Silo Art Trail

[Grumpy John]

I've been promising myself for quite a while to do the Silo Art Trail in Western Victoria, so I finally managed to extract the digit and headed off for a few days in the Mallee District.
I always knew that there were going to be challenges in photographing these silos, particularly with respect to perspective. It's not easy taking photo's of tall objects from ground level.

Rapunyup - Julia Volchkova
"Rupanyup’s silo art is the work of Russian mural artist, Julia Volchkova, who turned her attention to the town’s youth and their great love of team sport. The work vividly captures the spirit of community and provides an accurate insight into rural youth culture.

The featured faces are those of Rupanyup residents and local sporting team members, Ebony Baker and Jordan Weidemann. Fresh-faced and dressed in their sports attire (netball and Australian Rules football, respectively), Baker and Weidemann embody a youthful spirit of strength, hope and camaraderie.

Rendered onto a squat pair of conjoined Australian Grain Export steel grain silos, the delicately nuanced monochromatic work is typical of Volchkova’s realist portraiture style.

Accomplished over several weeks and unveiled in early 2017, the mural quietly honours the integral role that sport and community play in rural Australian populations."
From http://siloarttrail.com/works/rupanyup/



SOOC.

Camera Model Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/125
Av(Aperture Value) 22
Metering Mode Spot Metering
ISO Speed 100
Lens Sigma 8-16mm
Focal Length 16.0mm
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode Manual focusing



After a very quick edit, still more work to do on this image. CC welcome.

[Grumpy John]

Both silo's in this shot.

SOOC
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/320
Av(Aperture Value) 8.0
Metering Mode Spot Metering
ISO Speed 100
Lens Sigma 8-16mm
Focal Length 8.0mm
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode Manual focusing



This will be an interesting exercise for my CC2020 skills. I will probably start a new thread on distortion correction for anyone who wants to follow the journey.

I have made some global adjustments in ACR 12.

Step 1, lens correction applied.


Step 2, basic corrections for colour, exposure etc.


Step3, attempt to correct the converging verticle lines.


Even with a full shift to the left the verticles are still converging, only a tad though.

A little more adjustment in CC2020 and the verticles are damn close to paralllel.




I'm going to need some help fixing the distorted top on the right hand silo.

[wigz]

The first shot is looking good John. The second looks like a challenge to correct.

[Grumpy John]

Lucky that I'm retired and have all day to play around learning Photoshop.

[Isac]

That's a good challenge John. I think trying to make the vertical lines all perfect is going to be a tricky edit and is it really going to give you a good outcome? I think you have to leave some sort of slanting in at the top to give the silos some perspective to show the POV. That's going to be a difficult edit to get the distorted tops fixed but doable.

[Grumpy John]

Thanks Isac, I can back off on the verticals a tad, but the top(s) are going to be a problem. Even in the original image the R/H top is quite distorted. I was going to take my drone with me to take most of the silo images but the battery was flat to the point of not being able to be recharged. I ordered a new battery but it hadn't arrived before I left on the trip. It was in the letterbox when I returned home.

[wigz]

I agree with Isac here in that it's best not to try to fully correct. Depends on the photo of course.

[Ozzie_Traveller]

+1 to each above comment
Phil

[K1W1]

DXO in their Nik Suite have a new product called Perspective Efex. From my limited playing with it it seems better and easier to get perspective correct than trying to use PS. I think that they have a free trial version it could be worth downloading and playing with.

[Grumpy John]

Thanks K1W1, I have the original NIK Suite (paid $120 for it). I'll have a hunt around for Perspective Efex.

[K1W1]

https://nikcollection.dxo.com/perspective-efex/

[Grumpy John]

Thanks for that mate. I've downloaded the trial version.

[Grumpy John]

Sheep Hills - Adnate



Original image SOOC and EXIF Data as promised.
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/800
Av(Aperture Value) 3.2
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM | Contemporary 013
Focal Length 17.0mm
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode One-Shot AF
AF area select mode AF Point expansion:top/bottom/left/right

[Grumpy John]

I had more room to move with this one Alan, so I used my Siggy 17-70. I'll edit my post to include the original image and the EXIF Data.

