This is the Lamp-Lite Motel (or at least the sign) along US 51 in Portage, Wisconsin. Now, I have to say up front, I’ve done just a wee bit of work on this one (see below). Taken in June of last year and finally processed today, I was driving toward Baraboo looking for a particular waterfall to photograph. At 60mph, I was almost even with the sign before I even saw it. So I spun the car around ( I slowed down first) and drove back. The motel itself looked pretty run-down and with no cars in front, it was hard to tell if it was open or not. The light was not great – it was around 2:30 pm – but I tried to get a few clicks. With several angles and many brackets captured, I continued on.
Once home, the image really didn’t work for me. As I said, the light was pretty harsh and the background was full of trees, signs and a cemetary, the highway was a distraction, and there was even a U-Haul truck. So I archived and set it aside. Until today.
Looking at it with fresh eyes and possessing a bigger and deeper bag of Photoshop tricks and techniques, I decide to have a go at it. Here is the final result with a few images showing the processing progression below.
Day 146 of 365
The original processed single RAW image.
Image aspect changed to 3:1. New sky, clouds, and base landscape created in Photoshop.
Cut out sign added to base background and more grass added.
Color-correction, Nik Color Efex, Topaz Impression, and Topaz Clarity.
