The American Interstate -- Its Trucks

These trucks, caught in late afternoon against a dramatic sky from a

cold front coming in, show one giant diesel powering up to pull out of

this lineup of semi-tractor/trailer combinations at a truck stop in

Nevada. Your ratings 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 photographic knowledge. Thanks!

Enjoy! John

This photo is not 'manipulated' under the PN definition in its guidelines, however it is 'post-processed'.

 

 

It is a B&W conversion from a color capture in 'raw' (NEF -- Nikon Electronic Format capture).

 

It was processed in Adobe Raw Converter 4.5, which is pretty sophisticated.

 

On conversion, all 'sharpening' was removed. Essentially it was converted FROM raw with no sharpening at all, as I dislike artifacts left by sharpening when further sharpening is desired and prefer sharpening from JPEGs or .PSD captures or even TIFFs, but not to start with sharpening in RAW at least with Adobe Raw Converter; it just leaves the pixels a mess, especially if the exposure is not 'dead on'

 

Next, I went to the desaturate button on the tab and went to the color channels and boosted the blue channel - none others.

 

Next I went to the main menu with my now B&W photo and changed the contrast, lowered the brightness overall but boosted the 'fill' for the front of the trucks.

 

I adjusted my histogram, then converted to .PSD file. I converted that to a .TIFF for my archives, and made three other versions, all identical -- a 24" a 12" and a web size save, each in its file with like-sized versions of other photos.

 

As to the capture, this truck, center left, was trying to warn me to move my car.

 

He fired up his diesel, accounting for the puffs of diesel exhaust which are almost never visible except when an old diesel is accelerating hard up a hill or to pass. Otherwise you never see such smoke/exhaust. It lasted about 1.5 seconds, and I was lucky enough to press the shutter in time. It was white against a blue background and didn't show well in color, but in black and white, with contrast enhanced, it shows very well. Mark one up for B&W, I think.

 

A wide angle lens, PLUS the fact the left-center truck actually was moving out from the parking, account for that vehicle's appearing closer to the camera and thus more dominant. The wide angle lens also was important for this shot; it was set at 17 mm -- its widest.

 

The sky was provided by nature, who put in command performance that day, though darkening the entire photo (and adding fill for the dark parts) really helped bring it out.

 

That's how this photo was post-processed.

 

No selections under the rules = no manipulation, but it has been 'post-processed -- however little more than a traditional darkroom worker could have done through choice of papers, water temperatures, etc, developing time, etc.

 

That is why this photo may appear so 'dramatic', and if you don't see captures from your camera like this, learn to make simple adjustments, but no more than necessary and desirable.

 

Do not use Photoshop 'just because you can.'

 

That's not a good reason, unless it's for a digital alteration class or project.

 

John (Crosley)

John, it's a great thing what you did in here... It must've took you a whole lot of time to explain everything, but it was well worth in my opinion. Thank you for your effort, I really appreciate it. And, by the way: GREAT IMAGE! :)

When I joined Photo.net, NOBODY explained how they converted more ordinary captures into more stunning ones.

 

I decided for myself to change that.

 

I know this is a learning site, but I learned little from viewing stunning image after stunning image.

 

One guy, a professional auto photographer finally published a photo of his studio, but it was so small that no one could see any detail. He could 'say' that he published a photo, but it was of no use -- he had successfully avoided showing any detail that would give anybody any insight.

 

A pity since really no one who could compete with him would be viewing the photo and anyone who could compete could figure out what he was doing.

 

Similarly with such simple things as Photoshopping. American magazines almost never lead one through the Photoshop steps, but there are one or two British publications that lead one step by step through the Photoshop choices one makes as one tries to better one's capture.

 

And Photoshopping per se is not bad, though I tend to avoid it, and use it only to enhance a photo. Here, the photo as it showed was unusable with the puffs of smoke from the diesel exhaust blended in with the clouds.

 

That's why I stepped on the blue channel (increased 'blue'), increased the contrast (bringing out the pattern in the sky) and lowered the brightness (similarly bringing out the pattern in the clouds. I think I actually reduced the exposure, as you have exposure adjustment latitude in shooting 'raw' which is one of the major and fundamental benefits of shooting 'raw' (NEF).

