Eureka !!!

black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
edited November 7, 2014 in Other Cool Shots
St. Augustine, FL, will soon celebrate its 450 year birthday. To pay tribute to this milestone, I decided to highlight one of the oldest standing structures in the city.....a coquina-block courtyard wall. As I continued to mess around with this project, I began to visualize a unique approach to the effort.

The wall is, in fact, very muted in color....largely grays and muffled browns. I began to wonder what it would look like if I threw some of my trusted rust-shooting elixir at it. GRACIOUS. I wasn't prepared for the outcome.



St.%20Augustine%201-24-10%20011-X3.jpg
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.

Comments

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    I need to get some of this potion a.k.a. rust-shooting-elixir!!!:D
    Super abstract! So much going on, so many colors, action on right third, all working harmoniously!
    Love it!iloveyou.gif
  • lifeinfocuslifeinfocus Registered Users Posts: 1,461 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    Color extravaganza!

    After you get many comments, it might be fun to post the original as a comparison.

    Phil
    http://www.PhilsImaging.com
    "You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
    Phil
  • TonyCooperTonyCooper Registered Users Posts: 2,276 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    Tom, you need to join a support group of some sort. Something like Alcoholics Anonymous,
    but one that requires you to talk to your sponsor before rustaforizing a perfectly good image.

    I know that wall, and have some shots of it in my textures and background files ready to
    drop in some photograph where I don't like what's there. Millions of sea creatures gave
    their lives and donated their shell houses to create that wall and now they're on LSD
    thanks to you.

    If you keep this up, you'll be banned from all future Concours d'Elegance events as
    the man with the rust filter on his camera.
    Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
    http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
  • toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    He He He... Tom that's great... (have you run out of LSD yet?)
    Rags
  • SeefutlungSeefutlung Registered Users Posts: 2,781 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    I want some of that! (Nice job on the wall also.)
    My snaps can be found here:
    Unsharp at any Speed
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    Stumblebum wrote: »
    I need to get some of this potion a.k.a. rust-shooting-elixir!!!:D
    Super abstract! So much going on, so many colors, action on right third, all working harmoniously!
    Love it!iloveyou.gif

    I have to admit, Taz, that this one bowled me over. I'm never really sure how these exercises will turn out. Early on, though, I could see that I had a tiger by the tail with this one.... surprised the hell out of me.

    Take care, my friend,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    lifeinfocus wrote: »
    Color extravaganza!

    After you get many comments, it might be fun to post the original as a comparison.

    Phil

    I tell you, Phil, I was slap blown away when this plethora of colors started emerging. I might have expected something like that happening if I were working with rust.... I'm used to that. But, golly, this wall is made from blocks of shell fragments and what is essentially cement. Not a bit of rust in sight. Thankfully, this episode has been as educational for me as it has been exciting.

    I might run the original.

    See you,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    TonyCooper wrote: »
    Tom, you need to join a support group of some sort. Something like Alcoholics Anonymous,
    but one that requires you to talk to your sponsor before rustaforizing a perfectly good image.

    I know that wall, and have some shots of it in my textures and background files ready to
    drop in some photograph where I don't like what's there. Millions of sea creatures gave
    their lives and donated their shell houses to create that wall and now they're on LSD
    thanks to you.

    If you keep this up, you'll be banned from all future Concours d'Elegance events as
    the man with the rust filter on his camera.

    I'd probably have a personal support group if I could keep anyone in the circle for more than several days.

    I'll make a bet. You poll all those little sea creatures now and you'll find out that they're one hell of a lot happier than they've ever been.... thanks to me.wings.gif

    Oh no, Tony, I'm a slick old bird. I know how to hide my aberrations and strange proclivities from that high-end collectible car crowd. I'm going to write a book one day.

    Good to hear from you,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    torags wrote: »
    He He He... Tom that's great... (have you run out of LSD yet?)

    I wish we heard from you more often, Rags. As I remember, you can get pretty dang creative yourself.

    Brother, I was always a little scared of LSD.... figured I might be the one in 10,000 that couldn't make it back.

    BTW...have you ever heard about mushroom tea?

    See you,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • JuanoJuano Registered Users Posts: 4,890 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    Sweet!
    Cristóbal


    www.mind-driftphoto.com
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    Seefutlung wrote: »
    I want some of that! (Nice job on the wall also.)

    Apparently you and a fair number of other folks as well. My instincts tell me that there's a business opportunity here that I'm missing. :D

    Thanks for the visit and support,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2014
    ...
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 5, 2014
    As per Phil's suggestion for comparative purposes, I'm including this shot of the subject wall in its actual state of appearance. This exposure is straight out of the camera with only a very slight bump in overall luminosity. Who would have guessed the secrets the wall was hiding?


    St.%20Augustine%201-24-10%20012-X2.jpg
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • lifeinfocuslifeinfocus Registered Users Posts: 1,461 Major grins
    edited November 5, 2014
    black mamba wrote: »
    As per Phil's suggestion for comparative purposes, I'm including this shot of the subject wall in its actual state of appearance. This exposure is straight out of the camera with only a very slight bump in overall luminosity. Who would have guessed the secrets the wall was hiding?

    I suspect this will encourage us all to take shots of things we might not have in the past.

    Thanks for the after and before look.

    Phil
    http://www.PhilsImaging.com
    "You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
    Phil
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 5, 2014
    Earache wrote: »
    First:
    Looks like you gathered a full portion of serendipity with this image Tom!
    It's like that when photography becomes as much art, as method.
    I get a kick out of your getting a kick out of the creative process - thanks for sharing that!
    Very cool art man - keep 'em coming!

