Full Moon over Lake Valley Ghost Town

[Gayle Clement]

This is one of those photos that I've tried several different ways, in color and in a variety of ways in black and white. I'm still torn about which I live more, this sepia or a starker black and white version.

This is one of the buildings in a small ghost town in southern New Mexico. I'd traveled near it to one of my New Mexico job sites and saw that the moon could be framed in the rocks. I traveled back through on the night of the full moon to take this photo. It was just a bit eerie.

Nikon D2Xs
Nikkor 24-120VR
F38@ 1/20s
ISO 100
Finished in Silver Efex Pro

[Grady Weed]

If I may Gayle. To me by far the starker black and white. It's more a traditional looking image that way. I love old western themes in B&W. You have a good eye. I do find this a bit to centered. But these are just my personal preference.

[Gayle Clement]

Thanks, Grady. I'm posting the more black and white one here.

As for the centered bit, I couldn't get around that. The approach to this area is limited by car and I have this rattlesnake thing in the desert on foot alone :(

[Robert Amoruso]

Hi Gayle,

Like the B&W version and like the composition. I did a repost to fix the centered moon. Of course, this type of manipulation has to be something you would want to do to an image. To me this is now a photo-illustration as I change the scene.

I made a 2 BG copies.
I used the cropping tool sized to the full image on BG2 and then dragged the right had side right to increase canvas.
I used the eraser tool to erase the top of the mountain and along the ridge left on the top layer. This makes the BG1 copy show through.
I carefully worked the top most layer to erase portions of the image on the top to get the mountain/moon moved to the left.
The bottom part remains in place to keep the house to the left.
If you run the eraser tool down the straight line interface of the top layer (BG2) to BG1 you can blend the two seamlessly.
For some repeating patterns along the ridge on the right I clone some areas from the left to fix it up. Did this after flattening the image and creating a new BG copy.
It is not perfect - still a bit of clean-up needed but give you and idea.
You will notice I did create a new peak along the ridge on the right - that's why this is a photo-illustration.

If this is not your bag - no problem. Personally, I do this very rarely and then only label it as such.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Gayle,
While I like all the versions.......call me chicken..........I went for a simple crop. This takes it off center while keeping the softer tones. This is getting interesting.

[Grady Weed]

Roman, this makes it pop more to me. Gayle, this is what I was looking for. The details in the whites on the building are now there for the B&W. The blacks are now more detailed too, and not harsh with shadows blocking up the detail in the older buildings in the right side.

[Robert Amoruso]

Roman,

I tried the crop too and that works well. I figured something more radical might be interesting but you solution is a good one and does not change the context of the image as my photo-illustration does.

[Gayle Clement]

I am grateful to each of you for your ideas. I'd tried that crop but was afraid it brought the scene in too close. I do like the different versions of this. Thanks so much.

[David Steele]

I like this image Gayle. However, I think the sepia would look better if it was a little bit darker.

[Noel Carboni]

My first thought - honest - when I saw the moon up there was "Wow!"

Can't quite put my finger on it, but your sepia tone doesn't *quite* seem the right color for this image... I fooled with different adjustments and I got just a bit paler, redder tone using Color Balance, and I used a high pass technique to give the image a bit "grittier" treatment of the scenery. Perhaps it helps the feel; it seems to want to be gritty. :)

Edit: On a second look at my "reddish" sepia tone... I'm not sure I like it. This is a tough one.

Robert's crop/hill move is very, very good. Good eye, Robert!

I'd keep all the brush at the very bottom - unlike Roman's version (which is very good also). I think the brush gives a real "I'll just stand back and look from here, thanks" feel to the image.

-Noel