Vintage Coca-Cola machine

adbsgicom

This is my first real attempt at shooting something man-made as a point of interest. I'd like some feedback on composition/lighting/processing on how to maximize interest in scenes like this. The lighting was my speedlite bounced off the roof of the porch. This old machine hangs around as a 'prop' by the general store at my daughter's camp in Texas.

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Are these the sort of picture that your process to push the grain. Seems the CocaCola is so associated with red, the it would be a shame to process it in b/w.

Thanks for any feedback. If I'm lucky, the porch will be vacant when I go back at the end of the week for pickup and I can reshoot based on some suggestions.

-a

KevXman

Andrew, I like the verticle crop of #2. You have several elements that lend themselves to this. (The Coke machine, window, door, and the objects hanging on the wall.) I also like the processing. The one thing that I would try if you can when you go back is to get all of the vending machine and the door. Having both/either cropped at the edge of the image bothers me. Can wait to see the reshoot.
— Kevin

Jack'll do

Excellent pp Andrew. #2 is my favorite. The landscape view just doesn't do it as well as the portrait.

adbsgicom

Thanks for the feedback. There's a stairrail the gets into the right side if I go any further over. I was trying to get the coke logo on the side and not get the rail, which, in retrospect was the wrong priority and pretty stupid on my part. Looks like I'll need some cloning/patching there. Both portrait images were shot at 28mm (full-frame camera), but the perspective ended up very differently. Clearly I need to work at this. The second one maintained vertical lines, the third got very skewed. I guess my veritcal position was just different enough to really munge it. I have a wider lens that I can try to pull in more of the porch (past the door) as well, though I'm worried about keeping the vertical lines vertical -- or does that not really matter in pictures like this, and it's just me be anal? I poked a bit with adding hyper clarity to the image with the unsharp mask.

Jack'll do

adbsgicom wrote:

I'm worried about keeping the vertical lines vertical -- or does that not really matter in pictures like this, and it's just me be anal? I poked a bit with adding hyper clarity to the image with the unsharp mask.

I generally try to keep the verticals vertical too (using filter>distort>lens correction). Somehow buildings and trees leaning over just don't look right to me (dilapidated old barns being the exception )

adbsgicom

Jack'll do wrote:

adbsgicom wrote:

I'm worried about keeping the vertical lines vertical -- or does that not really matter in pictures like this, and it's just me be anal? I poked a bit with adding hyper clarity to the image with the unsharp mask.

I generally try to keep the verticals vertical too (using filter>distort>lens correction). Somehow buildings and trees leaning over just don't look right to me (dilapidated old barns being the exception )

Thanks for the pointer. Now the crop that had half of a door isn't so heinous (though I'm still losing some of the "Here's a Coke for You" logo on the side.

gvf

It looks great - as do your photos. Makes me nostalgic.

Miguel Delinquento

Andrew, that's a fine, artistic rendering. The colors and textures are engaging.

That said, I feel this shot is incomplete--it lacks soul. A coke machine is meant to be used by people. It needs some kids, or a dog, or a ghost of the same, or maybe some visual hints like old shoes or sporting gear. Something to add depth of subject.

M

adbsgicom

Miguel Delinquento wrote:

Andrew, that's a fine, artistic rendering. The colors and textures are engaging.

That said, I feel this shot is incomplete--it lacks soul. A coke machine is meant to be used by people. It needs some kids, or a dog, or a ghost of the same, or maybe some visual hints like old shoes or sporting gear. Something to add depth of subject.

M

I understand what you mean, and that could be a cool shot. I think a dual exposure with a ghost of a child reaching up to put in money, or a kid (non-ghosted) leaning against it drinking a pepsi (or coke) from a can would be an interesting juxtoposition. At the same time, the emptiness of the space speaks of the day gone by for this machine. The dust in the chute says, this machine is no longer in use. Hopefully my return trip to camp will allow me some time and (empty spaces) to play with this machine and the porch. I'll take my tripod and a remote speedlite with me this time.

Dogdots

Whats on the other side (to the right) of the machine?

I'd take it from a lower position -- looking upwards. Kind of like a childs eye view.

adbsgicom

Stairs going down off the porch. The railing (if I recall) is made from piping. This little run of space is supposed to have a western main street feel to it. I was sitting one step down shooting these pictures.

