Bored, bored, bored. Unsettled weather, nothing in bloom, winter subjects exhausted. I have been looking for a three day window of decent weather (i.e. no snow) so I can get up to Colorado and try to find some Sandhill Cranes doing their mating dance. It looks like I may finally make it Sunday through Tuesday but in the meantime I have been trolling the files again for something new to process. This old phonograph just looked sad in the original color version but I wondered how it would look with a monochrome treatment. I used Topaz black and white effects which offers a whole range of options. I have to say I forget which one I chose and one of my beefs with Topaz is that when you go back in they show you your “Last used setting” but don’t tell you what it was if it was predefined. Note to self… “WRITE IT DOWN!” Anyway, I like the monotone (or was it a duo tone or quadtone?) look which gives it more of an air of abandonment. I also like the texture and tones of the boards in the floor and walls which stand out more in this version. I do remember that I then took it into Nik Color Efex Pro to add a scruffy border which seemed appropriate here. I have been scratching my head about whether Analog Efex Pro might also have something to offer here but I think the dust and leaves tell the story well enough without adding a lot of artificial scratches and stains. I’ve also been trying to figure out what to do for my virtual gallery show next month and this one inspired me to lift up some of my museum finds and do a nostalgia theme collection. Should be fun but I’d better get cracking ’cause the next couple of weeks are pretty full and then it really will be spring!