Yesterday on my way to Becker I took a few images in the morning mist and used Camera+ and its graduated HDR process to bring them to life. This old International Harvester flat bed truck was one of them.
Today I revisited the original iPhone image using the HDR process as laid out by Geri Centonze in her tutorial for appwhisperer.com and this image is what I was able to create 'in camera'.
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Last Monday Adam and I got together to catch the sunrise. The promised cloudy skies were obscured by a low mist that blanketed the Texas Hill Country. Heading south from Fredericksburg we spotted a farm machinery distributor that had a huge collection of old equipment. Intrigued, I drove up to the office and told the owner that we were photographers and got permission to shoot some of the collectables. While Adam wandered up the rows of old farm equipment, Chili and I headed for three old pickups in varying degrees of dilapidation. The weathered and rusted trucks were target rich, but as I say the light was flat and these images would need some help to make them come back to life. Here are the two originals as captured in Camera+ on my iPhone 4S Below are the same images after being run through several iPhone camera apps. This HDR (high dynamic resolution) process is based on a tutorial by Geri Centonze that I read in app whisperer . Both the article and this website are well worth bookmarking and sharing. This HDR approach electrifies the time warn patina of the finishes and materials in these beautiful old pickups. I will continue to experiment with breathing new life and vibrant colors into other images. Stay tuned...
What kind of photographer/blogger publishes little to nothing in months? To go dormant in the creative process is apparently common and the remedy is to work our way out. The website 're-construction' that I sporadically updated on my home page was fixing to drag on longer than the 4 or 5 miles of local road improvements distracting us with delays. From Fischer Store Road to Wimberley, excavation was necessary to widen the road past the new school (woefully ill designed for the parade of soccer moms in their SUVs, while half empty new school buses disgorge exhaust and too few kids along the country lanes), and other intersections for Wimberley Springs, Jacob's Well, WoodCreek, and finally the EmilyAnn Theater. Is is nicer now...sure...but TWO years! And at what cost? The Empire State Building was completed in just 410 days. Obviously a different contractor.
Excuses, I have a few, but then again too many to mention. And, of course I am questioning this beginning already. An Arctic front has stalled over Texas for the past few days. I do not do well in the cold. I become the cranky diesel starting rough on a frigid morning. But then Chili and I go for our morning walk and winter blahs disappear. There are many things I love about these winter days in the Hill Country. It is usually sunny and bright, the sky a crisp blue. The chill is invigorating unless you have to be out in it. I feel sorry for those who have to work outdoors in the blistering Texas summer but there are many winter days too when I am damn glad not to have to work outside. Being outside in winter is fun if it is by choice. Now granted we don't get Canada cold or Nebraska cold but in a region where many properties, from large ranches to small acreages, have cisterns, stock tanks and out buildings connected by exposed water pipes, a hard freeze means we will clean out the local Ace Hardware of PVC the following day. We do know how to dress for the cold, and in Texas that usually means gear from Carhart or Cabellas or Academy, and often camouflage (that word is too French, 'camo' is American) because some of the warmest clothing is their hunting stuff. But why do people buy camo everything...camo underwear, camo day clothes, under camo overalls, camo jackets and camo boots? And why do so many folks...men, women and children...wear so much camo indoors? It is designed to hide them in nature, not in Target. Camo has evolved from function to fashion just like Harley gear. I got discouraged. I was unhappy with my website. But authenticity is cathartic and I find that my best postings are the most honest. The same is true of how I see my photographs. Superior equipment allows us to shoot more, but not necessarily see better. In 2013, I'll continue to strive for a whole portfolio of my photography, my writing, my considered thoughts...my life as an artist. Time to get back to work on my next iteration of ron bullied and ronbullied.com. Have a good day friends and thanks for your patience and your support. Happy Trails |