This is a visit to a family farm that has operated a mechanic shop for a couple of generations with the derelict cars that represent many different eras.
I like this old truck and the textures with the rust, the plants, glass, etc. This one is a bit less of the photojournalist approach and little more abstract. I played with this as B&W and color and came up with this hybrid version that toned down the saturation. I wanted to pull out the lines and the textures and give a nod to the nostalgia.
In post, I cropped the image overall, lightened some of the shadows in the cab and then lessened some of the highlights of the sun on the chrome. I created a BW layer and then lowered the opacity to let the color come through with just a hint.
Camera: Nikon Z8, Lens: NIKKOR 16??“80 mm f/6 ??“ 4E, Settings: 80mm for 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400.
6 comments posted
Julie Deer
Hi Shari, I think that you have processed this image really well. The colours help the rust and textures stand out. I wonder if the cropping is a little tight. I would keep the right hand side as the yellow car needs to vanish, but the old truck needs a little more room around it to help balance the whole image. I hope when you are truly happy with this image that you print it out and hang it on the wall at the farm. Posted: 04/03/2026 10:16:14
Shari Garnsey
Thanks Julie - and I see what you mean by cropping a little tightly. I was working to crop out grass and other distractions, but I agree that this could use more space to breathe. I'll try to play with that again. Appreciate the feedback Posted: 04/06/2026 17:54:27
Andrew Hersom
Nice to see a record of old motor cars. They will soon disintegrate to nothing. This is a straight-up-the-front shot and I wondered if you held the camera over your head and shot "blind", looking more downwards you might get a better aspect.
Everyone does post processing differently, but I am not that keen on the treatment here. It's just me but I am not convinced by the dark background. Posted: 04/04/2026 15:51:04
Shari Garnsey
Appreciate you taking the time to look at this. Could you be a little more specific in the comment about not being convinced by the dark background? Posted: 04/06/2026 17:58:15
Janice Solomon
Hi Shari, I think you did a good job of capturing the aging of the car with the heavy rust texture, and you cropped out the yellow bus on the right nicely. I'd like to see this in B&W or sepia tone. Also, I think the two headlights are the brightest objects so they're pulling our attention away from the middle of the photo and the main parts of the car. The headlight on the left is very close to the edge, so maybe you can leave a little more space on that side. You might want to even out the clarity and brightness of the background showing through the windows with the rest of the background. I kind of like the chrome and coloring of your original minus the other cars. It makes me wonder why the chrome so shiny when the rest of the car is so rusted. Posted: 04/04/2026 17:32:21
Shari Garnsey
Thanks Janice - I did play with this in Sepia and B&W too (couldn't help myself). And you tagged all of the trouble spots I had with this photo - I am going to pay with the crop and the spacing again and will give another go at the chrome and the background. Posted: 04/06/2026 17:57:08
