Walking the Lonely Road C&C and help requested

[KHarmon]

Coming back from taking pics today my son and I stopped on a long straight stretch of road. In west Texas there are plenty such stretches. I think there is some promise to this image, especially as a black and white, but I could be wrong. Here are both the color image and my attempt at a black and white conversion. I wish I knew someone that I could take this image to and have them give it a proper black and white treatment.

Walking the Lonely Road ----- Color version

Walking the long road by KHarmon1971, on Flickr


Walking the Lonely Road ------ Black and White version

Walking the long road black and white by KHarmon1971, on Flickr
Camera Canon EOS REBEL T3i
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 85 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
Orientation Unknown (0)
X-Resolution 72 dpi
Y-Resolution 72 dpi

[Vrgl]

Hi Kris-- I like the color version better and really like the out of focus "heat haze" effect. The one think I would have liked to have seen would be your son farther down the road and compared those two images. But again it's really nice--mary

[Geoff F]

Yes, as Mary said, the figure is too close so it just looks blurred instead of distant.

I wonder if a bit of 'transformation squash' could be applied to this image which would give a perspective change and make the figure appear more distant?

[KHarmon]

Yes, as Mary said, the figure is too close so it just looks blurred instead of distant.

I wonder if a bit of 'transformation squash' could be applied to this image which would give a perspective change and make the figure appear more distant?

I'm not sure what "transformation squash" is or if it is even an option with Paintshop Pro. I think next Sunday I may just try to reshoot this one and see how it turns out. My original thought behind this pic was to turn it into a Black and White with the foreground in focus with my son out of focus. Didn't begin to think that he was still to close but now that I have seen the comments and looked at the picture I can see your point.

As far as the conversion that I did above, what could I do to approve it. I am horrible at black and white conversions and really want to learn. When I shot film back in the 80' and 90's over 90% of the images I shot were black and white.

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Coming back from taking pics today my son and I stopped on a long straight stretch of road. In west Texas there are plenty such stretches. I think there is some promise to this image, especially as a black and white, but I could be wrong. Here are both the color image and my attempt at a black and white conversion. I wish I knew someone that I could take this image to and have them give it a proper black and white treatment.

Walking the Lonely Road ----- Color version

Walking the long road by KHarmon1971, on Flickr


Walking the Lonely Road ------ Black and White version

Walking the long road black and white by KHarmon1971, on Flickr
Camera Canon EOS REBEL T3i
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 85 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
Orientation Unknown (0)
X-Resolution 72 dpi
Y-Resolution 72 dpi

Of course the lesson for me is an unsharp/blur image remains unsharp/blur. Playing with layers and then with image>transform>free transform/distort and with erase tool and clone stamp you will obtain a story about life and death.
Generally speaking the process of telling a story in a single image begins with the story and then with the image.Sometime there is and a different possibilityHave success!

[Geoff F]

This is my quick edit to try for a little more distance. But actually photographing the figure further along the road would be better.



I'm not sure what you can do with your software, Kris; but my edit was along the lines of what has already been explained by Radu.

[KHarmon]

Took another shot at editing the reshoot I did for this picture. I let him get further down the road, although it is a different road, and the lighting is different for this one. I did some selective blurring to see how that would turn out. Let me know what you think.


Long Road 2 by KHarmon1971, on Flickr

[Jos G]

Perhaps this one?

[Vrgl]

Hi Kris- I like the first one--you got it! Person in the distance with the road leading to them. I would like to see it in black and white. In the second I like the concept and the processing-just get the person down the road a bit more. I especially like the texture of the road leading to the person--mary

[FootLoose]

Kris, I feel the blur is too heavy, and the subject looks like a power walker ie he is just exercising, (something to do with the angle of the arms) which is not what you title conveys to me. Perhaps Jos' reworking is closer to what you are trying to achieve, but again the subject's stance is not in agreement with the title. Maybe your son is just too athletic for this concept? Or is it just me? The 'Walking the Lonely Road' suggests someone who is down and out: I would anticipate a more dejected stance, and a sluggish gait to connote that...

[Geoff F]

The reshoot has potential, Kris. But for me there is too much blurred area in the foreground. Is that how it was shot or have you blurred it?

If the foreground blur is natural I would crop closer. Keep the foreground sharp but let the far distance blur.

I would also consider a crop of the sky. It is a bland sky with little of interest above the closest pole. Which raises the question over whether a different size ratio might work better. Something which probably needs a little experimentation until it looks correct.

This shot is certainly worth trying in a number of different edits..

[Manfred M]

Kris - interesting concept, but the execution does not work. If this were my shot, I would trash it and do a reshoot with a far greater depth of field and under better lighting conditions (the grey sky does not work for me). The subject needs to be in focus.

[Jos G]

Kris,
As for the reshoot, I would suggest clothing that 'hangs' a little more, not the sporty type - to emphasize the 'walking' in the title.
The subject does not have to be in focus to me, but perhaps a little bit less out.
Also you can play with the camera on the dashed line or the solid one to see what the result is like, compared to the rest of the composition. I would still go for a B/W version to filter out any distracting colours. I don't like the diamond-shaped signs because they get too much attention: even putting my fingers on them, the road gets more influence.
I would concentrate on the two items in the title: 'walking' and 'road' and minimize all other elements in the composition.
I am curious to see the result!
Jos