Final Finish Treatment

[Jeff D. Welker]

My fine associates:

I humbly request your thoughts and comments regarding an issue that regularly "tasks" me. It involves the question of what final finish treatment will I give a particular image. Specifically, the images I make of derelict, neglected, or elderly airframes. As you know, I love taking photos of aircraft that don't fly anymore. The more "patina" the better. My recent posting of the B-26B at the Buckeye Airport is a classic example of my conundrum. Generally, my default is to present the image as a monochrome with a subtle sepia/palladium tone. I often think this best reflects the ravages of age often common to these long in the tooth airframes. However, with this B-26B image I initially felt a color treatment best presented the ambient warm and cool tones that were there at that early hour. Since I posted that image this morning, I've made two other versions. One my signature monochrome and one a highly desaturated version. Please give them a look and share your thoughts. I have no ego to bruise on this matter, so don't say something just to be kind. I've always felt that thoughtful criticism is most helpful - at least to me.

Thank you;

Jeff

[Anna M. Wood]

1st and 3rd image work best for me of the Welker style.....

[trmphoto]

Jeff, my eyes keep drawing me to the color image.  Not sure why, but I keep going back to that one.  As an engineer, I was struggling to come up with a descriptive critique, so instead I am just going to say I like #1, #3, then #2. 

[Joe Copalman]

Color all the way.  The contrast of the warm tones on the aircraft from the reflection of the rising sun, and the cool tones - banded at that - in the morning sky is really kind of the star of this image for me, and it's just totally lost in the monochrome and desaturated versions. 

[Jay Beckman]

I also find myself drawn to the color version for reasons similar to Joe's thoughts but I'll go one farther:
The little splashes of red give the eye some places to "land" and linger.  Such "scan islands" are missing in the 2nd and 3rd versions and I find my eye randomly wandering about the frame with no hooks.

I think individually each has merit, but when you lay them out in comparison to each other, the full color is the strongest.

Well Done as always...

[Jeff D. Welker]

Many thanks for the feedback thus far. It seems that my gut instinct to initially post a color version was satisfactory. In my post processing I used the subtle colors and tones as a baseline to explore and emphasize an "atmosphere" that best expressed the visual feelings I had at the time of capture. While certainly a departure from reality, I wanted an image that held onto and blended the various changes that occurred (albeit not simultaneously) as the sun was rising and the moon setting. Not something I remembered having an opportunity to photograph in the past.

I'm not always sure that a completed image achieves the goal I was seeking. Especially when the composition I saw and felt was very fleeting? Then again, sometimes I'm not always sure what my goal is? Particularly with my strong desire to go monochrome most of the time. That is why I asked for comment. I hope a few more will chime in. I find it helpful for me to hear the thoughts and reactions to my images from seasoned shooters like yourselves.

[Bubak]

I am with Joe and Jay!