The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive
About This Image
For the past 22 years I’ve been a volunteer chaplain in the Texas prison system. Almost every Thursday evening I head out with my best friend to the Hightower unit near Dayton, Texas. This ramshackle outpost is on the back road leading to the prison and one day I left early to shoot it with my drone. I kind of like the straight image but I decided to use a variety of filters and techniques to produce the first image. The second is minimally processed to give a feel for the genuine appearance. Whenever I see old derelict structures like this I often wonder what tales they could tell before nature reclaims them for good. >=))>
Feedback Requested
Do you like the manipulation? Too much, not enough, meh? Is the raw material worth a second glance?
Technical Details
DJI Mini 3 Pro
ISO 100, 1/320 @ f1.7, CPL
Global adjustments in LRC, final filtering in PS including Orton effect and Oil Paint stylizing
An interesting comparison, Bill. I actually think the original view tells a better story. I drive by quite a few abandoned houses and barns in Montana that are many miles away from a town or even the nearest neighbot and always think about what brought the original owners, what happened and how hard life had to be. The doctored version is nicely warm and inviting!!!
I prefer the original image, Bill as the filters you applied, as @Mark_Seaver stated make the buildings look rather inviting rather than derelict. I could see some other creative filters that might work nicely or even playing with monochrome versions, which always seem to have a good feel for derelict structures. The original is quite nice and I think it tells the story well. I am intrigued by the hint of the front of the rear building and it makes me wonder if there’s a way to get your drone around the tree and shoot between the two buildings.
I do like the processing treatment with this, although I suppose backing it half-way to the original could be an option too. It really depends on the story you’re trying to tell. The glowing version as Dennis mentions is more inviting, almost cheery. But it sounds more like your might have been after the “derelict” mood. I dunno. If that’s the case, a sepia toned monochrome could really create a mood - or perhaps a time period.
The original is more documentary and really without your backstory we know little, if anything about this structure
I like the original color version, Bill, but I really like the sepia-toned revision suggested by @Lon_Overacker .
I am curious how the revision would respond to adding a little black to the mids. I think that would accentuate the ‘derelict’ nature of the buildings.
-P
The second revision doesn’t look too dark to me, Bill. I think it’s a matter of the mood you want to create here and if you’re like me, that can be a tough thing to define for an image like this. It could be anything from nostalgia to downright spooky, to celebrating nature’s powers of reclamation.
