Le Truck

Whilst travelling through the South of France a couple of weeks ago, we

passed a small farm on the edge of a village and I spotted this delightful

old Citroen that had been seemingly abandoned on the corner of a plot

of land. I shouted for my sister (who was driving) to STOP! but it was

too late, we were already passed it and we couldn't turn around in the

narrow streets, but after some persuasion she negoatiated the narrow

streets and found her way back to the farm, Nice one Sis! Your

thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Thank You.

Nice capture Alf, nicely done in B & W - good tonal range. Like the wide-angle perspective, really suits the subject. Well done.

Hi Alf, Nicely done. A splendid B & W image. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

Harsha.

I don't know how to achieve these tones, richness of wonderful B&W tones to be exact!

Best regards Alf!

PDE

Alf,

  Wonderful image with great b/w tones, composition & details.  Take care, Patsy

Viewing this image in larger mode led to an explosion of details.  Every nook, cranny, line, dent, etc., in this fine old vehicle's finish becomes crystal clear.  I too am quite impressed by the tonality.

My best,

michael

I am always intrigued by these lovely old vehicles abandoned on the side of the road or in a hedge. Excellent mono conversion bringing out loads of lovely detail.

Regards.....John

Well worth the extra effort to turn around.

This would have been an excellent subject regardless but the way you chose process it works very well.

Very well spotted Alf and well worth the de-tour for the shot.

Great work in post too.

Best regards

Gareth.

This old road warrior is Mobil(e) no more but still retains a stout dignity.  Marvelous detail, tones and composition... Mike

Superb composition, clarity and important to me, wide tonal range. I don't do many black and white images but a few people at photo.net told me that they prefer darker skies when an image is converted to B&W. I like this 'as is'.

PS for a completely different and 2nd shot, I like those blades of grass around the front wheel and I might have got up close for that.

These old vehicles left in th elandscape become on ewith the landscape like an aging rock formation, well depicted and great tones.

Nice to see you had a vacation Alf. I would love to find an Old Truck like this. But if it means I have to go to the South of France to do it, I think the hubby should oblige!!!! Last time was 38 years ago....best to go while I can still 'walk'...;-) great capture and editing Alf!

Alf,

Hi Alf

Another superb image from you..... and well done indeed Sis!....... I love the B & W, the composition is just right and the subject is pure delight..... The story behind this image and the title are, as always with your images, a pleasure to read....... it seems there is no end to your photographic talents...which, I for one am delighted about....... keep them visual beauties coming .... well done Alf!!

Kind regards

Jacqueline

TONY

Many Thanks for your interest and thoughtful comments. I used the 24 -70mm lens at 24mm for this shot, I usually carry a wider lens (14 -24mm) but with travelling I tried to cut down on the weight, but I think if I'd had the 14 -24mm with me I'd have used it. As you say, the subject does suit the wide angle view.

Best Regards

Alf

HARSHA

Thank you for your thoughts and kind comments, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

PIERRE

I wasn't very good when first attempting B & W, but since I've been using channels in CS3 or sometimes in Lightroom 4, it has made a great deal of difference. The trick seems to be in ignoring largely the colour channels in terms of colour and adjusting the sliders to maximise tone and contrast. Although I must say I don't profess to be an expert and theres always room for improvement.

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

PATSY

Thank You so much! I wasn't sure how the sharpness of detail would turn out, the tripod I used was a frail wobbly affair that I use when travelling, but it seems I managed to get it to stay still long enough for the five exposures.

Best Regards

Alf

MICHAEL

I think the combination of the 5 exposure High Dynamic Range and the B & W channel mixing in CS5 had the desired effect in delivering the detail.  I was amazed that this vehicle was in such a solid state, despite all the knocks and bangs and surface rust, there wasn't a rotten part anywhere to be seen.  Thank you for taking a look and leaving your comments Michael, very much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

JOHN

They seem to be getting to be a very rare find these days. At one time yo used to be able to go to a breakers yard and see the vehicles stacked up and abandoned in disarray, but these days they are stripped and recycled before you can view them.  Thanks for stopping by John your words are very much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

LYNN

I agree , the truck was just waiting to be photographed, but I think the B & W added to the nostalgia somehow.  Sincere thanks for your interest Lynn.

