Rusty pipes

[DanK]

The deCordova Museum in Lincoln Massachusetts has a modern sculpture garden in which there is a huge sculpture made of rusting steel pipes. I have thrown away uncounted shots of it but finally have one image that I am at least willing to post for criticism. This is a stack of 6 images or so, processed fairly heavily in Silver Efex. C&C welcome. Be frank.

[Manfred M]

Dan - from a technical standpoint, this is very well done. From an "artistic" standpoint, it's okay but doesn't quite "do it" for me. This one isn't up there with your usual great work.

I don't know if it would do better in colour, because you've lost the rust in the B&W conversion. Piping tends to look gray in both the monochrome and colour world. Rust on the other hand has those vibrant browns and orange tones, so while we can see the texture of the rust, the image is too clean and the pipes don't really look rusty at all.

[GBO25]

I'm thinking exactly what Manfred has said. I'd like to see a colour version because the B&W just doesn't have the "pop" that I suspect the full colour bersion would have.

[Rebel]

Dan - from a technical standpoint, this is very well done. From an "artistic" standpoint, it's okay but doesn't quite "do it" for me. This one isn't up there with your usual great work.

I don't know if it would do better in colour, because you've lost the rust in the B&W conversion. Piping tends to look gray in both the monochrome and colour world. Rust on the other hand has those vibrant browns and orange tones, so while we can see the texture of the rust, the image is too clean and the pipes don't really look rusty at all.

+1 - This image has so much potential to

[rachel]

I really like it, the lines and curves and little white dots. And while I'm not usually a B&W fan, I like it here. It's true the colours of rust can be very striking butI imagine this looking a bit messy with the colour.

[Wavelength]

Good .... would love to see original

[IzzieK]

I am with Rachel. I like the conversion for now...it is very neat and simple. When I see the colour version, I will understand why you chose a monochrome version.

[Clactonian]

I like the shapes Dan but they lack emphasis. The ends of the pipes are what define those shapes and could be brought out far more. I would be inclined to be bold here. In LR I quickly and roughly brought the blacks down to -74 brought the shadows right up to +100 and the whites up to +46. The image pops with strong blacks and beautiful white ovals.
There's definitely a good mono image there.

[DanK]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the comments. That's one reason I really like this forum: folks take the time to give helpful feedback.

I'll post three other versions below. The first is the one that Nandakumar requested: the (almost) unedited original. I read the raw files into LR using the Adobe Standard profile, made minor tonality adjustments, and stacked in Zerene using PMax. The result is the top one below.

The second is in response to Manfred's suggestion. The way I processed the B&W, it would have been very hard to come close to the posted one other than the B&W conversion, but this is a quick-and-dirty approximation.

The third is the posted one, but with Mike's additional edits.

Here's my take, now that I have compared them. IMHO, the color of the rust in this particular image doesn't add much, and I think it detracts from the lines and textures. Along the same reasoning, Mike's suggestion does more to highlight those than my original did. It's a bit more extreme than I would like, but I think it is big improvement.

I'll tinker a bit more, but I think I will end up with something in between Mike's edit and my original.

Thanks again.

Dan

[Wavelength]

I like its original colors; but not comparing

[DanK]

This time, I have saved the approximation in color in case I change my mind, but the new version I posted to my website is this:

[mknittle]

In this case I like the Colored version. The (spot welds/rivets?) are distracting in the black and white.

[Manfred M]

Personally, I prefer #2. I do find you have lost something in the B&W conversion.

Here's a bit of PP work, mostly the ACR filter and running it through Nik Color Efex Pro 4's Tonal Contrast filter at the default settings.

[DanK]

Personally, I prefer #2. I do find you have lost something in the B&W conversion.

Here's a bit of PP work, mostly the ACR filter and running it through Nik Color Efex Pro 4's Tonal Contrast filter at the default settings.

Interesting. This does pick up the lines and textures that I want to highlight. I will have to go back to playing with this. Thanks.

[rachel]

I take it back. I like the coloured version as well. I imagined a patchy mess of grey and rust, this is lovely.

[Manfred M]

Interesting. This does pick up the lines and textures that I want to highlight. I will have to go back to playing with this. Thanks.

These pipes look like they are made out of a weathering steel. This type of steel develops and interesting rusty patina, which I suspect is what we are seeing here. This patina effectively forms a protective layer and protects the unoxidized metal underneath it, andgives it those lovely orange and brown tones.

[Andrew1]

Dan, personally I think at least a few viewers would have originally seen more of your intended presentation on lines and textures if you hadn't titled the photo Rusty Pipes. You caused that misdirection with your title. You immediately guide a viewers initial focus and expectation on something that isn't even in the photo and which you say in post #9 doesn't add much and detracts from the lines and textures you were trying to show. Look at your b&w finished product and rename it with something more appropriated if you plan on exhibiting it further. It will help others see the view and mood you were sharing.

FYI, I like both but prefer the harder textured coloured version.

[Mike Buckley]

Wonderful composition and potential, Dan!

For what it's worth, I have never been able to effectively convert rusty metal to monochrome. That's because, lacking the original color, there is no way to know from the photograph on its own that the metal has become rusty. That has even been true when the rust has become much more crusty and highly textured than the rust in your image; I had thought the texture on its own would convey the feeling of rust but it never happened. At least that's my own personal experience.

[MrB]

I prefer the closer crop so that the structure of the image is about the shapes of the pipes, and I prefer the enhanced colour version which really brings out the colour and texture of the rust on the steel.

Cheers.
Philip

[DanK]

OK, folks, I'm persuaded to give another go with the color version and compare. Don't know if I will have time to do it tonight, but I will post it once I have it. Thanks again for all of the comments.