THANKFUL FOR FAMILY, GREAT GRANDFATHER'S HOMESTEAD SODDY

[gary ellwein]

I revisited the family homestead this November. Although it was early, the light was quite harsh. I used Topaz Simplify for the first time in an attempt to soften the image. A selective Fractalius layer was applied in an attempt to bring out some detail in the soddy. This is my first attempt at combining multiple layered effects. To date I've been a one act pony with Fractalius. Any tips from the pros will be appreciated.

[Dennis Bishop]

This place has such wonderful character, and it's wonderful that there's a family connection. You did very nicely with it. The composition is good, and I like the way it's cropped. That and the cloudless sky emphasis its solitude. I'm a fan of Simplify combined with Fractalius, and I think you did a great job with them. The soddy really stands out.

[Diane Miller]

What a wonderful house!!! It should be a museum! And you chose the perfect season to shoot it, with the brown and blue palette.

I'd be tempted to crop just a little off the left, to move the house just a little more off-center. It's so nicely balanced by the lonely trees, and a slight move farther from the center might emphasize that even more.

[Kerry Perkins]

Nice job Gary, I really like the combined effects for this image. I don't see the house as centered at all and think the composition is fine. I like the placement of the horizon line and the clear blue sky. I think the framing adds to the sense of open space, which is a central element of this image. Well done!

[gary ellwein]

Thanks to all for your positive comments. I am motivated to continue experimenting with multiple effect layers. I wanted to extend the right hand border to further convey the open expanse of the area. Unfortunately, immediately beyond the right hand border is a forest of giant wind turbines stretching to the horizon. The early AM crowing of rooster pheasants and the rustle of wind in the grass was muffled by the rumble of heavy equipment. Three new pads were being prepared in the immediate vicinity. As a proponent of alternate sources of energy, I should not protest too much.

[Nancy Bell]

Very well done! I also like the lonely look to the house with the simple foreground of tall grasses and the even simpler totally blue sky. Amazing the house is still standing. Is this in Idaho?

[Cheryl Slechta]

Very subtle processing and I like it Gary. If you have any images with more sky I think that would work also. And, I could see a crop from the left so that the curving line of grasses is on the edge but it's lovely just the way it is. The house is amazing - I remember it from prior posts - it's marvelous that it is still in your family.:S3:

[gary ellwein]

Nancy, the home is in central North Dakota. Cheryl, the land is no longer in the family. The property was purchased from the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1897 ( technically not a homestead ). The home was likely built the next year. They spent the first winter in a dugout. The place is deteriorating rapidly. Diane, we are not alone in appreciating the brown and blue palette. Check out a North Dakota license plate. Thanks to all for the interest.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I love these shots of old abandoned houses. Well processed, I think it might benefit from a small crop on the left too. I like the desolate sky, it adds feeling of emptiness.