This image is from a trip to Israel where we had an opportunity to tour “The Valley of Tears” where, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, approximately 100 Israeli tanks held off approximately 1260 Syrian tanks in a 3 day battle. This is what is left of one of the Israeli tanks that was damaged during the battle and subsequently abandoned. It is, as near as I can tell a Sho't Kal Series tank which was an upgrade version of the British Centurian tank. I would have liked to get a different angle closer to the tank but the presence of land mines was (to say the least) a deterrent to going any closer.
In the conversion I replaced a bald, featureless sky, with a stormy one to compliment the condition of the tank and the desired mood of the image. I also chose a somewhat grungy look because that is what war is. The processing was done in Photoshop, Silver Efex and On1 to achieve the desired effects. The camera was a Nikon D300 with a 28-300 mm lens.
10 comments posted
Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
Hi Ed, I think that both the conversion, the new dramatic sky, and the overall look work well together and produce the desired mood. Another approach might have been to take advantage of the hazy bleak sky and go for a style of a memory fading away? Posted: 07/08/2025 19:13:23
Ed Ford
Thank you Kirsti. As always I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Your idea about memory fading away - is that like making the tank somewhat transparent? Posted: 07/08/2025 20:36:25
Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
I had something like a white vignette in my mind that would leave the part of the tank in the center visible; maybe one of the NIK Silver Efex Antique Plate presets as a starting point, and rather low contrast? Posted: 07/09/2025 09:51:59
Ed Ford
Thanks for the explanation. It is worth a look. Posted: 07/09/2025 10:42:41
Barbara Gore
Hi Ed. Very nice image. Tanks hold a special meaning for me since my father was a tank driver in WWII and I have a collection of old war photographs. The b/w conversion here really gives off that historical feel. The lighting and sky replacement add moody shadows and highlights, suggesting a sense of realism. The texture and detail throughout are great. Well done. Posted: 07/09/2025 12:54:11
Ed Ford
Thank you Barbara. I was not a tanker as such, but having retired from the Army it had a meaning for me as well. Posted: 07/19/2025 01:06:05
Robert Cordivari
Hi Ed - this is a very dramatic image. I like the replacement sky but I think I might like the original sky slightly better; however, both of them work.
It's an amazing piece of war machinery and you have captured it well. The photo to me shows a contrast between the might of the machine and the uselessness of it once it has seen battle and is no longer needed. I also get a sense of the reality of the world we live in since this tank only dates back 50 years or so. Nicely captured. Posted: 07/09/2025 20:57:24
Ed Ford
Thank you Robert. All you said is spot on. I can only dream of a day when all of them will be turned into "plow shares". As a Viet Nam vet I can tell you war is ugly. Perhaps that is where some of the feeling with image originated for me. Posted: 07/19/2025 01:08:11
Albert Zabin
Well done. The picture as presented is about the tank. I can imagine thjis in a panoram c omposition whe the tankstands alonea relic forgotteren. This is a picture that gives many expressive compositions Posted: 07/15/2025 01:46:57
Ed Ford
Thanks very much Albert. I did not think of panorama at the time. It would, I think, have told a great story. Perhaps if I should get the opportunity to return - at least that is my prayer. Posted: 07/19/2025 01:10:04