 

I increased 'fill' light, to adjust the histogram and to increase the light on the front of the trucks, just as though I had set up fill flash. It's sometimes known as 'd lighting' or 'd lighting curve' what I did, but in Adobe Camera Raw (4.5 version) it's just moving a slider and watching your capture and the histogram.

 

See! Easy, wasn't it.

 

If you play with these things a little, you can sense what photos can be improved or changed to acceptable, even, as here, rescuing a capture that couldn't be shown in its 'original' unenhanced version. All the information was there; it just had to be brought into line.

 

If I were to post the original capture (in color), you'd see. It was a good capture, but fell far short of the mark and into the 3/4 category, I think just because it was a ho-hum capture.

 

This is a very strong capture, though you might note I use Photoshop minimally.

 

I remember the words of Michel Karman, who curated 2 terabytes of my captures -- a Lucie Award winning photo printer. 'Some people use Photoshop because they can, not because they should'.

 

Here, I needed to use Photoshop, but no more than minimally, though this clearly is not a Brownie camera image or one from the drugstore photo processing machine, as I've changed it somewhat.

 

I hope it's been for the better.

 

And Vladut, I just start writing such things as you have complimented me on with the hope that it will find a viewer somewhere, who will benefit (and who might tell me so if I'm lucky) It turns out that lots of people read these pages, so I am often not disappointed with many encouraging me to explain and explain (and a few detractors who say 'just post the image and then *say nothing--the image is everything and words detract*) To those people I say 'Just don't read', and you'll be fine.

 

Why throw away a perfectly good or wonderful image if a few easy steps will keep it looking as you hoped?

 

I have shown you how to do it in one context (if you shoot raw, but the lessons also work with JPEGs, too, if you use Photoshop CS2 or CS3).

 

Thanks for the encouragement and the kind word about my image.

 

John (Crosley)

I have never taken such an image.

 

But I regard myself as a generalist, and I'm willing to try anything.

 

This started out as a rather 'blah' image, but a little post-processing strengthened it.

 

Is it for the better?

 

I'd appreciate your feedback, viewers.

 

John (Crosley)

this is your next photo I'm making a comment to where a vehicle is the main subject but what a difference - this time simple (at least when you look at the photo for the first time:) composition of a few trucks on the background of the quite interesting sky. There are some things that attracts my attention here but what makes this photo really unique are the shapes of the fumes and the fact they're going from the truck in the middle. They make a nice link between the vehicles and the sky which is full of fume-like clouds:). I really like it, thanks for sharing, best regards, -wm

Very fine work

What is interesting from your very informed comment is that you see the fumes from the truck connecting the truck with the clouds -- and that is completely correct, and very astute of you.

 

In the original, color version, the fumes were so blown out and white and the sky so undifferentiated that one could barely see the truck fumes, and my job was to enhance that by some simple adjustments to brightness and contrast, explained above.

 

It worked fabulously well, and has given this photo almost a 'pop-art' feel, I think. In any case, it looks more, to me, like an artist's rendering of what he might envision such a scene to be rather than anything anybody would come across in real life.

 

In fact, so many of my photos, of ordinary scenes nonetheless, are somewhat improbable -- showing people (and things) in situations one recognizes, but at the same time that one would say 'only once in a lifetime' would a person see that particular person/thing/group in that situation.

 

And perhaps that is true; I see thousands of situations in the course of a short time and maybe I just am quick (and skillful) enough to pick out the ones that are aesthetic and interesting (and original) enough for showing to others.

 

Maybe that's my skill -- to carry around my heavy cameras, and to recognize almost instantly so many different situations that others 'see' but 'don't see' or see out of the corner of their eye because they have no reason to look directly.

 

Well, I have a reason to look; to frame the scene for my cameras (note that I said 'frame' before I said to apply the cameras, and for the most part, that's what I do -- I previsualize the scene and use the camera lens to verify and capture -- not always but in a substantial number of cases.

 

In other words, I do NOT go around with a viewfinder glued to my eye; just the opposite -- I seldom am seen with a camera to eye unless I've just taken a photo or am just about to (or creating a ruse).

 

I'm on the road right now and there are few people, so that's what I'm taking. If I were born in Nebraska or Kansas, I'd be taking photos of corn, wheat or bean (soybean) fields, silos, grain elevators, barns and bake-offs.

