Tag: patina

Cawker, Kansas Tractor

Kansas Tractor #3
Kansas Tractor #3

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Here’s another image from Cawker, Kansas. I chose this one because I like the composition with the wheel coming forward in the frame as if it is on the verge of entering the viewer’s space. I had a polarizer on my Nikkor 12-24 mm lens which really cut down on the glare and saturated the colors before any processing was done. The sun was almost directly overhead but by using Topaz Adjust with the Spicify preset I was able to bring out the texture and patina on this tractor.

One thing I currently strive for is to keep from overdoing the texture in these types of images. I like bold color but I try to avoid getting too much texture when applying the various filters to my Topaz work. I wasn’t always so restrained and when I go back to some of my earliest examples I wonder how I could have been so heavy handed with the software back then. I also credit Topaz Labs for refining their entire line of software and giving us the tools to take greater control of the various filters in it. As with many skills in photography the more one uses a given technique, or tool, the better one gets with it and they evolve into becoming a better photographer.

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Memo From the Department of Shameless Self Promotion

I am still accepting participants for my next HDR Workshop on May 17-18, 2013 here in Louisville. The last session was a great success; the participants all felt that it was time well spent and were applying the things they learned the next day. Here’s a link to the sign up page at Outdoor Photo Gear.

http://outdoorphotogear.ticketleap.com/using-hdr-photography/

More Playing with Topaz Adjust

He Retired in Kansas
Retired Kansas Farm Truck

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

Here’s another image from Cawker, Kansas. I had a polarizer on my Nikkor 12-24 mm lens which really cut down on the glare and saturated the colors before any processing was done. Once again the sun was almost directly overhead but by using Topaz Adjust with the Spicify preset I was able to bring out the texture and patina on this old Ford farm truck. Spicify really enhanced the crazed windshield glass as well as the reflections inside the headlights.

The current version of Topaz Adjust has the ability to create layers of effects and control the amount and transparency they apply. Not only that, they have added a robust Vignette and Borders feature that didn’t exist in earlier version. I can also apply sharpening within the Topaz application which allows me to finish the image inside Topaz and eliminate the added step of returning to Aperture 3 for final sharpening.

STOP!

STOP!

I found this car at a local car show. I have never seen a top that was chopped and then laced back together but the rat rod crowd does some interesting fabrication. I liked the way the rusted patina of the car contrasted with the slick finish of the yellow car reflected in the stop light. I thought the inclusion of the bullet holes in the rear deck lid helped add interest to the right hand side of the image.

I framed it in as a classic rule of thirds placing the red light at the intersection of the lower third section and the left third section. I processed this image using the NIK HDR Efex Pro plug-in and finished it in Aperture 3.

Using Texture as the Main Subject

Today I’d like to show some shots that rely on texture for their impact. I really like the way this first image came out after processing it in Topaz Adjust using the Spicify preset. The peeling paint and pitted chrome really jump out and the DeSoto badge adds a nice hit of color to balance with the rusted grill bars. I look at images such as this as studies in using texture as the focus of the image.

Here is another texture shot from the same DeSoto. I really like the way the crazed paint conveys a feeling of age and shows it’s inherent beauty. For me this image has an almost topographical feel as if we are looking at a surreal landscape. Topaz Adjust does a great job here of intensifying the colors and showing the texture in the subject.

This detail shot of the door on an old truck shows how isolating a section of one of these old cars can create an interesting image. I usually try to spend some time exploring the surface of these cars and searching for interesting compositions that isolate the texture and patina of time.

This last image is one of my favorite shots of a Buick I located in northern Alabama a few years back. I was drawn to the contrast of the chrome against the pitted and rusted surface of the metal. The many colors that were present in the paint and rust were brought out by processing this shot in Topaz Adjust using the Spicify preset. When I use these presets they are simply starting points for me and I usually spend a great deal of time playing with the various sliders to find the right combination for a given image.