Shrimp Boats, Early Morning

[Dennis Bishop]

Serendipity -- gotta love it. While traveling leisurely homeward, we decided to take a road that preceded the interstate. It was well after dark when we came to Georgetown SC and stopped for the night at a Hampton Inn. One of the good things about a Hampton for people permanently attached to their camera is the local photographs that adorn the walls in the rooms and common areas. Because it was dark and we'd been guided by the car's navigation system instead of a real map, I had no idea how close we were to the coast. Or that there were shrimp boats tied up close-by. The next morning, armed with a local map and landmarks, both provided by a helpful person at the front desk, I headed out before breakfast to find the boats.

I got mixed reactions (from a very small sampling of people) to the image I made after returning home. It's the one I'd have posted if my favorite textures company hadn't released their tintype collection a couple days ago. That was more a great coincidence than serendipity.

Nikon D3S, ISO 200, f/22, three-exposure HDR at 1 EV increments, zoom at 17mm

processing highlights

• perspective correction -- A combination of limited room (my shoulder was against a building), a lot of things I didn't want in the image, and the angle at which I had to point the camera resulted in major keystoning. It was one of those times I wished I had a tilt-shift lens.
• Topaz Simplify -- Watercolor II preset, extensive and sometimes heavy masking because of webbing
• Digital Film Tools Rays -- masked, to add the sun rays (which really weren't there)
• Curves -- a zillion masked custom layers for lightening, darkening, and contrast
• Nik Color Efex -- Sunlight, masked
• Photo Filter adjustment layer -- Warming 85, masked
• Redfield Fractalius -- three masked B&W layers, Multiply blend mode
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- Stylize Line Art B&W layer, Multiply blend mode
• uniform gradient vignette
• Flypaper Textures -- three layers of the same texture, Normal, Hard Light, and Color (masked) blend modes

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, this is so well thought out and executed. The sun rays are the crowning glory to me. I really like the framing also

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Dennis,
I really think this turned out fantastic! I could see you pushing the color/lighting of the boat as well but the soft mood works just right. Just another option for you to explore. I am not usually a fan of borders.....but this works very well with the subject! All in all....a winner for me!

[Diane Miller]

The composition and treatment are wonderful! The right edge of the frame overpowers my eye a little, but it can be justified by no large features in the image next to it, fighting with it.

I'll sometimes copy a frame layer and flip the copy right to left and "re-use" one edge to cover up an original edge that doesn't fit as well.

[Dennis Bishop]

The composition and treatment are wonderful! The right edge of the frame overpowers my eye a little, but it can be justified by no large features in the image next to it, fighting with it. . .

I appreciate your comments, Diane. I had some misgivings about that edge because of the blob near the top. Actually, I rotated the texture to put it there instead of the bottom right where it would've been. That part of it was bright and shiny, so I darkened it substantially with Curves to make it less distracting. I also masked a Curves layer for contrast and one for lightening off the entire part of the texture that looks like a frame. (The texture layer impacts the entire image.) I think I understand what you said you sometimes do, and I could do a variation of that, here. Tintypes really were monotone, and I'll probably do a monotone version of this sometime. When that happens, I'll re-think the right edge.

[Christopher Miller]

Very nice, Dennis! Lovely scene with the boats and the sun rays in the BG. I love the yellowed color cast and the tintype frame. I also like Diane's idea of replacing the right side of the frame.

[Mitch Carucci]

Masterful processing of a classic scene. Love the light/clouds reaching up behind the boat. Evocative.