Trash or Treasure?

[JimFox]

I have heard it said that one man's trash is another man's treasure. But the question is, did I manage to make this trash into treasure?

Inspired by @IainGFoulds I was out looking for garbage bins, and I found this one with a pile of trash next to it.

So is it a treasure or still trash? You can't hurt my feelings as I am clearly already down in the dumps.... dumpster that is....

Jim

 

[AlanLichty]

Its treasure if you are a cardboard recycler

You have definitely achieved gritty with this scene. Did you try adding grain to the image like Iain just did?

 

[JimFox]

Its treasure if you are a cardboard recycler

You have definitely achieved gritty with this scene. Did you try adding grain to the image like Iain just did?

Ha ha, thanks!

Yeah, this was mainly an exercise in trying to process with higher contrast. I have so many years of trying to stretch out all of the dynamic range that I could, so to try and minimize and shrink the DR, goes against the grain a bit.

I converted this to B&W in Photoshop and did all of the processing there. At the end to introduce some grain, I went into Silver Effex 3. Since it was already B&W, I was only looking at the presets they have that add some grain. So I found one towards the bottom, I need to go back and check the name of it, but it didn't say grain in it, even though to me it did add some grain.

 

[IainGFoulds]

… Jim: It really works. So many textures and elements, all brought together into one strong, whole image by the processing. Fascinating.

 

[Jeffrey]

What matters most is, are you a dumpster diver? Sometimes you find good crap in them like old gitzos, etc.

I like this image but it is a tad dark.

 

[JimFox]

… Jim: It really works. So many textures and elements, all brought together into one strong, whole image by the processing. Fascinating.

Iain, thanks so much! I am glad you liked it. And especially thank you for the inspiration to go out and look for something different to photograph and a different style to process it in!

 

[JimFox]

What matters most is, are you a dumpster diver? Sometimes you find good crap in them like old gitzos, etc.

I like this image but it is a tad dark.

Ha ha.... I should have dived in there!

Thanks Jeffrey. I went back and forth on that a bit. Maybe that's something I will get a better handle on if I do more of these higher contrast B&W's. When it was brighter, it didn't give me that gritty, grungy feel I wanted, so I darkened it. Then it was too dark.... So then I brightened it a tad from that. I appreciate your thoughts as I would like to do more of these, though not always with dumpsters....