Area 52: Week 2 (Part the Second-Lanscapes)

To know me at all is to know I have an odd fetish for barns and other decaying bits of Americana as photography subjects.  The holiday season provides no relief from that affliction, so:

That Ol' Time Advertisin'

I found this glorified shed still standing on a rise just outside of Xenia, IL.  When I was growing up, I recall dozens of barns with advertising painted on the rooftops, but that redneck Mad Men strategy seems to have gone the way of the loon a long time ago.  The color version of this is kind of striking: a sun-bleached yellow roof, the line between the faded red paint protected by the overhang against the far more faded red beneath.  However, I LOVED the B&W treatment, so...here 'tis.  Much more tasteful than billboards, yes?  That motion just carried without objection. 

There was apparently a state license required to advertise this way.  The original metal plate is still on the west side of the building...gonna hafta go back for that pic, huh?

No...Really...?

I found the signage in this picture so...obvious.  I used a preset to mimic Kodachrome 400 film to excellent effect, I think.  Presets - and tweaking same - are a new addiction.












Finally, a sort of test shot:

Again with the Kodachrome treatment.  I found this old barn by accident.  It's on the outskirts of town, just east of a neighborhood in which I misspent many a night of my youth, yet I'd never seen this spot before.  I didn't have opportunity to get out and explore the property at the time this particular pic was taken...but was able to return today (1/13) for more detailed work.  Later for those, kids.






BONUS LEVEL:  The color version of the first shot:

I think that last will work better on a sunny day.  But photographers - even the hamfisted - take what they can get while planning to come back for more.