Look Closer
Welcome
Posted by Viewfinder (Bradenton, FL, United States) on 15 November 2007 in Architecture and Portfolio.
I am told that red doors are welcoming doors because red is a color that usually attracts the eye first. I don't know about all that, but these are definitely red doors.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AT AM3. I am out and probably away from the computer all this week. We are headed to north Georgia to spend Thanksgiving with our son and his wife and her family. I hope everyone who celebrates this holiday has a wonderful day, filled with turkey and gratitude for every blessing. And those who do not, I hope will remember to count their blessings and be thankful. Packing and getting the SUV all set for the drive today; we leave very early Tuesday morning and plan to return sometime Sunday.
@Josh: Well it is an Anglican (US Episcopal) church door. And C. S. Lewis was Anglican, so maybe more like Narnia than I first considered. Ha-ha! Thanks!
@Dipti: Thank you Dipti. Glad you stopped by today.
tyan from Singapore
ah...this is absolutely an eye catching,wonderfully processed photo dear VF!I love the treatment!I still ahvent figure out how to do it even though i see so many p/bloggers experiment with it.I like the leaves overlooking the whole pic,as if one is sneaking into the red door.:)
15 Nov 2007 6:00am
@tyan: tyan, thank you for your observations and comments today. As for the effects here, it's easy -- just download picasa from Google and you'll be doing things like this and better, in no time at all.
Mandy from South Africa
Oh VF - that's awesome!!! And you're right. When I did my photography courses that was one of the first things they told us. If you have a picture with red or yellow in it the eye will be drawn there first as they "draw" the eye! So they had told us to steer clear of those colours when photographing people as it would detract from the face and the eye would first land on the clothing!!! :) Besides that - I love this shot. Those doors look so impressive and the selective colouring really makes this shot a one in a million!!! Awesome work as always my dear friend.
15 Nov 2007 6:38am
@Mandy: Wow, red or yellow would be a distraction when photographing people. I've heard busy clothing patterns (like plaids, certain florals or paisleys) can be a problem in certain situations as well. But thank you for the affirmation and for the confirming insights on the red thing. You are the best, my friend! Blessings.
ColNed Pictures from Amersfoort, Netherlands
Stunning work, colorizing... this is way cool !!
15 Nov 2007 7:43am
@ColNed Pictures: Much appreciation, my friend! ;-)
@badala: Thank you.
vu@granby - gilles from Granby, Québec, Canada
Nice, very very nice,
great processing.
15 Nov 2007 9:33am
@vu@granby - gilles: Glad you like this one, mon ami!
Katie from Japan
Pretty red door, nice house too. Although it seems like you haven't completely desaturated the yellow from the door frame (top) and desaturated the bottom of the door slightly... Could be just me.. Nice concept though.
15 Nov 2007 10:27am
@Katie: Wow, what an eye! You're right about the bottom of the door; am not altogether sure what yellow you're seeing on the top, but it's likely you are correct also. And you might notice the foreground lamp post is also not desaturated. Used a picasa tool called "focal b&w" to create this impression; it sort of offers a circle of color which you can expand or shrink, not a straight line -- which explains "how come" the top edge of the door, the bottom, and the lamp aren't perfectly desaturated or colorized completely.
Now, having said this, I visited your site and am blown away by the great photos you've got in your "browse" section. Katie, you are one helluva photographer! Thanks for coming by my humble little place today, and for offering your insights. Oh, and your shots of Japan are among the best I have seen anywhere.
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
And this is definetely an outstanding Composition VF, I love the selective colouring here. The tree-framing adds total charm :)
15 Nov 2007 11:03am
@Lorraine: So glad you like this one, Lorraine. In its original it was a boring, straight on shot. Which is why I decided to play with the colorizing thingie on picasa. I definitely like the processed version better than the original.
Anne from White Rock, Canada
This is absolutely lovely! I haven't used Picasa in a while but I must look into that tool - its a great effect! The beautiful frontage of the house and the framing you have used is splendid! :-)
15 Nov 2007 11:19am
@Anne: Thanks Anne. I like picasa; it's quick loading and fairly easy to get things done in. The free download version is limited in what it will do, but for simple quick effects I go here, and save Adobe for more complicated things.
Craiger from Vacaville, California, United States
Good job VF! I like this effect!
15 Nov 2007 11:23am
@Craiger: Glad you like -- picasa is a really easy program to use. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Can't do all things with the freebie download, but there's enough to play with. Thanks for commenting.
@Walt: Thank you Walt.
Laurie from New Jersey, United States
Nicely spotted and while I'm not a huge fan of selective coloring it works well for images like this one.
