To trash; or not to trash...C&C Welcome

These are a couple of shots from in my shop.
#1 A shot of some of my hand planes (which I still use)
http://i58.tinypic.com/260pjmh.jpg


#2 Close up of a moving fillester plane
http://i62.tinypic.com/ftlocm.jpg

You certainly have some problems with the light source position there, Jack.

But I think that a little bit of editing with a gradient mask on a Curves Layer, or one of the other options, should produce some decent results.

However, at the moment, you have acceptable images in a somewhat 'artistic' form by leaving the light to dark gradient as it is now.

No Jack, please do not trash...keep them both...if you just lighten up the shadows a bit, one day this shot will be a relic amongst the "real" tools you have. Forgive me but I am a "tool freak" -- I love them all old ones especially because of the story they used to have.

Just a bit of editing is all that's needed.

Geoff, Thanks. The 'lighting' was the light coming through the windows (there's another one to the right, where the single plane was shot). I was aiming for something 'artistic', as opposed to any kind of 'documentary' look. In the first image, I've reduced the hotness in the window as the sun was pouring in at the time. It was the light coming into the dark shop that caught my attention. I'll see what more I can do with the image.

Isabel, Thanks. These are all working tools, some of which I've used in the field. I've got a few pieces I've made entirely by hand (no power tools). It is, I suppose, an analog to using and old, manual, rangefinder camera with B&W film.

John, Thanks. Suggestions for editing? Isabel suggested lightening up some of the shadow, other thoughts?

I'm not sure about the first one, Jack, but I think the 2nd definitely has potential

Greg, Thanks.

Beautiful stuff and obviously of affectionate meaning to you, so I agree with the others... definitely worth some work on the light. I find the NIK software awfully helpful for this sort of problem, but perhaps you have something better, or something that you prefer. I'd be interested in what others like for working with monochromes.

Mark, Thanks. I use RawTherapy and Gimp.

The more I look at these images the more I like them. You should obviously keep them (and just as importantly treasure the tools themselves). I am a sympathetic biased viewer though, being a tool tragic myself.

I like these Jack but am jealous due to no longer being able to keep my tools out like this due to the exceptionally high humidity where I live now.

Apart from lighting which has already been mentioned and can be sorted in post, get rid of the plastic handled screwdrivers in future similar shots:)

Grahame

Grahame Thanks. Fortunately the weather is even enough that they are all still true and usuable. As for the plastic screwdriver, I do have a number of old wooden handle slotted screwdrivers, unfortunately my phillips are all plastic handles.

Thanks Tony. It was an obsession for a while but all the tools I have I use. I hate it when see old planes stripped of their iron and turned into mantle art.

I really like the dark gloom lighting in these images.... Instead of putting the caption "To trash or..."if something like " the dark side of..." or something else, the viewers would have different approach i feel ;)

Nandakumar, thank you for the suggestion, I do believe you may be right and so I've re-titled it.