What to do with this?

[TwoWheeler]

There's an abandoned grader nearby, that caught my eye. I'm not really sure why, so I took a bunch of "test" shots to play with. I tried a bunch of edits, threw some Neo presets at it...and still don't know if there's really anything "there". The "hurling excrement at the wall and seeing what sticks" approach didn't work, so lets see what you think.

First up, an "unsullied" view:

One thing that caught my eye was the Fox grape growing out of the window (or at least where the window used to be....),

Kinda' cool but the prevailing reaction is "what IS it?". I tried a split-tone shot of just the cab...and it's ...interesting... but again, you really have no idea what the hell you're looking at:

Now, some of you might say "B&W!" and that was one of the first things that came to mind. While I like it, to me, once you "lose" the continuity of the yellow, the machine just becomes a random collection of "things". (Which, in a manner of speaking, it kinda is...)

Any suggestions? (And "Dude, give it up, it's a stupid idea" is a valid one - I've already said it....) I know I didn't try other angles but these were just preliminary test shots. I noticed the other day that just a bit up the road that it's on, there's a "No Dumping" sign which might be amusing to include, if I shot it from the front...

 

[StevenAunan]

I think you'll have to climb up into the cab.

 

[TwoWheeler]

I think you'll have to climb up into the cab.

I’m getting a distinct “Little Shop of Horrors” vibe here….

 

[MikeZ]

I find it intriguing as well. Maybe think of it as a abstract image - keep the color and zoom-in, contrasting the mechanical to the vegetal.

 

[Bryan Conner]

Maybe macro would be the answer. Probably lots of little details to be photographed...lots of texture etc.

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

For stuff like this it always seems to be more intriguing to the eye than it is fulfilling to the camera. I'm still going, "Oooooh!", when I see something like this, but then I remember the number of times I've been in your situation.

With that said, what I've found is there are 3 ways to attack it:
1. Weird Perspective: If you're not climbing on something, crawling in the dirt, or flying a drone, it's likely not going to be that interesting with a focal length between 24-200mm.
2. Go Wide: Fisheyes and ultra-wide angle lenses help, particularly when used in conjunction with the odd angles. This will give you a better feel for the size of the object, something lacking in your shots
3. Go Close: As mentioned, there are lots of macro opportunities here.

If the goal is to show what it is, it's not going to be as interesting unless you show it in a way that unexpected. Otherwise you need to use what's there to make an image that's not the machine but what the machine (or part of it) has become.

 

[TwoWheeler]

For stuff like this it always seems to be more intriguing to the eye than it is fulfilling to the camera. I'm still going, "Oooooh!", when I see something like this, but then I remember the number of times I've been in your situation.

Yeah, that’s why I said “It’s a stupid idea, give up”. Usually the shots where I think I see something and have to think too much about, don’t work.

If the goal is to show what it is, it's not going to be as interesting unless you show it in a way that unexpected.

Part of the intent was to NOT have the viewer spend more time wondering what the hell it is than contemplating my great artistry <cough,cough>

what the machine (or part of it) has become.

That’s kind of where my brain was wandering - the irony that the machine that was used to “destroy” nature is now being consumed by nature.

But maybe abstract bits and pieces (I love abstracts) might be a way to go.

You guys have given me some ideas and, since I walk my dog there often, I’ll keep playing with it - as long as it’s there. ( Last time I got “inspired” it was a shed behind a house around the corner from me. It had been there forever and was completely covered in vines. I took some preliminary shots from my truck, realized they were all soft focused because I’d shot through the windshield and went back to try again…and it was gone! 25+ years it’d been there and a couple of days after I got the brain fart to try and take pictures, they tore it down!)

 

[ctitanic]

Old car windows make a good frame for portrait photography

All you need now is to find the subject

 

[ctitanic]

Maybe macro would be the answer. Probably lots of little details to be photographed...lots of texture etc.

I thought about that too... Screws, nuts and other things that would make a good macro.

 

[Bryan Conner]

10 or 20 years ago, everyone would probably say to do an hdr image....a very garish, overdone hdr at that.

 

[TwoWheeler]

I thought about that too... Screws, nuts and other things that would make a good macro.

Funny part is, when I was taking the test shots, I shot wide, with the idea that, when I got home, I could crop in on selected parts and punch in on details, if I had the whole thing…and that’s the one thing I HAVEN’T done. DOH!

10 or 20 years ago, everyone would probably say to do an hdr image....a very garish, overdone hdr at that.

so…since it was ten or twenty years ago, if I did it now, I could call it “retro” and it would be cool?

 

[Dean Wilson]

Sorry that I am late to the game...

Have you tried Selective Color editing for your Black and White?

 

[TwoWheeler]

Sorry that I am late to the game...

Have you tried Selective Color editing for your Black and White?

Yeah, I tried turning the grader B&W and leaving the other stuff as is.

It was -meh- which may be a reflection on my editing skills. If I could make the grader semi-transparent, now that might be something.