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Category Archives: Village life

Snappy Dresser African Style

June 18

Africa has style! This image is from a wildlife tour in Kenya, 1970s. The bus had stopped in a village for refreshments and this stylishly dressed woman caught the eye of a tourist. I love the classic, African combination of colors and the jaunty yet sophisticated details of her outfit.

snappy-dresser-after

I cropped and straightened the image to bring the woman into focus, removed a person from the background and warmed up the color. With selective sharpening, details of the print and accessories really popped out.

Before and after

snappy-dresser-cropped

Click for big.

 

Posted by on June 18, 2013 in Africa, People, Portraits, Village life, Woman

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Roadside Cafe

May 18

This rundown, rough and ready roadside cafe was snapped from a passing tourist bus. I believe it is the Middle East somewhere, perhaps Iran. It is a classic scene with those rickety tables and chairs. I wonder what is in the glass cabinet.

Roadside-cafe-after

A bit of a challenge this one as it was blurred, tilted and had window reflections from the bus. However there was enough pixel data to recover and enhance the scene. I corrected the deep shadow in the veranda, grabbed back all the colour and added a deeply saturated vignette.

Before and after.

Roadside-cafe-cropped

Click for big.

 

Posted by on May 18, 2013 in Bars&restaurants, Middle East, Road trip, Traditional architecture, Village life

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Mountain Top Village

May 07

I have no clues as to where and when this awesome scene was captured. Its from a collection of slides circa 1970s, but feels timeless. The landscape and village are dramatically connected to each other – of course the location must have been chosen for a strategic reason but one can’t help admiring the large, creative vision that gave rise to this choice. I do hope this village is still there today.

Mountain-top-village-after

This was a real challenge to restore and took 2 attempts to get the right color and depth. The photographer was probably using a zoom lens and this resulted in a flattened perspective. It was also grainy, overexposed and faded. The sky was completely whited-out and had to be recreated.

Before and after

Mountain-top-village-cropped-as-Smart-Object-1

Click for big

 

Posted by on May 7, 2013 in Europe, Mountains, Mysterious, Traditional architecture, Village life

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Old Row

March 31

The date is 1966 and that’s all we know about this old row. I love the forecourt with its flowerpots, hunks of wood and washing line. Mom and kids perch on a doorstep; this is their everyday life. The buildings are dilapidated but ornate with their broken plaster, old clay brick, and richly colored, fading paint.

Row-of-houses-Jul-1966after

Those old walls fascinated me and I knew that restoration could bring them back to life.

Row-of-houses-Jul-1966-cropped

Before and after. Click for big.

 

Posted by on March 31, 2013 in Domestic scene, Europe, Traditional architecture, Village life

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Gardening Enthusiast

December 15

This pic is dated 1966. Good old gum boots, a cap and tie, what a wonderful outdoor outfit. I reckon a pretty satisfying day could be had pottering around in this patch.

Color corrections and sharpness, a blue sky and it looks warmer and brighter. Most welcoming!

Before and after. Click for big.

 

Posted by on December 15, 2012 in Domestic scene, Garden, Man, Village life

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Romantic Mykonos

December 10

So many holiday resorts have tried – and failed – to mimic this magic. Its a Mykonos sunset, in Greece 1964.

This was a delicious job getting the color just right.

Before and after. Click for big.

 

Posted by on December 10, 2012 in Beach scene, Europe, Harbour, Traditional architecture, Village life

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Traditional Wooden House

November 18

This traditional wooden house is in Skansen Open Air Museum, Stockholm and was photographed in 1964. Consider the notion of time here. The park was created in the 1800’s and this scene probably looked much like this back then, as it probably still does today. For 150 years this has looked the same! While all around it context and meaning have changed. You can read more about the park here.

I selectively brightened up the green (perhaps a tad too over the top!) to bring this scene back to life, and added several filters to warm and sharpen it.

Before and after. Click for big.

 

Posted by on November 18, 2012 in Europe, Fairs&amusement parks, Garden, Traditional architecture, Village life

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School’s Out

November 16

This is blurred, but who cares, when we still can appreciate these girls on their way home from a school in Europe somewhere, especially in those gorgeous clothes! Take a moment to look at how they have each styled their outfits. I just love it.

This came up so well with a bit of color work.

Before and after. Click for big.

 

Posted by on November 16, 2012 in Children, Europe, Village life

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Village Life

October 17

Village street, somewhere in England 1966. I am struck by the woman in the front, the way she’s hopping on that bike in one practiced movement, wearing neat white, heeled pumps.

This was quite a bit of work, but well worth it. The main job was to lighten the big shadow in the foreground, clean up dust and scratches and pop out the colours. Pink and green together is a winner, especially set against warm browns and greys.

Before and after. Click for big.

 

Posted by on October 17, 2012 in Europe, Old cars, Traditional architecture, Village life

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