Stairway

Nikon D70 18-70mm at 1/200s, f4.5

Location: Prince Edward Island National Park-Greenwich, PEI, Canada
Distance: 660miles, 1062 km
Transportation: Plane to Halifax, NS, car to Cavendish, PEI

Today's post is a 2 for 1 special, the first is the Photoshop manipulated picture and the second, for those purists out there, is the original. When I first saw this spiral staircase, I was struck by its structure and outline--probably due to the fact that we had been in PEI National Park for several days, where huge, metal structures are a rarity. This is actually a staircase leading up to the water tank of a somewhat experimental, sustainable and environmental public toilet. Basically, it's an outhouse that recycles itself.

Once I got the image onto my computer, I was reminded of the constructivist posters of the post-WWI Russia ("an abstractionist artistic movement where industrial materials were used to construct nonrepresentational objects"). These posters were mainly used to support the socialist movement and were notably red with amusing political slogans. For those who are wondering, there is a social studies classroom in my old high school that had a collection of political propaganda posters.

Manipulations were in Photoshop: the image was desaturated and curves were adjusted to increase the contrast and decrease the detail. A gradient map adjustment was added for the green and red. Now all I need is a socialist slogan.