    Next: :soapbox
    imo... Unfortunately, the cultural and chemical excess' of the 1960's caused a negative stigmatization, leading to a
    broad puritanical reaction to the existence and use of many psychotropic substances (damn hippies and their music :D).
    Undeniably, LSD use/abuse contributed to many sad stories of personal tragedy and death - it is not something to trifle with - however,
    the repression and subsequent laws forbidding the possession of such compounds, extended to even the scientific and clinical research into possible
    beneficial uses for these substances - especially the natural compounds like Psilocybin (mushroom).
    For many decades, nothing was learned (in a controlled environment) about the psychological and physical effects of psychotropics,
    and it did not help that the public face of psychotropic advocacy at the time was the very intelligent, but equally loony (without the drugs), Timothy Leary.

    Passions have subsided, attitudes have changed, so, the Feds have lightened-up and are permitting clinical studies into the efficacy of using
    Psilocybin to treat disorders such as PTSD, terminal illness anxiety (fear of death), and very promisingly, severe migraines.
    Positive results have been noted and research continues... however, the negative social stigma is still strong - perhaps irretrievably.

    The fact is, natural compounds were used for thousands of years in cultures around the world, without moral prejudice... however, many of us may never
    be able to appreciate this history due to our shared cultural experiences dealing with the scourge of illicit drug-abuse during the last 60 years.

    PS... sorry to interject/hijack - it's a topic I'm very interested in.

    First: Most of y'all know my usual range of subject matter.....cars, old buildings, a smattering of other eclectic offerings, a landscape or two, etc. This fascination with manipulating the qualities of rust ( and, now, perhaps other subjects as well ) constitutes playground time for me. I can throw caution and tradition out the window and just have fun. Very important time for the health of my psyche.

    Next: Please, Eric, have no fears about intruding upon my postings. Feel free to express yourself at any time. That goes for everybody.

    If there was anyone primed and pumped for the '60's, it was me. 19 years old, full of piss and vinegar, and indestructible. Geeeze....I was ready for it all. And, believe me, I gave it a real run.

    I found your discourse on " natural compounds " very interesting. I'm neither embarrassed nor ashamed to admit that I've tangled with such stuff in days gone by. One particular involvement with a bunch of Indians deep in Mexico is unforgettable. Some Peyote " buttons " hit the table and what transpired from that point on would fill a chapter in a book.

    If some contrived barriers were to fall, and beneficial, medicinal properties of these natural compounds were allowed to flower, there are, undoubtedly, some folks who could enjoy a better quality of life.

    Take care,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,970 moderator
    edited November 5, 2014
    Your elixir worked wonders here. Nothing unusual about that. Maybe someday you could take a stab at the Mona Lisa, or some other iconic painting. Might be fun...maybe we could do a mini-challenge for rustification of non-rusty things...
    My Pics
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited November 5, 2014
    Richard wrote: »
    ....Might be fun...maybe we could do a mini-challenge for rustification of non-rusty things...
    thumb.gif ^^^ This, is a great idea! Sign me up... deal.gif
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    Richard wrote: »
    Your elixir worked wonders here. Nothing unusual about that. Maybe someday you could take a stab at the Mona Lisa, or some other iconic painting. Might be fun...maybe we could do a mini-challenge for rustification of non-rusty things...

    Ummmm....the Mona Lisa. Hadn't thought about that. Where is that thing hanging? The Louve?
    I know Spain has rust....give us a peek at it, Richard.

    See you,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • DogdotsDogdots Registered Users Posts: 8,795 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    You did wonders with the original photo thumb.gif
    Mary
    www.Dogdotsphotography.com
  • EiaEia Registered Users Posts: 3,627 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    You guys crack me up with the rust. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for some rust around here...
    ~AnnaMaria~ My little life in God's big universe
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,970 moderator
    edited November 7, 2014
    black mamba wrote: »
    Ummmm....the Mona Lisa. Hadn't thought about that. Where is that thing hanging? The Louve?
    I know Spain has rust....give us a peek at it, Richard.

    See you,

    Tom
    See Eric's thread mwink.gif
    My Pics
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    Dogdots wrote: »
    You did wonders with the original photo thumb.gif

    You know, Mary, some of my stuff gets a little " out there ". I find, however, the release I enjoy from generating such work helps to balance out all the sanity I have to endure in the rest of my life.:D

    I'm glad you liked this one,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    Eia wrote: »
    You guys crack me up with the rust. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for some rust around here...

    I sure wish you would. Since fooling with rust opens up all kinds of avenues for self-expression, and considering there's no right or wrong approach, it's something I bet you'd find you enjoy. I'd love to see your interpretations....plus, we don't presently have a female participant in our little crazy group. Which means we are lacking an important perspective.

    Take care,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • rwellsrwells Registered Users Posts: 6,084 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    Well Pard,

    I guess one could look at this and say to a certain extent, that you were stoned ne_nau.gifrolleyes1.gif


    I'm afraid this might just blow out the gates of the dam, holding back the urge to employ the "rust" processing on just about anything! thumb.gif
    Randy
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    ...
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    rwells wrote: »
    Well Pard,

    I guess one could look at this and say to a certain extent, that you were stoned ne_nau.gifrolleyes1.gif


    I'm afraid this might just blow out the gates of the dam, holding back the urge to employ the "rust" processing on just about anything! thumb.gif

    Ouch!! I've just been skewered with a double-edged sword. A very salient observation on your part.mwink.gif

    In a more serious vein, Pard, these potions and processes our group has developed must be very carefully guarded. Should such capabilities fall into the wrong hands....well, they could rule the world.

    See you, buddy,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2014
    Earache wrote: »
    Yeah, I'm afraid that Crazy Train has just left the station... and I'm gleefully stoking the fire... rolleyes1.gif

    ....and I'm opening every go-fast valve on that engine that I can find.

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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