The American Dream

This is an old homestead cabin I've been traveling by for years, someone with a sense of humor recently added the sign. Does the processing on the sky and the wood work for this shot? Suggestions for improvement?

I think it works very well. You might try a saturation layer and lower the saturation of the background slightly but I like it as is.

What Greg said +1 also the humour is a big part of this shot and I think you need to up the contrast on the sign a tad.

To me, something has made this look very flat. I'm having a hard time even seeing the three dimensionality of the house. - TF

Thanks for the input, I've tried to apply some of the changes, but not sure I am quite there yet. As for the flat look, I think in about another year it will be much flatter! I worked a little on the shade contrast between the front and side, maybe giving it a little more dimension. Thoughts?

When I first saw this a few hours ago, I thought the flat look too. It is what it is. I like the first one. If you happen to cross paths with it again, put yourself in the pic with a proud stance and a big grin! Great humor pic to share with your friends! Love it!!

Good idea Earn, I will try that next month when I am there again. Thanks for you input.

I like your edit but for me it screams to be a b/w.
Taste maybe, but you might give it a shot.

Thanks Frog. I thought the same thing and tried B/W initially, but didn't like something about it. I ought to give that another attempt.

Contrast is better in the second one, but I agree with Frog, this should be a B&W or Sepia. Don't just convert to grayscale, tweek the individual colors to make them work for you!

(I can show you an example if you're cool with it.)

Go for it Jet, I'd like to see what you can do with it. Thanks.

I used lightroom to make the adjustments to this, which include curves (medium contrast) split toning (amber highlights/gray shadows) and black and white conversion boosting yellow and orange sliders, while reducing red, green, and blue sliders (magentas and purple remained unchanged). Also added a very slight black vignette.

Thanks Jet, that looks good. I will give it a shot in PSE and see if I can come close.

Nicely done. I prefer the original.

Ken,

Hmm. Certainly looks like an HDR to me. A bit of an oddity because the effect makes it look like Kansas transitioning to Oz, but the house doesn't look like Oz :D

It is a great find, but somehow the angle seems flat and perhaps too zoomed in and/or centered. It still has impact though. I like the black and white also but feel it's too contrasty: try toning that down a bit and see.

G

Thanks for the comments daq & Greg.

It isn't an HDR, but I did perform some selective adjustments (and might have overdone the contrast) on the structure and the sky. One of my kids made a very similar comment about it looking like a scene from the Wizard of Oz as well! I didn't have my tripod with me when I made the shot, but took several at different Ev's thinking I might try HDR on it, but never did anything with the other images. Unfortunately all the shots were taken from the same spot, which was perpendicular to the front, which isn't helping the perspective very much. I'll be back there in about a month and will try some different angles and see if I can create a more compelling image.

Love this. Well done.

Love the subject and of course the sign is the kicker. I like what Jet did in the b&w conversion, but somehow I'm just feeling this in color, perhaps the colors, stance of the shack and sign lend to a caricature or almost cartoon like nature and the colors work with that.
I do feel in your two original posts that there is color balance issues. Looks like too much yellow and even some cyan overloading it.
Hope you don't mind as well, but I simply did an auto color correction in photoshop which improved right from the start. then desaturated the colors a bit and simply dodge and burn here and there to achieve a more dynamic lighting effect and bring out a three dimensional quality to it, I think.

I like your edit Gary and can feel more depth in it. I see I have a lot more to learn about PP my images! Thanks for your input.

I love the shot... but it needs a bit more optimization since this type of shot (for me) is like art.....hope you don't mind... just showing you the possibilities.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1275/...29240ec3_b.jpg

How hilarious.!!

You already have several good suggestions about reshoots and processing.

I'll just quick add and second that it is shot to square on, needs a different PP treatment, but most importantly the light will work better at a greater angle to the structure to cast more shadows and thus generate the perception of depth and substance.

Look forward to seeing what else you can do with the wonderful subject!

It is a great image to mess about with in photoshop. So many things one can do with it.
I've been playing and you can go from mild to wild and still get interesting stuff.

Excellent find, well done, love the final processing shot. PhilF clouds are really strong great job on that. Adjustments by Gary and Jet are great too.

Awesome. I really like Garys edit. I'm not especially liking the sky in this, though, don't know what you could have done about it but wait (a long time probably).

KSBryan, every time I see your name I think you are a fellow Kansan! ha, this does also look like something you would find in Kansas.