I'm not sure of the right title yet ..............

[NorthernFocus]

In and of its own merits, the image is elegent in its simplicity with the straight lines converging off at infinity and the multiple textures. Regarding illiciting an emotional reaction, this is one of those images that I call "contextual". If someone has been there, or somewhere similar, I can easily see how the image would produce that sense of familiarity, nostalgia, etc. Particularly in B/W which many people subconciously associate with the past and/or harsh lanscapes. Simply based on your descriptions, I could see myself buying this image in a gift shop as a memory of my visit. Without the context, it is simply another road to somewhere, nowhere, whoknowswhere albeit a very well done version of same.

All that said, this image, along with the supplementary information provided in this thread provide a lot of context as to who you are for a relative newcomer like myself. Thanks for sharing this bit of yourself with us.

With what you shared regarding how the land there shaped you in your childhood, shouldn't the title reflect that somehow. Guiding road, guiding path, road through life....

[davidedric]

Re the title. You could steal from Tolkien's sub-title to The Hobbit: "There and Back Again"

[Smudger]

Donald. This is one mighty fine image. I actually like it very much too.

I was born in Wales so, although the complete different side of the country to where you are from, it looks very much the same in many respects.

I really like how you have centred yourself on the left edge of the road / path and how that left edge runs all the way up the centre. I also really admire the great use of lines by how the stone wall come in and again, meets towards the centre in the very far distance along with the other great fence line.

In reality, it is a very simple shot but one in which you have developed with very well.

I can imagine how it must feel working on an image which has meaning to you. I recently worked on an old image of my father and it really does pull at the heart.

I too use NIK Software and only the other day did I learn that I don’t have to apply the whole filter but can click on that Brush button….

Very nice work here and I can also relate to it to a degree Donald.

I am also inspired by your way of planning Donald about knowing whether to make a B%W shot or a colour before you even press the shutter release. I have never considered this but I am quite new to photography. I will definitely try this way of thinking for future.

Thanks for the share.

Did you apply any tonal contrast (found in NIK Color Effex Pro – Portrait Tab) to the wooden fence post and on the stone wall. It offers some very nice effects if lightly applied.

Very nice work and thank you for the share.

Also, a very nice read with all the comments incoming.

[Donald]

Dave, Janis, Dan, Nigel - Thank you for adding comments into this thread and for what you say in them.

I learned a new word today for a strong sense of place: topophilia.

Janis - Today you have taught me something. Never come across that word before, but given it's applicability to so much of what I try to do in photography, I fear I shall become a regular user.

I too use NIK Software and only the other day did I learn that I don’t have to apply the whole filter but can click on that Brush button….

In which case. Nigel, you must have Photoshop. I use it with Elements and don't have access to the brush facility. I just have to make all my adjustments in Silver Efex Pro2 and then click 'Save' and go back into elements. At the moment, the Nik plug-ins are not Smart in Elements. However, I bought the Elements XXL plug-in from thepluginsite.com and future version of the XXL plug in will allow the NIK packages to be used as smart plug-ins, just as they can be used in Photoshop.

Did you apply any tonal contrast (found in NIK Color Effex Pro – Portrait Tab) to the wooden fence post and on the stone wall. It offers some very nice effects if lightly applied.

I didn't on this one, but rate that as one of the best filters, along with the Detail Enhance or Enhance Detail (or whatever it's called) in Colour Efex Pro 4. That Detail one is brilliant for bringing up the detail in skies (clouds). So, part of the workflow is now, when appropriate, to open in Colour Efex Pro4 and put a control point onto the sky and apply that filter. Then go to Silver Efex Pro 2 for the B & W conversion.