places like this . . .

[Dennis Bishop]

On our way to take photos at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings homestead, Cheryl pointed out this country store and post office. The visual character of the outside grabbed me, but it wasn't until later in the day when we went inside that I really began to understand that its character and its importance to this part of northern rural Florida goes well beyond what can be seen with ones eyes. Although it had to be nudged back a bit when the road was widened, it's been here serving the community for more than 130 years not only as a store and post office (the oldest continuously operating one in the state) but as a gathering place. If I ever do go back and spend a year photographing at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings park, I'll frequently stop inside to visit the folks in this building. To me, at least, this is a very special part of Florida.





Nikon D3s, ISO 1000, f/22, 5-exposure HDR at 1 EV intervals, zoom lens at 28mm

processing highlights

• HDR processing was done with Nik HDR Efex but with an additional step. I'd recently seen something online about precluding halos by using part of one of the bracketed exposures. Doing that with the sky eliminated a strong halo along the tops of the trees and the roof.
• Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Hard Light blend mode
• Fractalius -- three saved black & white presets: Multiply, Divide (masked), and Multiply blend modes
• texture -- a wood texture of unknown origin was masked to the sky, Linear Burn and inverted
• Photo Filter adjustment layer -- Warming 85
• Nik Color Efex -- Tonal Contrast, Darken/Lighten Center
• Alien Skin Exposure -- border preset, Darker Color
• Belle Fleur texture -- masked to background, Darker Color
• Snap Art -- saved Line Art black & white preset, Multiply, masked
• Simplify -- saved black & white edges preset, Multiply, masked
• gradient vignette

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Dennis, you have captured the essence of the store completely. It's such a special place - in the winter there's a wood stove that burns and people sit around and talk. Freddy and Sue Wood (he did the farming and sold vegetables and she was the postmistress, now retired) were always there. In the spring the field surrounding the store is a mass of yellow and pink wildflowers and in the winter the fields surrounding that area have wintering sandhill cranes. It truly is a very special place and one of the reasons that I still live in the area. Just knowing that it's there gives me pleasure. I'm glad you got to spend time there

[Hazel Grant]

Wonderful memory for you and Cheryl. These places are hard to fine. Reminds me of the Old Sautee Store near Helen, Georgia. Your usual multilayered work did magic. I am a bit concerned, though, about the angled lines in the sky. Seems like a lot of rain coming down, but not on the store.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . Seems like a lot of rain coming down, but not on the store.

Thanks for your comments, Hazel. It looks like that to me, too, sometimes, and I came close to rejecting my idea because of it. The heart pine siding on the store is so much a part of its character that I used a wood texture in the sky. The new wood we see today is planed after it's cut (for appearance and to ensure a uniform thickness). What looks like rain is the saw marks from cutting the wood. The wood used for the building probably had saw marks and so did the texture I have. I liked the way the curve of the lines pointed toward the building, too. After debating with myself about the saw marks looking like rain, I decided to go ahead with it and hope that the wood grain would be strong enough to make it look like wood. In fact, I was careful in setting the layer opacity to make sure the grain showed.

[Diane Miller]

A wonderful treatment for this old treasure! It seems nitpicky, but I'm wondering if you have more canvas to allow a little more room at the base and to straighten the building -- it seems to be leaning to the left. That would also straighten the tree on the right edge. I really like it but wish the base wasn't touching the edge of the frame. If it were mine, the power pole would go, too.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . It seems nitpicky, but I'm wondering if you have more canvas to allow a little more room at the base and to straighten the building -- it seems to be leaning to the left. That would also straighten the tree on the right edge. I really like it but wish the base wasn't touching the edge of the frame. If it were mine, the power pole would go, too.

Thanks for your comments, Diane. If I'd had more canvas, there would be more room at the bottom. I tried some things in processing to make that happen but wasn't happy with any of them. Why in the world I didn't use a wider angle lens for the shot, I have no idea. The automatic lens correction setting in Adobe Camera Raw would've taken away too much, so I opted for a manual transformation in warp mode using vertical guides. I made sure the flagpole and most of the front of the building was straight and did a good deal of straightening on the right. However, I intentionally left the right a bit askew. Leaving the power pole in was a conscious decision, too, but I can see your point about both things.

[Anita Bower]

Very nice--both photo and story. I looked up the Rawlings park, which looks charming. I don't mind the tight crop. As always, I like your unique processing. The utility pole seems to be an integral part of the place, so it doesn't bother me at all. The sky is the distraction for me. I understand your reason for using the wood texture--a creative idea--however, I think it detracts from the image. I could go either way on straightening the right side. Thanks for sharing.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I really like the processing Dennis, the sky and the keystoning don't bother me. I wonder about the pole eviction too in keeping with the fact that it is 130 years old and would not have had hydro at the time. Looks like a charming place to spend some time.