color -- then and now 'Oasis Motel'

Irony abounds in my view in this capture from Las Vegas of the 'Oasis

Motel'. Your comments and critiques are invited and most welcome.

If you rate harshly or very critically, please submit a helpful and

constructive comment; please share your superior photographic

knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

If you would like a constructive critique please tell me, am I looking at a color image, photo journalism or both?

Regards

Len...

This is photojournalism and documentary (both) presented in color. Of course, it also is a lot of other things as well.

I'm interested in your take on it, from any (or all) viewpoints.

I'm pleased with this photo; I've been waiting far too long to post it, and it doesn't show well 'converted' to black and white, for reasons having to do with contrast of the lettering and the shininess of the late afternoon sun which obscure the viewer's ability to 'read' part of the names, messages, advertising on the Oasis Motel, which is at the heart of this photo.

Your viewpoint is very welcome, even if critical.

John (Crosley)

Well I do Like it as a PJ shot. It's good but not powerful enough to hold my eye for very long. I think I need to see the persons face.. I hope this helps..

Len...

This is a study in irony.

It is presented in a photojournalism/documentary manner, and in color at that.

But it truly is a study in irony.

But you can evaluate it however you wish.

I have my own views, and critiques often immeasurably add to my own understanding of my own captures. People see things I don't see, or have viewpoints that I come to accept, which I am myopic about.

Let me have it (but not personally, please).

John (Crosley)

Not only is this a study in irony, but it's also a study in anomie.

As such, the person's face (which is very black and lacking in detail and had no helpful expression), is not important to this photo (as presented).

There are others from the same series in which is face is more important; I just didn't choose to submit those, as they are not as good in my opinion (but truly more personal).

I appreciate your evaluation. It will help me the next time I take a photo of this nature, you can bet on it. At least, I will ask the question of myself 'should I show the face/facial expression, or not?' then.

John (Crosley)

This is a superb photo. The urban lifes are very much written here and we live many times, day by day with situations like this...! I would prefer to see this photo in b&w taking all from that light over the Oasis and giving some contrast. Colour or B&w depends pretty much in the mood and emotion we want to writte with the light and as a friend says..b&w is the soul.

regards!

I tried desaturating and using channel mixer to vary the color channels, and could not come up with a decent black and white exposure that shows the writing on the wall clearly - that was the bugaboo.

I agree that ordinarily it would be a B&W photo, but this time it's color, for that reason only.

It is good as a color photo, and if one could read the writing, left, on the building, it would be superb as a B&W, but I can't make it so, yet.

If I can manipulate it again or change it in some way more successfully for a B&W capture, I will do so.

I may attempt again, but I did spend some time with it, using varying methods(simple desaturation, variations, channel mixer, etc.) and came acropper.

The problem was the writing on the building, left, took on an unnatural shininess.

That's all, but it appeared 'wrong' to me.

I have it B&W in my folder, and may give it a try. Who knows?

I'd love it to be a B&W capture.

Best regards,

John (Crosley)

dont manipulate it or you will destroy something that it is superb and sure it is a great photo in colour and colour can have so much soul as b&w.

best regards and keep your great work!

just a small work with an downloaded from PN image. Hope you dont mind it!

my best regards!

Alfredo,

Thanks for the encouragement.

Just look at your own upload and look at the word 'Rooms' and how it barely shows in the B&W conversion and you see the problem.

If I could convert it and show the letters on the motel wall clearly, as well as show the man clearly, I would have desaturated it, but my own efforts failed.

I welcome anyone who can show me how, as the subject invites a B&W treatment.

Any takers?

If you use channel mixer, please save your settings, so I can replicate them, or if you use some other method, please lead me through the steps.

Thanks, Alfredo,

John (Crosley)

.

after that adjusted tones a bit (highlights/midtones/shadows) and sharpened horizontally to enhance the brick wall lines on the R of the (blue) Rooms. Final touch was converting to 24bit RGB again and giving a little bit of 2% un-gray "flavour" from the colour balance menu...

method B (not shown here)

A better contrast is achieved when separating the RGB channels and selecting the Red, converting to 16 bit grayscale and then to 8 bit, adjusting tones and again sharpening horizontally. The problem here is the interwined jpeg artifacts that create distortions around the letters.

That is a great big effort and a worthy one, and in the end, it does result in an acceptable B&W version.

I never would have thought of convertig it to 48-bit, then reconverting it, etc., so my hat's off to you.

What is interesting is that this is presented so well in color, yet color does detract, and at the same time it is readable in color on the wall of the motel, and at the same time in B&W it takes so much trouble to make an acceptable print/version to emphasize the print, which is the heart of the photo's contrasts.

Without the words: 'rooms' and their price (Mon.-Thurs. only) and 'wedding chapel', etc., the photo becomes devoid of impact -- it loses its contrast and grittiness -- it's subtle irony, because even this gritty-looking motel has false promises for this crippled guy.

A most worthy effort, for which, Billy, I thank you very much.

I've learned something; you are an able teacher.

John (Crosley)

Thank you BILLY for showing him how to do this.

So... John are you going to go photo shopping how? I know you will hate it when I say this but if you DO photo shop this one I really would like this one cropped at the edge of the building on the right, I moved the window screen over and it really changed the B&W version completely and made the whole picture change. The focus for me changed and the picture was much more appealing to me. But then again until I saw the B&W version I didn't really like it for some reason. WILD!

Now you know I could have done that for you and also put bunny's hopping behind him while making a sunset in the background for fun.

Just kidding, or was I. ~ micki

We'll see!

Billy did an excellent job, but I don't know if I like the side of the building shiney.

That was one of my objections, but it's verisimilitude, isn't it?

There was a late afternoon sunset behind me, as you can see, that's why the reflections (no bunnies, please!!!!).

John

Did I read you right?

You movod the window screen over?

You're an artist, turned into a photographer.

Artists can do that sort of thing.

Photojournalist/documentary/street photographers can't.

That's where we part company.

(not friendship/just philosophical company and then only if I read you right.)

Picasso could move anything he wanted anywhere he wanted and frequently did, and so do digital manipulators, but not me.

I leave 'em where I got 'em, and sometimes they're plenty absurd that way, don't you think.

So, I'll just leave this one as is; possibly to desaturate another day.

;~))

John (Crosley)

The Oasis Motel is still there.

One cannot know about the Jacuzzi Fantasy Room or the Wedding Chapel and 'Rooms from $29' unless one inquires, and I didn't.

I just happened to drive by last week, and found the entire wall (above) covered by some black substance -- obliterated.  Perhaps it was a code violation and the city fathers saw this photo or had it called to their attention?

Sad to say, it takes some of the 'character' (or lack thereof) out of Vegas, city of lost wages.

john

John (Crosley)