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Grunge and grime

Posted by
Curly (South Shields, United Kingdom) on 13 January 2011 in Business & Industry and Portfolio.

We all need them, and they are often cheaper and faster than a main dealer, the local mechanic is a boon in many towns. I thought I'd be courteous enough to ask for permission first and was shocked when the vehicle technician was adamant that I couldn't photograph, even from the public highway! Fortunately the owner was within earshot and he had a totally different and more welcoming approach, I hope he enjoys this picture!

This is the Coast Road Garage in between Marsden and Whitburn on the boundary of South Shields, perfect material for an HDR.

Five shots, tripod mounted, and processed in Photomatix pro 4

PENTAX K100D 1/10 second F/22.0 ISO 800 28 mm

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Even though I may not be able to visit or respond daily, I always welcome your comments or critiques.
You can also follow me on Twitter @Curly15 and Instagram @southshieldscurly

Read my views in Curly's Corner Shop, to find out a little more about my home town South Shields.

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Joan Felix from Jakarta, Indonesia

WOW !!!!!!! Very PRO ...... 5 Stars

13 Jan 2011 6:12am

Stephen from Canberra, Australia

Great shot and superb treatment! The brick walls and cracked road provide a perfect scene for your processing.

13 Jan 2011 6:38am

Zing from Hamilton, New Zealand

Cool processing, very artistic.

13 Jan 2011 6:44am

PascalXLD from Rennes, France

Sympa avec ce traitement

Bonne journée

13 Jan 2011 6:45am

J.R. from Ginowan, Japan

Super shot, he may not like the title but I bet he likes the shot

13 Jan 2011 6:50am

Roman from Thiersee, Austria

great HDR almost like a painting
very beautiful
sometimes I played with the grunge preset in Photomatix but never was satisfied with the result - though I think I must try it with other sceneries

13 Jan 2011 7:07am

STEED from Somewhere, France

HDR is really a superb treatment !!!! Love it !!!!

13 Jan 2011 8:02am

Richard from Duns, United Kingdom

Interesting reaction from the technician, a sign of our times? I like the effect, if it was hanging somewhere as a painting I'd just accept it.

13 Jan 2011 8:10am

Anne J. from Australia

The HDR creates an interesting effect.Almost more illustrative than phootgraphic.

13 Jan 2011 8:52am

Albert from Hamburg, Germany

Hardcore post-processing. Cool image.

13 Jan 2011 9:01am

CElliottUK from Reading, United Kingdom

Aren't peoples reactions to the "WMD" camera amazing! I guess he might have been claiming disability benefit-or running from his pregnant girlfriend!(Or maybe, I'm just getting too sarcastic in my old age!) Anyway, onto the shot..
The treatment makes it almost painterly or graphic rather than photographic, which adds to its charm

13 Jan 2011 9:01am

@CElliottUK: I think those scenarios are probably unlikely Chris, he was perhaps more interested in what their competitors might see in the shape of equipment or machinery in use, however I did point out that I wanted to photograph the building (from the public highway) rather than it's quite dark interior. I expressed my liking of its 1950s looks and feel.

Marilla from Turku, Finland

Very cool! This could be from a cartoon.

13 Jan 2011 9:10am

kitty from Seoul, South Korea

It looks like it is spray painted -excellent work ^^

13 Jan 2011 9:39am

grouser from Ludlow, United Kingdom

Wow Curly I get the feeling from this that the Mother-ship is just about to land somewhere right about where you are standing :)

13 Jan 2011 10:33am

Franz from Baden, Austria

brilliant compo and frame and treatment and effect and ... and ... and ... i guess i could go on for some time! i wonder what "dark secrets" this photo is supposed to reveal, because dark secrets there must be, taking the mechanic's reaction into account ... ;-))

13 Jan 2011 11:15am

dec casas from Las Pinas, Philippines

this looks like a page in a graphic novel. i like it :)

13 Jan 2011 11:16am

Florence from Paris, France

Tone mapping pushed to its limits. Very spectacular.

13 Jan 2011 11:24am

cristoF from montbéliard, France

super traitement de ta photo ,ça donne une atmosphere etrange .beau travail.

