2016 PHOTOCHALLENGE, WEEK 46: URBAN DECAY – SELECTIVE COLOR

Over the past 2 years now, I've been taking part in the PhotoChallenge.org weekly photo challenges.  The goal of these challenges is to get people taking pictures every week, gain inspiration, and to try new techniques.  I've done pretty well keeping up (except those portrait challenges) and have tried a lot of new things.  In these blog posts I'm going to post my response to this week's challenge, as well as some of my older pictures that fit the criteria... Oh, and feel free to take part, this is a free and open challenge for all budding photographers!

2016 PHOTOCHALLENGE, WEEK 46: URBAN DECAY – SELECTIVE COLOR

Last week's challenge called for Urban Decay...but I couldn't leave my very Rural town the whole week due to family and work getting in the way of my photography!  So I trolled though my back stock and found a suitable shot for this challenge.  The idea of the challenge is to desaturate most of the picture to black and white or sepia while leaving behind one color (or more) to give a different look/impression.  I've been a fan of this technique for a while and have been trying out a few such shots myself.

This is a shot I took in Asheville NC last year.  I actually replaced the sky (very pretty and blue in the color shot, but boring in black and white) with another cloud shot from the same trip.  Then I desaturated every thing except red using Lightroom CC.  I think the effect is pretty cool.  I almost greyed out the brick to leave just the grafitti.  

2016 PhotoChallenge Week 40: Graffiti

Over the past 2 years now, I've been taking part in the PhotoChallenge.org weekly photo challenges.  The goal of these challenges is to get people taking pictures every week, gain inspiration, and to try new techniques.  I've done pretty well keeping up (except those portrait challenges) and have tried a lot of new things.  In these blog posts I'm going to post my response to this week's challenge, as well as some of my older pictures that fit the criteria... Oh, and feel free to take part, this is a free and open challenge for all budding photographers!

2016 PhotoChallenge Week 40: Graffiti

This week we look at graffiti as art.  I've been intrigued by street art for ages, especially at the fine line between this being art versus vandalism.  I'm certainly more partial to the graffiti that shows some artistic talent instead of just putting you tag on some piece of turf...

1) Crash:  This week, I've been mostly out in Waconia (a far Western suburb of the Twin Cities) with a dearth of urban street art.  We did get a brief sojourn into downtown Minneapolis on Sunday for the wedding of some friends at Day Block Brewing, and I discovered this little shot on the way in.  Not thrilling, but I kind of like the crashed out car in the background...

2) Lurking Cat: This is a cool spot in Asheville, NC with graffiti style murals and several bronze cats scattered about.

3) The Wrong Side of the Tracks:  This is another shot of Asheville...

4) What?  Me Worry?  This one is from Portland, which is just coated in graffiti.  Just about every building, street sign, and open area in certain parts of town are tagged with the stuff.  Some are silly, some beautiful, some just messed up.  You judge which this one is...