 

You just gotta go with what's available.

 

;~))

 

Thanks for the nice comment.

 

John (Crosley)

 

Spacibo bolshoi, from the bottom of my heart.

 

John (Crosley)

On further reflection, those puffs of diesel exhaust transform this static photo into a dynamic photo.

 

They are the only element(s) that tell us that there is action going on here, and they are rather strong puffs of exhaust, because the driver is revving his engine on startup and also to tell me to move my car out of his way (heh heh heh), and he's creeping toward me, ready to sound his diesel horn.

 

So, the puffs transform this from a static to an active (action) photo, besides being a connector between the truck and ground and the sky.

 

In essence, without those puffs, this would be an entirely other photo -- maybe interesting, but not nearly so.

 

The puffs are what 'make it' (if indeed it has 'made it').

 

They're what an artist would draw in, I think, or a Photoshopper would borrow from another photo, if he wanted to make this the 'ultimate' photo of a truck.

 

I didn't have to do any of that, of course; I just don't do such things. I capture 'real life' or go take another photo somewhere else. Life's too short for me to 'invent' photos or parts of them from whole cloth; I can as easily go take another, different photo of something else.

 

Now, if somewhat had given me an 'assignment' and paid me to take a photo like this, it might have taken me forever to identify and take such a photo, or I might never have succeeded. This is a photo of pure circumstances, almost completely unpredictable.

 

(although it helps if the photographer stops at a truck stop ;~)) )

 

John (Crosley)

and a very interesting discussion. I find very interesting the comments about the fumes: it's true, they give more life to this "movie-style" photo. (Sorry for the neologism but didn't know how to explain what I immediately felt when looking at this one). Thank you for sharing the work and the words, Giuseppe

It is indeed a 'movie-style' photo, but that is not derogatory by any means. Movies have some of the best photography that money can buy -- most still photographers would be put to shame by the fine cinematographers of Hollywood or other places that produce graphically interesting films. Of course not every film is photographed well, but when one is photographed well, it can be stunning.

 

No apology necessary for your neologism.

 

This reminds me in some way of the movie or made for TV movie in which a lone driver going on a deserted mountain/desert road in badlands is confronted by a diesel like this one in front, and it engages the car driver in combat -- but it's apparently driverless (a la Stephen King?) It tries to drive him off the road in every conceivable way, and just when he thinks he's given the truck the slip, it reappears, spewing diesel exhaust and racing toward him trying to force him off the road.

 

A little exhaust can say an awful lot, and that's why this simple photo went into post-processing primarily -- to save the 'exhaust' and make it clear, distinct, and dramatic.

 

It looks like I succeeded.

 

In former times, I might have posted this 'as is' without any attempt to 'rescue' it and gotten drubbed in the ratings, but knowing in my heart of hearts there was a really good capture hidden in there but my Photoshop skills were not good enough to 'bring it out'. Now they're good enough, but just barely.

 

I always like it when you comment; you're always right on.

 

John (Crosley)

This one is a very powerful image, not only because of the trucks, but also the sky is very full of expression. Congratulation for this image. You should sell this image to drivers and truck companies. Regards, Sergio.

Your thinking agrees with mine; this is a very powerful image.

 

I was just looking to take a 'passable' or 'good' image, not a 'powerful' one, but then the opportunity presented itself, my car was blocking this truck, he stepped on the engine (diesel), out puffed the exhaust and a little post-processing and this photo was born.

 

It's of such things -- happenstances really -- that photos are born.

 

But the more you're out photographing and the more you keep clicking (and sometimes getting in the way, which here meant getting very 'up close to the truck -- this IS wide angle), the more likely you are to get that 'powerful' photo.

 

Luck favors the well-prepared.

 

As to selling it, I can imagine this on a trucker's calendar or inside a trucker's magazine (it won't work for cover because the cover is vertical and this is a horizontal shot).

 

The sky was fortuitous -- a cold front moving in, and it's enhanced through contrast adjustment and adjustment of 'blue channel' on desaturation. I do not try to pass it off as completely untouched in post-processing, although technically is it 'unmanipulated'.

