Oliver Morton
March 2025 - Stone House
Original
About the Image(s)
I took this image 11 years ago while visiting Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I don’t have the original photograph, so I’m showing two monochrome versions. The old stone house fascinated me. It was on a hill, and I couldn’t get high enough to see completely above the grasses. The cameras at that time didn’t have articulated screens, so lifting it over my head to take the photograph wasn't feasible.
The black and white version of the image was made recently. I attempted to convert the monochrome version into a moody, nighttime image and would appreciate your thoughts.
Data: Canon 5D Mark III; 70-200mm lens @ 200mm; 1/2500 sec; f/7.1; ISO 400.
7 comments posted
Pete
I like what you did here. The building has great texture and jumps off the frame to the viewer. It has a foreboding air to it.
No improvements needed from my eyes.
Emil
Posted: 03/01/2025 12:22:43
I like what you did here. The building has great texture and jumps off the frame to the viewer. It has a foreboding air to it.
No improvements needed from my eyes.
Emil
Posted: 03/01/2025 12:22:43
Emil, those are high compliments from you. Thank you! Posted: 03/05/2025 21:54:52
Michael Laezza
Pete - Your great effort to get the picture was well rewarded. And certainly the B&W conversion achieves the impact you were going for. Excellent.
I recently came across a technique to boost contrast quickly in one step and I apply it to every B&W conversion just to see what the results will be. In photoshop I apply a Gradient Map layer and play with the sliders ( many videos on line ). It tends to blow out the highlights in some cases but generally very quick for some first concepts. I applied it to your image just to illustrate the effects
Mike
Mike Posted: 03/10/2025 10:51:47
I recently came across a technique to boost contrast quickly in one step and I apply it to every B&W conversion just to see what the results will be. In photoshop I apply a Gradient Map layer and play with the sliders ( many videos on line ). It tends to blow out the highlights in some cases but generally very quick for some first concepts. I applied it to your image just to illustrate the effects
Mike
Mike Posted: 03/10/2025 10:51:47
Michael Laezza
here is the image Posted: 03/10/2025 10:52:47
Mike, very cool. THANK YOU! I will definitely explore some of the YouTube videos about the process. My approach was to darken the entire image and then use two linear masks in Camera Raw to focus the lighting where I wanted it.
Posted: 03/10/2025 18:57:44
Posted: 03/10/2025 18:57:44
Pete,
I really like the subject and the effect you were creating. The one thing I noticed in the image was the direction of the light. I noticed on the house, that light appeared to be hitting pretty much the front of the house. I feel like the side of the house should be a little darker to reflect the direction of the light. I took your imaged a slightly darkened the one side of the house.
I also boosted the contract via another method I use. In Photoshop, duplicate the layer and change the blending mode to Soft Light. Use the opacity slider to fine tune the contrast. Posted: 03/23/2025 22:49:18
I really like the subject and the effect you were creating. The one thing I noticed in the image was the direction of the light. I noticed on the house, that light appeared to be hitting pretty much the front of the house. I feel like the side of the house should be a little darker to reflect the direction of the light. I took your imaged a slightly darkened the one side of the house.
I also boosted the contract via another method I use. In Photoshop, duplicate the layer and change the blending mode to Soft Light. Use the opacity slider to fine tune the contrast. Posted: 03/23/2025 22:49:18
Pete - a really great picture and I am lucky you are not taller as I consider the grass in the foreground the icing on the cake ;-)
The pictures touches my heart and reminds of a song we sung as children in the boy scouts of the local church "Das alte Haus von Rocky Docky" (original from Stuart Hamblen, "This Ole House", 1954).
Great picture well implemented!
Posted: 03/26/2025 08:51:37
The pictures touches my heart and reminds of a song we sung as children in the boy scouts of the local church "Das alte Haus von Rocky Docky" (original from Stuart Hamblen, "This Ole House", 1954).
Great picture well implemented!
Posted: 03/26/2025 08:51:37