Jack'll do

adbsgicom wrote:

Thanks for the pointer. Now the crop that had half of a door isn't so heinous (though I'm still losing some of the "Here's a Coke for You" logo on the side.

Wow Andrew what an improvement. IMHO the half door was a much more serious flaw than losing half the side of the coke machine. All of the really interesting features of the machine are on the front which you captured very well. I find that most close up ultra wide shots need a bit of lens correction.

Dogdots

adbsgicom wrote:

Stairs going down off the porch. The railing (if I recall) is made from piping. This little run of space is supposed to have a western main street feel to it. I was sitting one step down shooting these pictures.

You want the door in the photo? I'd try a photo or two with the stairs instead of the door. The white paint is throwing me off with the old. Paint is kinda fresh Is that sign on the other side of the machine?

adbsgicom

Dogdots wrote:

You want the door in the photo? I'd try a photo or two with the stairs instead of the door. The white paint is throwing me off with the old. Paint is kinda fresh Is that sign on the other side of the machine?

I'll find out in a couple of days. Hopefully two things will happen. First, there won't be a swarm of people on the porch. Two, my wife and daughter will afford me some time to take pictures and play around with some angles.

Dogdots

adbsgicom wrote:

I'll find out in a couple of days. Hopefully two things will happen. First, there won't be a swarm of people on the porch. Two, my wife and daughter will afford me some time to take pictures and play around with some angles.

Have fun and I hope you get the "One" that your looking for

TonyCooper

This is the first time I've said this in a forum, but the images are too large. Too large for comparison of three different views. I have a 22" wide screen monitor and I have to scroll to see a complete vertical. Large images are good for evaluating an image, but not for comparing three images.

I like the subject matter here, but the Coke machine from that angle just bulks out and too much of the side is shown. You are not capturing a machine here; you are capturing nostalgia. You can show just part of the machine's face and the nostalgia is still there.

If you go back, I'd like to see a frontal view with the window in the frame but not the tools on the wall. With those other things on the wall it looks too much like recreated nostalgia. The Cracker Barrel interior decor look. With just the machine and the window frame, it could look like a look back in time.

adbsgicom

TonyCooper wrote:

If you go back, I'd like to see a frontal view with the window in the frame but not the tools on the wall. With those other things on the wall it looks too much like recreated nostalgia. The Cracker Barrel interior decor look. With just the machine and the window frame, it could look like a look back in time.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll add this crop/angle into my list of things to try.

anvilimage

I really like the feel and darkness to #2... I think it would look great like that with a more shallow DOF and maybe some texture overlayed in post.

adbsgicom

anvilimage wrote:

I really like the feel and darkness to #2... I think it would look great like that with a more shallow DOF and maybe some texture overlayed in post.

Did you notice the later addition in the thread with the extra noise and over-sharpening? I haven't played with rolling on textures yet in pp. Something to add to the "To-Learn" list.

anvilimage

adbsgicom wrote:

Did you notice the later addition in the thread with the extra noise and over-sharpening? I haven't played with rolling on textures yet in pp. Something to add to the "To-Learn" list.

Textures are a piece of cake!

With this image or any others try this(simplified):

1. head over to http://www.textureking.com/ and grab a texture or two that you like

2. Put it on a layer above the image and change the blending mode to Overlay, Soft Light or Hard Light.

3. Lower the opacity until you get the desired effect.

4. If there is too much texture on an element, add a layer mask to the texture and slowly brush it away until you get the result you want.

That's the easy way... here's a link to another:

http://www.sandiegodslr.com/?q=node/718

Art Scott

very cool subject....you mentioned pick up....are you taking this home with you????bowbow

Here is my take....great subject and the angles are close....but need less wall space on the left and a bit of wall on the right.....show 2 whole sides of the machine in other words......shoot a series in manual for producing an HDR....there shoudl be enuff contrast in the machine alone for a decent HDR......

Damn that is a cool "pop" cooler...........

adbsgicom

Art Scott wrote:

very cool subject....you mentioned pick up....are you taking this home with you????bowbow

....

No such luck (you can retract your 's). Pickup meaning my daughter at the camp where this is located. The machine was probably functional when the camp opened over 50 years ago.