner to cross the Atlantic. Her last voyage was in 1969, and she is presently docked in Philadelphia while a conservancy group is trying to invent a future for this once proud ship. The dock area is closed to the public. So, I had to photograph her from the street on the far side of a chain link fence. I wanted the photo to remind the viewer of a bygone era in travel, so I tried to make it look like an old photograph. I should have shot in film; but I did not on this occasion. (Maybe in the future). I did use "film" presets in NIK. I also cloned out the lines that keep the ship from floating away from the dock.

I thought this might be a good example of: "Less Than Pristine". Of course we are interested in discussing this photo; but we also want to see your examples of "Less Than Pristine". From your archives or shot recently, the choice is yours. This topic will remain active for the month of August.

Moderators,

The Master in You is an evolution of the monthly M... (show quote)

Erich, as a ship lover, I thank you for posting this photo. I saw the ship in New York in the late 50s but have not seen her in Philadelphia. A very nice shot of a wonderful ship. She certainly occupies a prime spot in the history of the great North Atlantic liners. Just curious, did you have any emotional reaction seeing her in her current condition?

I love the image. But I do wonder about the sky. The colors fit the theme, but is it a bit too much? Don't know. I also wonder about the possibilities in a b & w version. Have you considered that?

Nice work, and thanks again for posting a great photo with a great subject.....

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

This is a somewhat different interpretation of less than pristine, as the topic is botanical, not mechanical. I hope it is still germane to the monthly topic.

I do a lot of shots of what I call wabi-sabi, seeking to portray the beauty in imperfection, almost always with plants and their flowers.

While I sometimes anticipate what I'll do in post, it is mostly a feel your way kind of thing for me. I think I just know when it's too much, but I rather suspect that just enough for me may be way too much for you! :-) I generally don't care too much about reproducing "reality," as I'm often not sure what that is.

Tulip #12, 2021-05-28-A5-C3-Rim-x35-17-55-17-(A,Radius16,Smoothing2)-copy by Sam Yaffe, on Flickr

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

cbtsam wrote:

This is a somewhat different interpretation of less than pristine, as the topic is botanical, not mechanical. I hope it is still germane to the monthly topic.

I do a lot of shots of what I call wabi-sabi, seeking the beauty in imperfection, almost always with plants and their flowers.

Sam, I find this to be a stunning, highly engaging photo. Dead or dying flowers and plants make compelling subjects IMO.

(you sure figured out the flickr link stuff fast

)