Under Lock & Key
You ever have one of those shots where you are not sure where to begin the “style post processing part”? For me this is one of those images.
I found myself going round and round on what to do with it. At first I was convinced black and white would be the way to go. None of those seem to feel right. The boarded up plywood just refused to be in monochrome. So I hit the reset button more times than I can count.
After several iterations I settled in on the current incarnation. I’m still torn on who the star of this photo is, the crazy paint peel or the contrast of the plywood against the brick.
Perhaps the stage is big enough for both…
I think you made a good decision with this one Chris. I like the contrast.
This is great Chris…well done. I love this window, although I am bummed at that grey spray they put on this wall to seal and protect it. Looked so much cooler before with the real brick colors.
Still, that monotone and peeling paint is kind of cool!
Love the tones of the wood. I’m glad that you went this way instead of full B&W. Very cool.
Thanx guys for the comments. Mike I would of loved to have seen the red bricks. I’m sure the grey paint doesn’t do it justice. At least it does offer some texture.
As much as the red brick would have been nice, the gray really draws you into the window, which I think is a good thing. Just a thought, but this might work a little better with a head on composition to accentuate the shape and style of the window.
Jesse thank you for the comments. I’ll have to revisit it some time and try a head on shot. I tend to shoot things at angles mainly to highlight depth. In this shot the window was recessed from the wall so I wanted to show that for depth purposes. Even my “No Parking” shot on the earlier post was at an angle to show the wall edge. Nonetheless thank you again for the comments. It will give me an excuse to head back to downtown Phoenix. 😉
I Like the designs in the wood, I’m one for picking out shapes in patterns so to me I can see a couple of ghostly looking faces in the design that appear to be looking out the window. Spooky…but great!
Yes Gena, to the right and above the lock it does look like a pair of eyes are watching. Creepy!
I think the stage is definitely fit for both! Nice job with the texture!
Ahh yes sir. I worked on “one of those” shots last night. The kind you stare blankly at for minutes on end. Sigh…
I like the texture on the painted bricks. It’s a shame when people paint over bricks in most cases, but in this case I think it gave you a powerful focal point. Nice work!
Glad someone can relate. 🙂
You made the right decision, I don’t think it will look good in BW. I love the tones and the textures. Great work.
Great choice it looks great.
This feels right. It’s a really eye-catching image, that’s for sure.