Hurricane Ike arrived this morning in Galveston. The effects here in town were limited to a bit of wind, rain, and a some limited power outages. I was in need of shooting an entry image for the Digital Sharp Shooters Challenge#8 that takes place every two weeks at http://www.dgrin.com/ . The challenge theme this go 'round is "Weathered or Polished". I had an idea about what I wanted to use as a subject when I first saw the theme. Anyone who knows me well will know that aside from people, my next favorite subject to photograph are well worn and discarded cars and trucks that are silently rusting away in their final resting places. A friend of mine is the proud owner of three late forties model Chevy trucks. One is nearly pristine, the other two are used for parts. I made a phone call to him about photographing them tommorrow, but quickly called him back when I realized that hurricane Ike had left us with some great overcast daylight.
"Nearsighted"
I shot these photos at mid day. Usually, this would have been a time of harsh undesirable lighting. Today, however, I was treated to the giant softbox effect photographers love about overcast skies. This results in softer shadows, and nice even lighting. There were a few breaks in the cloud cover that I had to wait through. Luckily, though, the wind was still brisk enough to make those breaks short in duration.
"Diamond in the Rough"
I haven't decided for sure exactly which image I will use for the contest. Having such an affinity for these old relics as I have makes it tough for me to eliminate a choice. For now I have chosen the image below, "American Pie", though I am not sure that I will use that title. Trey, the owner of this truck, is lucky to have the chance to breath life back into at least one of the three that he owns. He has offered, and I have accepted, the opportunity to use them as I wish as backdrops for portraits. I can't wait, and hope that when that day comes the light will be as great as it was today.
"American Pie"
2 comments:
Simply breathtaking. Love the first...it is phenomenal. So atmospheric, with that unbelieveable light. "American Pie" is the absolute perfect title for the 3rd photo. But then again, I have a special affinity for naming my entries with song titles. Best of luck to you!
Thanks Lynne. I'm sure you already know that I chose to enter the first, but with a name change. I spent more than a few hours with several different brackets of that shot...melding them together into one. In that time, the truck...from that vantage point became more and more human to me, reminding me somewhat of myself. I just recently celebrated my 41st birthday, and more and more when I look into a mirror...regardless of what I see, this is how I feel on the inside! I wasn't sure how to humanize the truck for others. The title, "The View", just wasn't working...especially since there is no view. Instead, I renamed it "Nearsighted", which of course is an affliction common to us.
I'm glad you enjoyed them, and thanks for leaving a comment!
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