Barn inspired

I guess everybody sometimes feels a sudden urge or need to do something particular, no matter what, and the last time I experienced that feeling was just yesterday when I got home from work. I felt a desperate need to go and create a still life image, and though I had just a vague idea about its contents, I knew I would bitterly regret if I dismissed that feeling. So I decided to answer the call and though it was already late afternoon, I went to explore our barn to find something interesting enough to shoot. I found a beautiful welding apron and ironwork on the barn’s door and added ivy I bought just a week ago. I arranged them together and this is what I came up with:

I only shoot in RAW now so in this first image I applied the basic processing. You know – the lights and shadows, whites and blacks, exposure and contrast, clarity and sharpness, vibrance and contrast, all tailor-made to the photo.

Then I thought about giving the image a little bit darker and rougher feel and processed it further:

Finally, I tried just the opposite and gave the image that soft misty expression that looks so nice in some images. I created two versions of the veil, with and without a colour tint. Isn’t it interesting how much a shade of colour added to shadows can change an image?

As always on such an occasion, I was happy I didn’t let that inspiration spark fly away. You never know when (or whether at all) it would come back…