Paramount Ranch

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area rangers if I would be interested in leading bird walks, as the ranger who did these was relocated. Of course I said yes, and I signed up to be a volunteer. Yesterday, they had their annual holiday pot-luck for the volunteers, which I attended. The event was held at Paramount Ranch, a film location that was used in many westerns of the golden era of Hollywood. While everyone else was eating and making merry, I was taking pictures...

I used Dynamic Auto Painter for this one, making a watercolor layer which I added in "soft light" layer mode at reduced opacity. I liked the way the treatment worked when layered with the original. Happy to be back shooting and getting some images done!

Glad to have you posting again! This is well seen and processed. Nice how most of the boards on the side building are horizontal and lead your eye down the dusty road to the yellow building. I like soft color palette with colors from the buildings also being in the sky and bkgd hill. Maybe the darkest cloud in the upper left corner could be a bit lighter to blend more.

I have only tried DAP as a demo and could watch all day as the image kept changing. I think I was mesmerized!

This is beautifully composed in terms of both layout and lines. Your processing is just perfect for a scene like this. It may be just a tad distracting, I suppose, but with the dark tree on the opposite side, that cloud really doesn't bother me.

Kerry, looks like a really neat place! I absolutely love the treatment - I would have guessed Topaz Simplify and Fractalius. I'm a sucker for the soft colors. I think it's wonderful and I'm glad to see you back:S3:

Kerry, great to have you back. The comp. could be in a text book representing leading lines. I love bare trees. Are there two stray lines? One in the tree and the other extending into the roof of the last buiding on the right.

What they said -- wonderful and welcome back!!

Great processing and feel Kerry! So pretty and lonely at the same time.