 

I also can imagine it on a poster, blown up big, and it has good resolution, so that's a possibility. It's strong enough for that, I think, although it might need some additional tweaking in Photoshop to make it 'just so'.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed this photo; it's a(nother) completely different style for me.

 

I'm hard to pin down in style, aren't I? Just when you think you've taken my measure, up I pop and post something like this, which is quite different.

 

John (Crosley)

SAubstantion work.Great idea.sKy mood is so rare too.Regards

This is one of those photos that almost no one wanted to rate (at first), but the more people see it the more they seem to appreciate it.

 

I think it may still be getting comments a year from now -- I cannot know for sure, of course.

 

There's just something about it, and it's quite different from my others work, except of course the sense of composition, which I hope marks most of my work, plus the timing (the diesel exhaust and the truck creeping towards me/my car) as he tries to break out of the line to return to work.

 

I recognize that this does not look quite 'natural' in a snapshot sense, and may look extensively Photoshopped (though it is not), but it still looks 'powerful' as another commenter noted, and for that alone I am proud of it.

 

I wish all my captures were so successful.

 

Thanks for your nice comment. Don't hesitate to comment again or to browse other photos here (I know you've been here before, of course, and commented).

 

John (Crosley)

A great image and a very useful and interesting explanation.

As an amateur, though with growing credentials and instincts, I look at a photo like this and say to myself 'I took that?' almost with wonderment.

 

I could not have ever dreamed of taking it without the cold front behind coming in, a cold front which raced behind me across two-thirds of the nation, and eventually caused blockage on the Sierra, the Wasatch (Utah) and the Rockies, but I just sped along in almost record time as I ferried a new vehicle to a far away port on the East Coast.

 

I tweaked the sky a little bit just using contrast adjustment and black adjustment in Photoshop CS4 adobe raw converter, and no 'manipulations' -- although previously, before Adobe Raw Converter, it would have been necessary to use 'manipulations to achieve such a marked effect.' Now, it's just part of drawing out the photo that one sees and all from the original - no manipulations at all.

 

I'm very glad you chose this one.

 

I think it belongs on the gatefold (like centerfold) of a trucker's or long haul magazine, don't you?

 

I probably won't take another truck stop photo; this is my first attempt and why practice when you've done this well in the first five or ten minutes?

 

;~))

 

Thanks for the comment.

 

John (Crosley)

I can only wish you had an infrared camera on you that day. As for this image, the highlights are all squashed (on my browser) and thus the vibrancy is all lost. Perfect composition, maybe a touch of straightening required.

Pardon me for overlooking your comment.

I must admit I'm a little lost by it.

Why an infrared camera?

That is a cold front coming in, and I'm not sure it would have shown up well, being very high, but wedge shaped and coming in directly (and cold).

The truck engines were hot and especially the truck in front of me and its exhaust gases. 

I'm totally inexperienced in infrared, and because it focuses differently and I'm still working on normal light, I'm not much interested in black and white infrared.

Now color infrared, that's a whole nother kettle of fish (a whole other thing using less vernacular), as it can produce some spectacular effects, at least on film but I'm left cold by black and white IR conversions and even digital scenics with IR.

As to the vibrancy being whatever it was you said, I'm afraid I'll have to re-examine that at a later time; and study what that means in the meantime.

I worked this one up and later had it professionally worked up, and they look both about the same.

I do accept your compliment about the composition but as to the allegedly tilting horizon -- I'll look into that -- I hadn't noticed such.

Some carpenters and journeymen builders can look at a well built house and they can spot if a room is out of square by 1/16th of an inch or 1/32nd of an inch at 40 feet, just by eyeballing, or if something is out of plumb by hundredths of a degree when no one else can.

I'll have a fresh look at this for rotation problems, and if I feel it warranted, may download, rotate slightly with the new ruler tool, then trim and re-upload.  But we'll see and no promises.

Some people are much more sensitive to such particulars than others, and I shoot for the overall effect and mostly leave the nit picky stuff to others though I am getting better about my own photoshopping (and this is a good example.)

About 'vibrancy' -- I'm afraid you've lost me on this one, and I hope you'll return (I'm so tardy, I'm afraid you won't see this) and explain further.

Thanks for the critique, it's very helpful to have a critical eye for my work.

john

John (Crosley)