[Isac]

Nice work John, colours are fabulous and that artwork is rather special.

[Grumpy John]

Thanks Isac, there are a few more to come when I get a round tuit.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oBFoui7Gu2.../s400/RT+1.jpg

[HansE]

Looks like you are going to finish up with a great collection.

[Grumpy John]

Thanks Hans. They are not the easiest of things to capture even though they're stationary. A lot of unwanted items get included in the original capture that need to be edited out to present a pleasant image.

[Isac]

I've got a Round Tuit you can borrow!

[Grumpy John]

I could do with a couple of them

[Grumpy John]

Brim - Guido van Helten

[K1W1]

I see that there is a big stink about the term Silo Art Trail. Some Victorian Shire is trying to trademark it.

[Isac]

Here's the Wellington Dam mural (and others)
https://www.colliemuraltrail.com/mur...en-reflections
Guido is one hell of an artist: https://www.pinterest.com.au/digitlt...do-van-helten/

[Grumpy John]

Guido did the Brim silo's

[Isac]

That's why I posted the link. He's been around the world doing this type of art. He's a genius.

[Grumpy John]

Patchewollock - Fintan Magee

#1


#2


#3

[Isac]

Bloody marvelous! keep 'em coming.

[Grumpy John]

Will do.

[wigz]

They look great John

[Grumpy John]

Lascelles - Rone

About the work

In order to capture the true essence of Lascelles, Melbourne-based artist, Rone knew that he had to learn about the town from those who were deeply connected to it. Here, he depicts local farming couple Geoff and Merrilyn Horman, part of a family that has lived and farmed in the area for four generations.

Rone says that he wanted the mural to portray his subjects as wise and knowing, nurturing the town’s future with their vast farming experience and longstanding connection to the area.

In mid 2017 Rone worked for two weeks to transform the two 1939-built GrainCorp silos. He went to great lengths to paint in the silo’s existing raw concrete tones to produce a work that would integrate sensitively into its environment. Utilising this muted monochrome palette, he added water to his paint as a blending tool to produce a ghostly, transparent effect – a signature of his distinctive painting style.


I really like this guys work, here is some more of his art.

#1


#2


#3 A tight crop on the eyes, fantastic detail.


#4


#5 Cropped to give the woman more space to look into (not really, just less space behind her).


#6 A tight crop on the face.


#7 On the eyes.

[K1W1]

Burnham Beeches was pretty crowded during the Rone installation and not allowing tripods was an entirely practical and sensible decision. The exhibition was there for people to look at and admire it was not an exercise for selfish photographers to hog the space and get in the way of other visitors. Bitching about this when not having been there is simply bitching for the sake of bitching. As a person who visited the place several times during the exhibition period and as a photographer I think it was great that tripods were not allowed. Their use would have ruined the experience for most of the other patrons there at the time. The whole point of the exhibition wad that it was a passing moment in time never to be repeated so it was there to enjoy and if you had some happy snaps to remember it by (as I do) well and good. The mansion has now been returned to its pre exhibition state and I believe that Rone has even sorted out Heritage Victoria’s issues that they had with the lake he created in Alfred Nicholas’ former office room.

[Grumpy John]

Very eloquently put K1W1. I would be very interested is seeing you images from the exhibition if you wouldn't mind sharing them.

[Isac]

K1W1, I'm sure the selfish photographers such as me (in consideration of others) would have taken their shots and moved on, whether they had a tripod or not, but as I have offended you with my comment I have removed it.

[wigz]

Stunning shots of wonderful paintings

[Grumpy John]

Nullawil - Smug

[Isac]

Fabulous work of art John TFS. They would look great in a coffee table book.

[Isac]

Here's the coffee table magazine featuring Grumpy John's photographic expedition into the wild.

[Grumpy John]

Excellent, how much do you think it will sell for?

[Isac]

$35.99 for sure.