Somewhere Stairs by auntietk
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Description
The data on this photo shows I took it on April 6th. That means we were somewhere in Staunton, Virginia. I have a vague recollection of going through a doorway and seeing this back staircase. Whatever we were doing, the upstairs wasn't part of the deal, and those stairs were roped off or gated or something.
I got this shot with my phone, which is the widest angle lens in the history of photography, and the architecture turned out weirdly warped in the shot. So I skewed and fiddled and post worked this within an inch of its life. Heck, I don't even think the height and width dimensions match any more. It also has more than a passing relationship with a couple of NIK filters.
So here you are. A staircase somewhere, looking somewhat like it looked, but not really. The intersection of photography and the mind of the artist. Fun stuff!
........
We left Washington DC yesterday morning and drove to Sharpsburg, Maryland to tour the Antietam National Battlefield. Antietam was a major battle in the American Civil War. After we were done there, we drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the site of another major Civil War battle. We'll be here for a few days, which will allow Bill plenty of time to take a ranger tour, look at everything in the visitor center, and read every monument and plaque he sees. Bill's interest level in the Civil War is VERY high. Mine is almost nil. When I planned this part of our trip, I knew I would be spending quite a bit of time at the hotel by myself, but that's okay. After a month on the road, I need some down time. Bill is very excited to be here. I don't always share the details of what we're doing and where, exactly we're going, so he knew we were going to Gettysburg, but he didn't know we were staying in a hotel right next door. As it turns out, our hotel room window looks out over the cemetery. I mean ... open the drapes, and ten feet away are tombstones. He's a happy camper!
Our drive up here was lovely. After we got out of the traffic and craziness of Washington DC, we had a leisurely drive through the Maryland and Pennsylvania countryside. Beautiful farms, lots of hills, and great swaths of hardwood forest. It's beautiful! We have no pictures to show you, though. Bill was driving and I was navigating, which doesn't leave a lot of time for photography.
Comments (11)
T.Rex
When I saw the thumbnail I just KNEW it was you. Stark, very clean photo, despite all the adjustments. Thanks for the description of your corrective work on this. And thanks for the description of your drive to Antietam and Gettysburg. I know a bit about the Civil War, but far from enough. That it pitted family, friends and neighbors against each other I know, which is why it was so horrible. And the scars are still with us today. I'd like to know more and have 4 books about the war from the Swedish Military History Library/Book Club. When will I get the time to read them? From you description I foresee a lot of interesting photos from both of you. You could get some interesting ones from that window! Keep up the good work! :-)
durleybeachbum
So very elegant! Whatever you did with this doesn't show to us who see it only after!
Enjoy your little rest when you get to the hotel.
LivingPixels
Nice shot T seems like you and Bill had a great ime well done both of you!!!
photosynthesis
I like what you did with it - rigid adherence to reality is over-rated...
RodS
Well, your postwork was very effective, Tara. Had you not said anything about it, I'd just have thought it came straight from the Iphone that way. Great shot of this light and airy staircase. And those NIK filters are the bomb, aren't they? Pretty much every TNA panel has a visit with NIK here and there...
Sounds like you two are having a blast! Now that I'm signed up with Adobe Stock, we have a really good excuse to travel a lot after I retire...
wysiwig
The last paragraph of your description was almost surreal. I could hear Rod Serling's voice in my head. "A staircase somewhere, looking somewhat like it looked, but not really. The intersection of photography and the mind of the artist. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!"
Well, whatever you did it worked really well. Enjoy your rest and maybe some pictures of the hotel?
giulband
What a wonderful image's composition, wonderful picture !!
kgb224
Superb capture Tara. God bless.
Juliette.Gribnau
stunning !!!!! fav
aksirp
love this stairs, wonderful done with contrasts, love it ... and thank you for all remembers to DC - was great to see so many things through your eyes!
anahata.c
ala Mark, this could be a scene from the Twilight Zone, only in that it has such stark light and dark, yet no human presence. You took all the weaknesses of smartphone photography and you turned it into a beautiful abstract. Your description of molding this from a distorted wide-angle shot left me gaping---it must've been a lot of work. The result is a very angled, squared shot---one wouldn't know it was take from a distorted wide-angle shot---with terrific contrasts between dark and light, and lots of overlapping lines throughout. And the light on the right blares and obliterates. A really wonderful piece, and amazing that you got it from a distorted iPhone shot. It looks like a postworked photo from a much better camera. A very bright but mysterious abstract.