I did notice a little gray in the lower part of the door. I know Picasa is fairly limited for this kind of work which may be why the lower part isn't red. I haven't used Picasa in a couple of years though
15 Nov 2007 2:50pm
@Laurie: Laurie, thanks for coming by. You are exactly right -- the picasa tool I used does the selective coloring in sort of a soft circle or oval, which is why the lower part of the door is not so red. It's still handy for quick things and fun stuff like this.
@Shawna: Thank you Shawna. Glad you came by.
Reza from Montreal, Canada
This should be a great house. Very nice shot of this beautiful house, I like selective coloring here.
15 Nov 2007 4:19pm
@Reza: Lol. It's actually one of God's houses -- the doors of an Episcopal church building. But thanks for your comments.
Betsy Barron : www.thebetsy.com from Glenmoore, United States
creative selective color... very nice!
15 Nov 2007 5:34pm
@Betsy Barron : www.thebetsy.com: Thanks Betsy; I appreciate your coming by.
MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom
A wonderful shot of this magnifcent church, I love your use of selective colouring too, it works beautifully.
I noticed in your reply to tyan, about doing this in picasa, I've got picasa2 but I don't think it allows me to do selective colouring! :(
15 Nov 2007 5:42pm
@MaryB: My picasa version is a straight downloaded/freebie version. If you open yours and select a pic, it will offer a menu/window on the left side that ought to permit you doing this -- I think... Thanks for commenting here today MaryB. Am always glad to hear from ya!
MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Ooooops! I've just read another of your replies this time to katie and I've found it woooohoooo! LOL :D
now the fun begins :)
15 Nov 2007 5:46pm
@MaryB: Great! Glad you found it; now I can't wait to see how you shots start coming out. :o)
HorseRotorVator from Newton, United States
Wonderful capture!...love the bright red.
15 Nov 2007 6:02pm
@HorseRotorVator: Thanks HRV! Wish I could smile here like the doggie on your site.
Bron from Canberra, Australia
Great shot VF _ I haven't tried this feature in Picasa - I'll have to try it!
15 Nov 2007 6:14pm
@Bron: Thanks Bron. Give it a go -- picasa is so quick and easy for simple things like this. I've wondered about the premium version; the download freebie works fine for my purposes.
amy from Rocky Mountain House, Canada
I just love selective colouring no matter how you do it.. This just pops VF!! Excellent use of this tool and perfect subject for it!!
15 Nov 2007 6:48pm
@amy: I'm very happy with the response this shot has been getting today. Thanks amy, for your words of encouragement. Means a lot!
@Markus: Many thanks Markus, your affirmation here sure feels good today!
Weekend Warrior( LV) from Kamloops, Canada
FANTASTIC VF!!!! I know the program well which you speak of and have used it myself. It is not bad for a free program hey?
16 Nov 2007 12:12am
@Weekend Warrior( LV): Wow! Welcome back in your new identity, LV -- or should that be WW now? Heh. So, so glad you're back among us! And thanks for the big "FANTASTIC" on my little offering today. Glad you know the freebie picasa stuff too; can't argue with the cost, for sure.
Jen from Alpharetta, United States
Sounds good to me, but I have a green door wonder what that means? LOL
Great shot...love the selective saturation VF!
16 Nov 2007 1:56am
@Jen: Yeah, our door is green too. Guess that means somebody ran out of red paint? LOL.
@Me 2: Well how nice of you to say so, Mr. 101.
Ken McCoy from Orlando-Daytona Beach, FL, United States
This is really cool. The light tones of the building and trees give the impression of a mausoleum - or of an infrared shot. Either way, the red door is awesome.
16 Nov 2007 4:34am
@Ken McCoy: Heh, it's an Episcopal Church. Lol. Thanks for the kind words Ken. Blessings my friend.
@jelb: Bonjour, mon ami. Merci for the very nice comment.
marcel lemieux from bedford,quebec, Canada
Superb shot!...absolutely beautiful....wonderful presentation...lovely clear colors....the contrast of red and white is amazing......perfect..and thanks for your visits on my shots...marcel
16 Nov 2007 4:58pm
@marcel lemieux: Ah, welcome. And thank you for such a kind set of comments. I appreciate your coming here; your site is great and I enjoyed visiting there (and will return)... Blessings, mon ami.
bronzebilly u.k. from Barry,Vale of Glamorgan, United Kingdom
hey VF--impressive work my friend--great result--billy
18 Nov 2007 12:25am
Rabbit from Richmond, United States
A grand job of selective color here. I know it sure caught my eye first!
19 Nov 2007 3:35am
Nikon D80
1/200 second
F/4.8
ISO 400
285 mm (35mm equiv.)