Best Regards

Alf

GARETH

The narrow French streets were a challenge, and the rental car was twice as large as the one we ordered, but we got there in the end. Thanks for stopping by Gareth, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

MIKE

Ahh you spotted the sign on the door too : - ) But yeah it did look like a very solid lump, and I reckon everything was intact under the bonnet, or "hood" as you may say (I sneaked a look) A future labour of love to restore it for someone maybe, I'd like to think so.  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts Mike, very much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

TONY

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions, much appreciated! I don't think it's always possible to do darker skys, especially when its a bright sunny day as it was here.  In fact the reason I used HDR was because of the bright sunlight and consequently deep shadow. I can appreciate your thoughts relating to getting close up, its something I would have tried with my wide angle (14 - 24mm) but alas I didn't bring it, to try and save on weight and bulk.

Cheers Tony!

Alf

RICHARD

I know what you mean, the blend into the leandscape somehow, becomong a part of it, like old barns and aged fences, nature somehow accepts them.  Many Thanks for your thoughts and comments!

Best Regards

Alf

GAIL

What a good excuse for a vacation though Gail : - ) They do seem to be getting so rare though, at one time I would take old vehicles for granted, in fact the ones I drove were not in much better condition : - ) But times change, and everything gets recycled before it gets old these days. Many thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts Gail, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

PHIL

The same thing struck me, the tyres look perfect and are still inflated, so maybe they do use it to run in and out of the vineyards. I did take a look in the cab, but every bit of glass was smashed in there too. Still who needs a speedometer on a farm : - )  Many Thanks for your thoughts and comments Phil, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

JACQUELINE

My sister did a fine job in negotiating the tiny roads around the village and back to the old truck, and only drove on the pavement three times : -) The old truck was worth it though, you just don't see these sights very much any more, so I feel quite priviledged to get to photograph this one.  I'm glad you enjoyed the story and the imahe Jacqueline and Thank You sincerely for your very generous comments.

Best Regards

Alf

Great looking old truck Alf. I see some shadows on the truck which I'm sure made this a difficult exposure and it looks like it was no problem for you. I'm always looking for abandoned vehicles like this with the weeds growing up around it but the ones I find are usually up against a bright new building or near something else that spoils the shot. Guess I should look harder. This looks great in B&W and I'll bet the color version is just as good.

Fred

This truck has character and the choice of b&w format is so appropriate for this scene. The tones are so similar to pictures of old and the shadows compliment the scene all the more.

Kudos on this one, Alf.

Nicely composed and b x w was a good choice giving it that vintage look.

Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful comments, much appreciated!

I have to admit the deep shadows from the bright sun would have caused a problem, hence my decision to use 5 exposure bracketed shots spaced 1 EV apart to create the HDR. I think I was very fortunate to find this one, the last decent looking vehicle I found was half covered by an old plastic sheet and consequently I didn't bother taking a shot of it,  so I know just how frustrating it can be. You usually find something like this when you are not really looking at all.  Thanks again Fred.

Best Regards

Alf

LESTER

It certainly looks like it's seen a bit of life in its time. I always wonder about the story behind the old vehicle when I see one like this, who the owner / s were and where it has travelled, how many roads and how many loads.........that almost sounded poetic : - )

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

KATHY

I was also thinking maybe a sepia tinted version might also add to that vintage look, somethng else to experiment with maybe.

Many Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

Alf, wonderful rendition in this B/W__magical tonal range & light, fantastic control on exposure & focusing, the great details, textures & elements tell the different story about past...in everyone mind!   Best regards

Nice composition and HDR work. It may be a personal preference, but I would have gone for a tad more contrast on the image. Like I said, it may just be a matter of personal taste.

ordinary scene --- extraordinary photo. compliments -koushik

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words. I guess this is the kind of image that would arouse a sense of nostalgia for many. I wish it was closer to home I'd go back and shoot it again.

Best Regards

Alf

EMMANUEL

Thank you for your thoughtful comments and observations, much appreciated. I can see how more contrast might appeal to some.

Best Regards

Alf

KOUSHIK

Thank you for your visit and kind words, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

I love it!!