Don Poulton
November 2023 - Another Weathered Barn
About the Image(s)
On the last day of my spring trip to Tennessee, I photographed this old barn with the greenery growing up inside and coming out the window. The sun had gotten bright and I knew I needed HDR to bring out some interior detail and hold detail in other places. I tone mapped the usual brackets in Nik HDR Efex 2 using a grunge preset that brought out the detail of the weathered siding. In Lightroom I darkened and slightly desaturated the grass in the foreground and also removed a few distractions.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted
Photographing the "shady side" is tricky. For me, the sunlit side seems to pop better with touches of red/rust in the roof panels and the walls. The shady side is lacking contrast. I like the greenery in the upper windows of the barn. It looks like Mother Nature will be consuming this barn soon. Posted: 11/09/2023 18:55:10
The blend is clean and even and the grunge bias on the treatment fits the subject. I'm inclined to agree with Jane that the shaded side of the barn looks a little flat and could use some added contrast. Posted: 11/09/2023 22:07:06
Thanks Rick and Jane. I have an image here of the entire barn showing the sunlit side, though this is not an HDR image. I used a curves adjustment layer on the shaded side to increase its brightness and contrast a bit. Posted: 11/14/2023 19:27:02
Hi Don, Yes the contrast and tonal difference between the lit side and the shaded side look much more "normal" in the full shot. Blends have a tendency to flatten things too much trying to get the full tonal range in and so we often have to push the contrast in some areas to compensate for that. Posted: 11/14/2023 22:49:05
Thanks Rick. Posted: 11/20/2023 17:08:08
I love the old wood and the character and the old barn, a good find.
As stated above the shadow side can be much harder and your sunlit version has more appeal. Posted: 11/26/2023 04:11:11
As stated above the shadow side can be much harder and your sunlit version has more appeal. Posted: 11/26/2023 04:11:11
The shaded part of the garage has some character in the windows and doors, helping the texture in the shade to be a plus. It is a good barn find and the image you sent of the total building is impressive, Posted: 11/26/2023 04:56:26
Old barns are always fun to photograph and bring out the textures. The shaded side can be pretty tough since a lot of the manageable contrast has been lost. Also, the greens are a little oversaturated? Curious, have you tried any other HDR software? NIK is kind of know for lacking contrast and struggles with green. Posted: 11/29/2023 17:01:25