Sunday March 14, 2010

The Homestead

Topaz Adjust 4 is Fun!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Topaz Adjust 4 is now out, and I’m having a lot of fun with it! I took a while today on Twitter to answer questions about HDR and the book. One gentleman asked me about what settings I like the most in Topaz Adjust. I answered with “Photo Pop”, “Dramatic”, and “Portrait Drama”. All of those are quite nice… and great starting points for further adjustments.

Below is a shot of the cool new interface. You can get a demo from the Topaz website.

Daily Photo – The Homestead

I took my campervan from 90 KPH to 0 as soon as I saw this place on the side of the road! This caused some mild excitement with my two kids that were nestled in their clubhouse above my driver’s seat.  This was a move they came to expect over the coming days.

It seemed just like the kind of place that I needed to shoot. The old house was abandoned and falling apart. So, of course, after I took shots of the outside, I ventured inside to really have a look. I got a ton of photos, and here is the first.

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  • casusan

    Oh wow Trey – cool shot! You always wonder – who lived there? And what were their lives like? Thought provoking!

  • http://www.chrispokorny.com Chris Pokorny

    Can’t wait to see the inside!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gail-Stayton-Moshier/513775196 Gail Stayton Moshier

    I agree with all the above!!! Old places do make you wonder what happened there in times gone by. We have a lot of those in Montana, as well as several of the western states where the climate is dry. Delving into those places is always interesting, especially if they are in parks. I love ghost towns!!! Thanks for sharing some tips on how to make photos more presentable and interesting. That program you use looks really good. I’ll have to stick with the ones I have though ;-) . Have a great Sunday!! And as always, thanks for sharing another interesting photo with us!!!!

  • http://www.imageconjurer.com Bernie

    That is a really interesting looking property and a great picture.

    I’m curious as to why it is abandoned. Presumably the land is owned by someone. What has made it more economical to let the property go to waste than to rebuild on it?

  • Gary

    I’m sorry I wasn’t home when you stopped by! :)

  • Nicolas

    I like the shot, but seeing the original shot (with more sky) in the topaz adjust screencap makes me want to see the original framing too!

    Keep up the good work! I really enjoy seeing a new shot everyday

  • http://momoc.sumasu.com/ HDR Photography Blog

    The house is good subject for HDR photography..but this photo is HDR or not?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chad-Delany/1233865947 Chad Delany

    Great pic. Which lens did you use? The info button on Smug Mug isn’t working for this photo. Do you crop very often? Thanks for sharing.
    Chad

  • http://www.stuckincustoms.com Stuck In Customs

    Thanks all

    HDR — no this is not HDR – just used Topaz on it…

    Chad – 14-24 lens here

  • http://www.tedsaliphoto.ca Ted

    Darn Skippy. Topaz pulls off some great stuff, I’m in Love with it.

  • Bryan

    Lovely image, gives a nice summers day feeling. Can’t help feeling a bit sad that this was somebody’s dream home in years gone by and they and their memories are now long gone.

  • http://www.alibony.com KarenB

    Can’t wait to see the interior photos, too! I love these abandoned buildings. I just installed Topaz Adjust 4 to work with Photoshop Elements and I’m blown away by the possibilities.

  • Charles

    Now that was a powerful amount of cropping. Nice shot too. I’ve had that problem driving down the road also–old building and great light.

    –Charles

  • http://www.thinsmek.com Thin Smek

    I have driven past a few abandoned houses like this before on the Main South road in Canterbury. I don’t think I saw this one though…Where is it?

    On the main south road between Ashburton and Rakaia or somewhere thereabouts near Ashburton, there is a huge abandoned wooden barn right on the roadside. It is built very tall, and graffiti all over it, but is has nothing inside. The door is broken, so you can look in. Someone may be interested in taking an HDR photograph of it, I myself don’t have the right equipment.