corn picker wheel

[Dennis Bishop]

This was inspired by Anita's reflection-in-the-bathroom-faucet image. I lugged a corn picker wheel into the bathroom, put it on the counter top and shot the reflection in the faucet. You're not buying that, huh? Well, it is a corn picker wheel, but it was shot outdoors at a local museum. And it didn't really look quite like it does, here.

Nikon D3S, ISO 200, f/32, 1/4 second (not an HDR!!!)

processing

• Topaz Simplify -- Watercolor II
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- modified Watercolor preset, Soft Light blend mode, reduced opacity
• base image at reduced opacity to bring back some detail
• Flypaper Textures -- three with reduced opacities, all at Hard Light blend mode
• Photo Filter adjustment layer -- Warming 85
• four black & white layers -- all at Multiply blend mode and only one at full opacity, two Fractalius, one Simplify edges, one Snap Art Stylize Line Art (this was actually blue-violet on white)
• all that on a stamped layer went to Filter>Distort>Shear
• Alien Skin Bokeh -- masked with very soft edges from the center of the wheel
• gradient vignette

[Randall Farhy]

No critiques from me, it's art and it's interesting to look at. Thx for the chuckle with your commentary Dennis, though I will add that it could be mistaken for the cross section of a tree stump with some bolts added...nicely done.

[Diane Miller]

I have no idea what a corn picker wheel looks like (or does) but I sure do like what you did with it! I think Anita should get half your points!

[Anita Bower]

I looked at several corn picker sites before I realized you just meant the wheel on a corn picker. Sometimes I'm a bit slow to catch on.

Love the rich colors! The distortion is pleasing, creating a sweeping arc to the right. I like how the shapes distorted along the line of the arc. Very interesting textures and shapes. Just right composition.

I'm delighted to have inspired you!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, your description was too funny! Great abstraction - it could be anything

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Have no idea either what a corn picker looks like or how it worked. But I think this a visually pleasing, funky piece of work. Looks like it could be from another galaxy!

[Dennis Bishop]

If I hadn't spent a number of years on a farm when I was growing up, I guess I might not know much about corn pickers, either. As I knew them, at least, only one farmer would own one. It was a big, pricey, piece of equipment used but once a year. When it came time to harvest field corn (in the Fall), he'd be payed by the other farmers to pick their corn.

At the museum, I was interested only in details, so these unprocessed images (at least a couple of which are part of an HDR sequence because of extremes in dynamic range) might not be too instructive. The lever in the upper left was used to set the distance above the ground of the head that cut off the corn stalks (no higher above the ground than necessary). After being separated from the stalks, the ears were discharged by the elevator on the upper left into a wagon or truck that followed the picker around the field. At least that's how I remember it.

[Paul Lagasi]

Some people have just way to much time on their hands...lololol
but his time something cool came out of it, it never ceases to amaze me the lengths
we BPN'ers will go to to create.

Very nice work and post processing, I am already looking for things to photograph
on my bacthroom faucet, after I clean it of course. Thanks for sharing.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

wow quite interesting, thanks for the explanation.

I would have thought it was some type of cool art for in memorium of a canine, it looks like a dog paw in a way.

nicely done, your PP write up always impresses and scares me to death at the same time.