OLD SCHOOLHOUSE

You have done most impressive precision work in finding the proper camera position here! I'm delighted to see the two vertical rods of the carousel overlapping the corners of the building, one of the red arms running along the bottom line of the roof, and then the height of the red pole vs the height of the roof!

 

Do you manage this level of precision freehand or do you use tripod? I feel myself quite shaky and often have to take several shot to get a keeper, if too lazy to set up tripod, that is.

 

I also recognize your customary color palette. About time to ask how much of it is by Nikon and how much by you, sir?

A perfect image! And I love that someone has mowed the grass but didn't try to get the area around the pole. Furthermore, did you notice the absence of wires in the sky? I'll bet this place does not have cable TV...

Thank you. As you may have noticed, I just finished up an 8 week odyssey around a good part of the U.S. Two of the primary reasons for the trip was fun and photography. Experience has taught me over and over to use a tripod, but I'll admit to being lazy, especially since I switched to digital. So, I had gone several days (actually more like a week) when I realized I was not using my tripod hardly at all. Knowing that I was on a trip of a lifetime, and would not likely be back to any of these places again, I kicked myself in the butt and used it much more consistently. That does not mean that there weren't many times when I would just jump our of the car and shoot, but anything really promising I tried to tripod. This old schoolhouse was tripoded.

 

I will tell you this. I am what I call an intuitive photographer. I don't take much time in thinking and setting up a shot. It either hits me between the eyes or it doesn't. I've always had a fairly good eye for composition, so I will not sit and meditate on something. Sometimes that is a blessing and other times it's a curse.

 

As for color, I have noticed a pronounced tendency on my part lately to juice up and over process images. I'm trying to cure myself. Maybe there is a Photoshopaholics 12 step program for me. In this image, I kept it very simple. It is not cropped, and I have increased saturation, just to what I think it really looked like at the time. The sky is the only part that is truly fake. The polarizer filter was in place, and its effects are obvious.

 

Thanks for your comments, and look forward to seeing more of your posts.

No wires, no plumbing, and a wood burning stove. Maybe this is the school of the future! As to why it was mowed and who would have done it, I don't know. I went inside (yep, trespassing again), and it was clear it was not in use of late.

I like this photo. IMV8O it's the merry-go-round that makes the image. Though the school house is nice, the photo would be too static without the broken m-g-r. And the neatly cut grass vividly contrasts the rest, almost making one scratch his head. Looks like it was high noon when you took the shot, and yet it's all well exposed (by that I mean that sometimes shots of light-coloured things in the harsh noon light can get out of hand easily). Cheers, Micheal

You are right on about the mgr making the image. Without it, it's pretty well nothing. And, yes, the sun was way overhead, and some nice shadows would have been sweet, but not to be. So I'm happy with what I got.

No plumbing, and a wood burning stove for heat. This abandoned two

room school is a real throwback. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after

all. Comments and ratings appreciated.

This is a like a page out of history. I think you did a great job in capturing this old schoolhouse's spirit. Wonderful image.

 

deb

Thank you very much for looking and commenting.

Oh Dear, now I have to speaketh my mind, your colors seem off to me, but I can't decide if it's over processed or under?! But I do like the composition, the old merry go round in juxaposition to the school and the tattered curtain in the window tell a story of years gone by and I can almost hear the laughter and squeals as children go round and round, what a flight of fantasy.

Thanks for expressing your reservations about the image. I'm not sure how to address them. This is one of the least processed images I have posted lately. Perhaps the sky is what is troubling you. It is a little on the phony too blue scale. The polarizer tends to do that, but, of course, it could be adjusted in PS. You didn't give me much to go on. Do not fear hurting my feelings.

love to be here earlier or later in the day, when the light could provide more help in evoking.....

On my monitor the greens are too "limey", does that help?!

That's it! Now you are going to be bunking with Doug in hell. Just kidding. I need to check that out and calibrate my monitor, because I can't see it. But I'm kind of colorblind according to my wife. Thanks for your help.

I did not spend much time with this so the work is sub-standard, but I think this is what Susan is commenting about. The greens seem to be more pastel in your image. Susan, how did I do?

Thanks. I do like yours better, but I think it is kind of ironic that a major part of what you did (I think) was up the saturations especially in some colors. I felt like I had gotten into the trap of overdoing that in my images, and made a conscious effort to keep this one toned down. Guess I still didn't get it right. Well, we all miss the mark now and again. The basic image is still to my liking and I will see if I cannot change it to a more appropriate palette.

I think I'm getting in over my head......yes Shawn I like the greens better but now, and you're not going to believe this, the red on the merry go round is too RED, makes it look shiney new. Thanks for humoring me though fella's.

I think it's the harsh light that makes the green looks that "limey". I do kinda agree that the polarized sky doesn't match the bright green - it's not what we would naturally expect (IMHO). Shawn's image is too saturated, too "thick", and looks un-natural. To put my five cents in, I adjusted the image slightly by adding more yellow and bringing down the brightness at the top end by using curves. What do ya folks think? Cheers, Micheal

 

Looks a lot like mine to me. I'll go for it. Thanks

I still like your original best. What is most attractive about that version is the delicacy of the colors against the darker blue sky. Shawn's version loses that delicacy of color while Michael's is just a little too yellow for my taste.

Well, Susan, see what you started? Thank you Jack and everyone for your interest. It just goes to show our individuality and I'm glad we do have these differences.

David, what did you expect from showing a merry-go-round? Here we go round in circles...

Past experience would indicate this will not transpire, but I shall try to learn from my mistakes and stay away from merry-go-rounds in the future.