Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

[Autumn]

Tom's "Office" thread reminded me of this photo I took in Cuba.

It probably might look better as a mono. What do you think?

You can see the steam from the train.

[Jim]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Hi Audrey. There's that old rusty iron again!
I think that this sort of image can get out of hand if you try to make it to "real"; try to make it look like a newspaper image. There's a lot going on there, but none of it is worth "reporting", if you see what I mean.
Why not try to turn it into something abstract? It really has the basis for that.
I hope you don't mind, (and if this isn't your sort of thing please say, I shalln't be offended), but I just went some of the way to try to explain what I mean.


That was just a couple of adjustments in curves, but there are all sorts of things you could do.
What do you think?
JIm

[Tom]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

The more "real" the better as far as I'm concerned. Audrey; I would not have passed this either. It's not just about the rust. It's also about the place and its story, its people, its past, its present condition and what's left for the imagination to explore. You have caught all this very well. Often there's more beauty in the dereliction of a building than what was there when it was intact. That big blast of dust/smoke, where ever it came from, gives it a great added interest. Perhaps a little oversaturated for me though.
What a contrast in weather conditions from The Office; a dreadfully cold damp and miserable day at Docklands.
Sorry Jim but I dont like your adjusted version at all. I feel you have transformed something that was a photograph into something that is now just a victim of one of those very dangerous software packages. Just my honest opinion.

[Archangel]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Audrey,

These type of photos of wrecks mostly look nice both ways in my opinion.
Though they are most favorable to B/W with intense contrast.
Apart from what is each person's liking, the key to these photos is detail. So as long as detail and texturing is preserved to bring out the oldness and aging, they can look great in both color and B/W.

If I personally had to pick a version I would slightly lean more towards the B/W for this type of photo.

George

[Autumn]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Thanks to all for your input.

It is good to see what others might do. I have to agree with Tom though Jim, your adjustment is a bit too intense for me.

I also agree with Tom about the saturation. I think I have overdone it.

And George, I had already done a mono before your post.

So, I am attaching, the totally unadjusted image straight from the camera, together with a mono.

I am very poor at converting to mono and I can see that there is not sufficient contrast, but when I make the darks darker, I lose detail.

When I looked at the histogram the exposure was pretty even and IF I had altered the levels it only needed about 1.5 mm along the slider to make it darker, so I didn't bother.

Now, if anyone would like to show me how to make the mono better. I would appreciate it.

On the other hand, the image is probably not worth wasting time on anyway.

[Jim]

[Jim]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

That looks better in mono than I thought it would.
If it were even a little flatter, just a bit less contrast, it would be very '30s, don't you think? I have some year books from that period and you mono definitely has that feel. I'm trying to find some pics I have of derelict factories, but they'll be prints or slides and in a box somewhere
Of course, as they aren't digital I wouldn't have manipulated anything yet, but I should get on with scanning my work anyway. Then I can practise with different treatments and see what I like.
I guess we have to remember that beauty is *only* in the eye of the beholder. Is there any such thing as a truly *bad* photo? Now there's a subject for thought!
Jim

[coupekid]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Hi Audrey,

I really like it as you have done it. I am not keen on the mono version, simply because you lose those lovely rust colours.

I hear what some of the others have said, but in my opinion, you have nailed it just right here!

[Stephen]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Hi Audrey,

I really like it as you have done it. I am not keen on the mono version, simply because you lose those lovely rust colours.

I hear what some of the others have said, but in my opinion, you have nailed it just right here!

I'd pretty much agree Ben, though to be honest I'm not a great fan of the picture at all and I'd definately say its not Audreys usual style of image. IMO people shots are what you do very well Audrey

[Autumn]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

I'd pretty much agree Ben, though to be honest I'm not a great fan of the picture at all and I'd definately say its not Audreys usual style of image. IMO people shots are what you do very well Audrey

Thanks Stephen. I like doing people shots, but they are snaps rather than "Photographs," because the correct exposure is usually by accident as I am usually not very calm when an opportunity presents itself.

I agree that it is not my normal type of shot, but I had been sitting on the Old Stream Train (previously posted) for an hour facing this metal structure, waiting for two more coaches, so I just took the pic. When I saw Tom's the other day, it reminded me of it.

[Tom]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Hello Jim and thanks so much for this reply. To be honest I do actually agree with what you say above. I was never in any doubt about your sincerity in the way you manipulated Autumn's image but I just felt that the image, in it's present state, provided all the chaos, drama and confusion perfectly. I hope I did not come accross as disrespectful to you as on re-reading my comment I think I should have explained my self a bit better. Perhaps I was a bit flippant though. I totally appreciated where you were coming from but I just could not get around to liking it.

The likes of Photoshop supplies us with so many tools and tricks nowadays (too many as far as I'm concerned) and, when I first used digital, I used to feel obliged to use them simply because they were there and available to me. More often than not I asked myself what have I done to that photograph and I would end up not saving the new results. Today I tend to use it as sparingly as possible but an odd time I may go beyond the levels, curves and usm.
I used my own darkroom for about two years many moons ago and achieved some reasonable results through total trial and error (terror?) so today I do appreciate the position of PS as a wonderful replacement for the enlarger, chemicals and the little tools we made up.
Anyway another glass of red and I'm hitting the sack. Looking forward to sharing more discussions with you Jim.
Tom

[Jim]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

Thanks for that, Tom.
Red? Yesterday? After a whole day gardening I could only manage a bottle and a half of *really* chilled rose
I'm going back out to earn the other half right now. Who knows, we may have rain for the rest of the summer so She has decided that that's what I'm doing this weekend!
Jim

[Tinka]

Re: Old Sugar Cane Factory (adjacent to Old Sugar train station)

[QUOTE=Autumn;13872]Thanks to all for your input.

It is good to see what others might do. I have to agree with Tom though Jim, your adjustment is a bit too intense for me.

Hi Autumn,
The original color one is superior IMHO however, converting to mono gives you other options, again IMHO if you wish to convert to mono I feel it should be "Very high Contrast" to produce a "black and white" graphic image as opposed to greyscale. Failing that a very grainy gritty image may look good. But I prefer the original, perhaps with a few very minor tweeks of the curves and levels to add a little punch.