Old Country Store, Jackson, Tennessee


Ice Cream Parlor at the Old Country Store in Jackson, Tennessee
Every so often I browse through my images and something catches my eye. I look at it and think, “What can I do with this?” Images like this have so much detail and I like converting that detail into an HDR-like image. I started out by making a few adjustments to the shadows and highlights in Lightroom. I then moved the image over to On1 Effects to do the rest. I used the Amazing Detail Finder, Clarity, I lightened the shadows, Exaggerated the tones and edges, and added a subtle HDR look to the image. I moved it back into Lightroom to adjust the contrast slightly for my finished product.
See the before and after side by side:
Never give up on images you may have in your files. I hear people all of the time say they delete pictures. While I have many, many images I will never process, occasionally I find one that surprises me!
After posting this blog, it was suggested to me to see what the image looked like in black and white. Here is the result:

Black and White Version of the Ice Cream Parlor
Photographing Americana: Signs and Structures of Our Past Chapter 1

When you take the roads less traveled there are gems to be found!
While driving through Carbondale, Illinois this sign caught my attention. I stopped and took as many photographs as I could.
The sign says closed for the season, but according to research this Dairy Queen on 508 South Illinois Avenue is a busy place! The building is the original structure that was built in 1951 by Jack Clover. According to a 2014 article in the Southern Illinoisan, the stand has been owned by Mark Waicukauski for over 25 years and was owned by his father before him. In the article, Waicukauski says, “That old sign’s been there since the beginning!”
While traveling across the country, take the time to look around you! The gems you uncover may be diamonds in the rough!