13 Jan 2011 11:46am

Fade ToBLACK from tehran, Iran

Cool

13 Jan 2011 12:22pm

fereshteh from Iran

WOW !
Excellent .

13 Jan 2011 12:31pm

Eric Cousineau from Sherwood Park, Canada

This garage has a wonderful 50's feel to it Curly and your HDR treatment has preserved that perfectly! Well done! I am sure he will appreciate the picture! ;-)

13 Jan 2011 12:40pm

Tomek from PoznaƄ, Poland

Fantastic treatment Curly.

13 Jan 2011 12:53pm

Chorlton Geordie from Manchester, United Kingdom

Used to pass this garage every day on the way to school - it's hardly changed!

Can I ask a dim question? What is HDR?

13 Jan 2011 2:37pm

@Chorlton Geordie: High Dynamic Range - read all about it here: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/

Anthony Morgan Lambert from Bielefeld, Germany

Back to your HDR OTT best.It´s realy moved on from being just a photograph !! I like the treatment,as long as it´s not every shot.A nice suprise every now and then though !!!

13 Jan 2011 4:29pm

Scene by Sharon Photography from Kingston, Ontario, Canada

I love this - so moody!! Wonderful image and treatment!

13 Jan 2011 4:58pm

PATRICK from miramas, France

splendid

13 Jan 2011 4:59pm

Zora Zoé Schmidt - sichtbar fotogrativ from Berlin, Germany

Exquisit work, Curly, it looks really dreamlike and has got an mystical and very strange atmosphere - thank you so much for the hints, I'll try this out soon too! *****

13 Jan 2011 4:59pm

tataray from france, France

Avec le titre va pas être content !... ))
Superbe traitement et compo.

13 Jan 2011 5:46pm

Tomix from landerneau, France

great advertising for them!! :))
very amazing effect and picture!

13 Jan 2011 6:50pm

The MaJor from TM HooD, Iran

such an interstin' edit

13 Jan 2011 7:59pm

SOUL AFLAME from The bosom of nature Canada &, United Kingdom

Terrific and accomplished technique here Curly adds real life and depth to the scene.

13 Jan 2011 8:20pm

JCJ from Troyes, France

that's extreme processing, looks quite good

13 Jan 2011 9:47pm

Cherished Keepsake Photography from Chapmanville, United States

awesome work on this shot... strange that the one man would act that way.. glad the owner was there to over ride the decision. Seems like since it is a place of business and in the public the man wouldn't have minded anyway..
If you take this to the owner I am sure he would be well pleased..

Thanks for the comment on my image.. and yes I did notice the tint as well :)

13 Jan 2011 10:09pm

Craig from Bradenton Beach, Florida, United States

Wonderful image...i might be wrong...but I have always found it better to shoot first and apologize afterwards...

13 Jan 2011 10:11pm

Becky from los angeles, United States

fabulous!! I'm such a fan!

13 Jan 2011 10:54pm

Nigel from Avening, United Kingdom

Could be in the USA !

13 Jan 2011 11:32pm

Steven from Chicagoland, United States

As a "grungy" myself, I love the processing that you've utilized here. :-) Great texture in the brick wall.

13 Jan 2011 11:45pm

Monterey John from Carmel, CA, United States

Rgose guys have become my best friends by keeping my old Toyota moving.

14 Jan 2011 12:27am

myky from London, Canada

Incredible treatment!

14 Jan 2011 5:53am

Julie from Easton, United States

Looks like a cartoon! Too cool!

14 Jan 2011 6:00am

Behnam from Esfahan, Iran

so colorful !!!

14 Jan 2011 8:26pm

Bill Laing from Pacific Northwest, United States

Love the gritty look.

14 Jan 2011 11:16pm

Jerry - a moment in time [...] from Chicago, United States

i love the post processing in this pic.

16 Jan 2011 6:13am

Marleen from Doesburg, Netherlands

Your processing does the trick here- great scenery to view!

17 Jan 2011 9:05pm

StarCosmosBleu from Bedford.Qc, Canada

Wow! impressive colors and details...this is like many others very good...you do know your tools..

23 Jan 2011 3:52pm

PENTAX K100D
1/10 second
F/22.0
ISO 800
28 mm

colour
hdr
south-shields
marsden
garage