Kauai Sugar Mill

d-bledsoe · Jul 18, 2007

While on vacation in Kauai last month i couldn't help but notice a hand full of aboandond sugar plantations scattered throughout the small island. I decided they would make for neat subject matter. The series was not shot with my trusty d200 instead i used a canon 20d which i had never used before. Reason being is i dropped my wide angle for my nikon while on vacation.

Here are just 2 photos from the series. This truck was very fun to shoot and only got better as the sun got lower. I used a medium ND filter to help keep the sky from blowing out. Please comments are welcome.

newrmdmike · Jul 18, 2007

i like them, but they both could use some sharpening.

another thing, maybe bad maybe not is that the silos in back seem to blend into the truck, there isn't very good separation. in the first one it looks like the silos are on the back of the truck or something.

props for waiting for the right light!

d-bledsoe · Jul 18, 2007

Thanks for the comments. That is something i was thinking and trying to figure out while doing the shoot. The light was fading fast and the entire sugar mill was behind the truck. I really would have liked to have nothing behind the truck. But it was fun none the less.

PS how would i go about sharpening the photos in PS. I have been a film photographer for a long while and im new to what can be done in PS.

Thanks
-Derek

omgzmoo · Jul 19, 2007

i love them. the rust against the sky screams beauty.

flyingseale · Jul 19, 2007

That's a great looking truck. I love the way these places get abandoned along with their machinery. One day someone parked the truck after a days work and they never came back. We don't get much of this in the UK with space being at a premium.
Sharpening in PS is in the filters menu. The unsharp mask and smart-sharpening are the two I use. Unsharp mask probably better here as you have strong edges. Play with the sliders to get the look you want.

Mike