An interesting pair of knockers

[Richard]

Well I thought they were interesting



There was an interesting thread a week or so ago about 'what makes a good photograph'.

This photograph started off as a pair of paint smeared handles on an old pair of wooden gates covered in scratched graffiti (which may have made an interesting photograph in itself). I thought about converting the shot to B&W - but it still didn't really spark my imagination. After playing with LR2 for about 15 minutes I ended up with this.

My question is, "is this still a photograph"?

Cheers, Richard.

[The Blue Boy]

Post the original so we can compare!

Mark

[Richard]

Post the original so we can compare!

Mark

Hi Mark, this is what I started off with - any ideas (besides pressing the 'delete' button!!)

[crisscross]

this probably isn't what you want to hear, but anywhere else I had seen the thumbnail of the jazzed up version, I would have skipped past - because if you can't accept the parameters of what a camera brings in, I think you should take up painting. Only personal, but however strong the current fashion for trying to make photos look like old masters, my hunch is that in a year or two they will never be looked at again.

Returning to the original, I can see why you were fascinated with the textures of the wrought iron work against timber; how about something like (if I was going to keep it, I would also unskew the back plate a bit):

[Lincs1]

Not sure that I like these, I think they are too over cooked by far.

Having said that there is a place, I would find the textures of these quite interesting, have you thought of a BW conversion and then upping the contrast a bit?

A couple that I did some time a go of a door handle

Original



Second converted using channels and upping contrast and a little dodge and burn.


Hope you don't mind me sharing a few thoughts

Lincs1

[Richard]

this probably isn't what you want to hear, but anywhere else I had seen the thumbnail of the jazzed up version, I would have skipped past - because if you can't accept the parameters of what a camera brings in, I think you should take up painting. Only personal, but however strong the current fashion for trying to make photos look like old masters, my hunch is that in a year or two they will never be looked at again.

Returning to the original, I can see why you were fascinated with the textures of the wrought iron work against timber; how about something like (if I was going to keep it, I would also unskew the back plate a bit):

Your comments are most welcome - that is why I asked the question and you have expressed an opinion which is probably shared by a good many people (if not all) who visit this website. In the past, and I am guessing that you probably fall into this category, when we used film, we were quite careful with what we photographed due to cost. Now, with digital, we are a lot more carefree, and once downloaded almost every photo gets a level of tweaking to 'improve' it. Having only joined this forum very recently my head is starting to spin with the vaste array of options available to produce an image; HDR, Infrared, LR, CS4, etc etc. So do any of us 'accept the parameters ........'?

I have heard it expressed that photography is just another form of art - it's just that I can't even paint a wall - let alone a picture!

Cheers, Richard.

PS I like your B&W detail of one of the handles.

[Richard]

Not sure that I like these, I think they are too over cooked by far.

Having said that there is a place, I would find the textures of these quite interesting, have you thought of a BW conversion and then upping the contrast a bit?

A couple that I did some time a go of a door handle

Original



Second converted using channels and upping contrast and a little dodge and burn.


Hope you don't mind me sharing a few thoughts

Lincs1

Of course not, that's why I asked the question. The B&W conversion is fantastic.

[David]

Richard - An interesting pair of knockers indeed. On the general point of "is it still a photograph?" my view is that it all depends on what you mean and what your intention was. I now prefer, with the advent of digital and its software, to think not in terms of photographs, but of image-making. I'm not against crisscross's view about photographs per se. I enjoy creating a good photographic image as much as anyone. However, I find the freedom to create other types of images from an original just as enjoyable. That, to me, is one of the huge advantages of digital imaging. Remember, too, that all photographs have been processed in some way. I read somewhere that Ansell Adams had printed one negative some 400 times,using different conditions, before he was happy with the final result.

David

[crisscross]

...with digital, we are a lot more carefree, and once downloaded almost every photo gets a level of tweaking to 'improve' it. Having only joined this forum very recently my head is starting to spin with the vaste array of options available to produce an image; HDR, Infrared, LR, CS4, etc etc. So do any of us 'accept the parameters ........'?

I have heard it expressed that photography is just another form of art - it's just that I can't even paint a wall - let alone a picture!

Cheers, Richard.

PS I like your B&W detail of one of the handles.

It is difficult to define where a line ought to be drawn as to where enhancement ends and distortion begins, it is personal and like everything else, any rule would have exceptions. Certainly it should not rule out enjoyment Richard, though one can still have fun but put the result in the bin. As David says, meddling with photos is as old as photography.

My variation was intended to be monochrome with a rusty brown hue rather than B&W

Chris