After Before Friday-week 50
After Before Friday-week 50
On the way to the San Rafael swell, we passed through the small town of Salina, Utah. It’s just a little podunk town on the way to somewhere.
When we were headed down, this caught my eye but we couldn’t stop. On the way back north, I told Al he needed to stop so I could get a photo. I love these old time advertisements on the side of buildings. Sadly, you just don’t see very many anymore. This one looked like it had been covered up by a building, or maybe just bricked over. I would like to think this would be preserved, but I doubt it very much.
It was hard to get a clear shot because there was a tall wood fence. This is my after edits photo.
There was still so much color in the painting, but sadly part of the image was covered up by the newer bricks. This is the photo before edits. It was a cloudy day so the lighting was not very good.
Basically, I enhanced about everything. I used an HDR preset as a starting point, then adjusted from there. I wanted to bring the colors out the way they actually were that day. After adjusting for lightness, colors, and clarity, I used the adjustment brush on the lettering, and the face. This helped lighten these areas more, and made the letters more visible.
Here are a couple more images I took that day. This one shows the lettering below the face. I wish I could tell what the ad was actually for, but I couldn’t see the lettering well enough.
Here is another wider view, pesky fence though.
To see more wonderful after, before editing head over to Visual Venturing.
I have a faible for this kind of ads too… we still have some on old barns and buildings… I think I should take photos too before they are gone :o)Thanks for the inspiration :o)
Yes, you should take photo while you can. They aren’t making this old stuff anymore. LOL
Lovely images. You use the structure and pattern (and the colours in some of the photos) in a striking way. Well done, Mary.
Thanks Otto, the angles all came out pretty interesting I thought.
Ah, would you believe we still have some of these wonderful old advertisements on brick buildings here in Downtown Minneapolis? They are a treasure, taking you back in time. Your before and after shots are a great lesson and inspiring to me as I am now learning to get the look I want! And Instagram has been a great motivator to do my own photos!
Have a sensational weekend Mary, you and Al! Anita
Love the old signage, and I like it when it’s preserved for the future. I would say you are having success in finding your “look.”
A wonderful old advertisement! Your images are awesome, well done! Happy Memorial Day weekend!
I really like that the sign hasn’t been restored. I really like finding those old bits of history. And they only catch the eye of people who are really looking at their world.
I really like the shot with the fence at the bottom. It’s really dynamic and yet monochromatic.
I just wish they would take the wood away so the whole thing could be seen.
Your edits make a huge difference! Well done! I’m a fan of the old advertising signs and, you are right, they are becoming increasingly rare!
A photographer’s eye, Mary, always searching and finding hidden gems :) I’m interested in what your “HDR” preset is, as it seems it was a great starting point for your processing. You certainly brought out what details you could and shared with us a wonderful bit of history. Thanks so much for participating in the forum!
I have a couple different presets that are HDR, I tried to figure out where this one came from, but I can’t remember. (sorry) I would email it to you though. Spotting the sign as we drove past, was lucky indeed.
Its great to see these “ghost signs” they give us a small insight into a part of history. Who knows how long they will stay around though so its lovely to see them and your edit has brought out lots of lovely colour and detail. Thanks for sharing. :-)
Mike and I remember some of the old signs in these small towns but don’t recall this one. Looks The looks like an ad for lawyers. Nothing could be finer than to see a vintage building sign in Salina. Payson was restored to her former fonts ten years ago and the original ones were still underneath. The old jewlery store that was put in between two buildings was removed also to reveal an old hall way through the buildings. People lived on top of their stores in those olden days. There were old soda fountains and a havadashery on main street. In 1974, 41 years ago when we moved to Utah there were many old buildings that had old painted sign ads on them. Working in the Peteetneet museum that was once the old school in town I learned many things about the town of Payson and its first settlers. There are many photos on display in the old victorian building and artifacts
nicely done to bring it forth!
It looks much better after enhancing the colors.
How cool!
I was curious what the ad was for too… so I did a Google Image search for “Salina, Utah Henry”. And would you believe that this wall was the first image (and the 3rd, 4th, and 6th)?! So apparently it is for Henry George Cigars. :)
I love how you brought out the colors and gave it an HDR look. Great edit. :D
I wondered if it wasn’t a cigar ad. I would never have thought to Google it though. Nice detective work.
Wow, very nice work. You managed to pull out a lot of detail and color. It seems to be anunusually inspirational image. It inspired Nic to find out what the ad was. Nic’s super research inspired me to go one step further. Henry George cigars were made by the Consolidated Cigar Corp. The company sponsored the “Henry George Show” on Columbia Radio Network in the 1930s and the theme song, called “Smoke Your Troubles Away” was also known as the Henry George Theme Song which ended with: “When you’re feeling bored, light a Henry George, and smoke your troubles away.” I know, this is an extreme example of TMI.
Wow. That is so awesome!! I guess I should have done more research. Love that!
There is hardly anything like this around here. I hate the mindset in Las Vegas that anything older than, say, 25-30 years should be imploded rather than preserved. They do, however, keep a lot of the old Neon signs around. Some are still being used downtown around Fremont St. and others are kept in a neon museum!
It’s cool, I don’t remember seeing any ads like this on buildings around here. We have big billboards to advertise on. :-(