MEETING IN THE FIELDS

This is a great shot! I love the old trucks.

Thank you very much.

Colors and smooth light...I like that the old trucks seem to look at the horizon...like a couple enjoying themselves in a nice surrounding....

It's a David Meyer's landscape, you have a lot of ocasion take good photos in America. Giovanni

That's why they call it "Big Sky Country." The sky and land seem to go on forever.

Yes, there are a lot of things to photograph for sure. But I don't suppose your land is pretty gracious when it comes to photo ops.

Hi David. I love the subjects and the juxtaposition. The colors are rich and the warm grasses work well with the rusty trucks. I hope you don't mind me offering a reworked version. I try to keep it subtle, but working quickly with a low res jpeg, its harder to acheive the actual effect I am trying to convey. As I look at this beautiful image, I feel that the light on the subjects was a little flat, almost like shade. I like to introduce some light across the subjects with selective dodge and burn. My method is to use multiply and screen blend layer masks, as I feel the tools that photoshop provides are less effective. I also sharpened for content and sharpened again with different settings to provide midtone contrast. It may look a little too dreamy as I worked quickly, but I feel it gained a little pop and forces the eyes to travel acroos the frame, following the path of light to the brighter subjects. If you don't agree, I will happily remove this. Thanks for posting this image for critique!

Those trucks seem to belong there...they don't get older..they get better...Great image...Ciaou..Marjorie

I'm really angry at you! Just kidding. I like your version much better than my own. I am angry that I don't know how to do what you did. If I understood you correctly you used something that is not available in PS??? The dodge and burn tools in my PS I have never had much luck in using. I'm aware that that is more likely my fault than a failing of such a wonderful program. I'm honored that you would take the trouble to improve the image. Now I just have to figure out how to do it. One small note. I think I might have made a very minor levels shift to darken ever so slightly. Thank you so much for your suggestions.

I'm not so sure an environmentalist would feel that those trucks belong there, but I can't disagree with you much on that. I guess after awhile we just kind of accept that sort of thing. Left alone for another thousand years, and they will probably have decomposed almost completely. Remember, they don't have any plastic in them.

Nice shot David. Did you notice that there are parts of an old Model-T on the very back of that flatbed truck?

Well I'll admit that I didn't know what those pieces fit, but I did notice them and even took an image of them that did not strike me as particularly worthy. It is interesting to think of the different approach I know you would have taken to the same scene.

It is impossible to really know what I would have done here, but I do know that I would have gotten some close ups of the Model-T fender and headlight. The Ford Model-T is one of my favorite cars to see and photograph. However, I do know that I would have had fun photographing here for about 30 to 60 minutes.

All I want to know is if you would have brought a flashlight so we could explore the second and third floors of the old school building overlooking these wrecks, and if you would have gone inside with me.

David, I actually do most of my editing with Photoshop. What I meant to say is that I don't use their dodge and burn, instead I choose an adjustment layer such as levels, I make no adjustment, just click OK. Then I change the blend mode of the adjustment layer to multiply. This will darken the scene quite a bit. Simply reduce the opacity to taste, click edit/fill and use black. This will bring the scene back to its original appearance. Then just use a soft white brush set at about 50% opacity. Adjust the opacity of the brush to provide more control, possibly down to 10%. Paint the areas you want to darken. To create the dodge layer, repeat these steps, but instead of setting the blend mode to multiply, use screen. This will lighten the scene. Make sure you have clicked the layer mask (to the right) and not the adjustment layer (to the left) when painting. For the dodge layer mask, I use the contrast adjustment layer. As I lighten the scene in places, it will begin to look flat. I simply double click the adjustment layer (not the layer mask) and I can adjust the contrast to bring some pop back to the lighter areas. Well this is long winded and I am monopolizing this thread. If you have questions, e-mail me.

I imagine the poor dinosaurs, stuck in the muck, leaving their bones, heads looking out at the horizon as the melt into the elements. A nice time-travel piece.

this is almost a pretty picture. Amazing the trucks still stand there, eh? Today's cars probably wouldn't last that long. Look at the sheet-metal of the trucks - rusty, but not holy. Hey,

slap on your Rav4's wheels and off you go. Cheers, Micheal

No one can find and portray junk as beautifully as you and Shawn. Your journeys off the beaten path are always enjoyable and show us an America that the media doesn't even know exists.

I see you've been to Vanada, probably after you visited Ingomar?! Did you go in the old school? I've peeked in the door but was hesitant to go any further....someday. I still get a lump in my throat and a big smile on my face whenever I think of you and Peggy surprising me at the artist reception. School goes well, I love this area, and I'll post again someday.

Very good composition ,exposure and colours,David.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I've fallen so hopelessly behind that I cannot answer each and every one. Special thanks to Mark for the education, and I will have to attempt what you described. Also wonderful to see Ms. Stone back.