Rental Bike - Mackinac Island 9-10-16

I am currently taking an on-line course on High Dynamic Range photography, and this week’s lesson is on black-and-white imagery using  double tone-mapping techniques. Here is one of the results of my efforts. I like the gritty feel that this technique has imparted to this photo. No sharpening was applied, yet the details are exceptionally crisp. The texture of the wood grain, tire tread, and bird poop is exaggerated. The depth of this image is remarkable, considering that it is just a bicycle leaning against a wall. Technical aspects aside, I like this photograph because of the unanswered questions that it poses: Who placed this bike so carefully against the wall with the kickstand down? What is in the box with the name of a California winery visible across its bottom? The box is obviously water-damaged, and it has been exposed to the elements. It is warped and seems to have dissolved into the basket. So how long has it been in this spot?  Is it abandoned? Is it forgotten? Unlocked and unattended, this bicycle is captured here, resting in this spot forever, waiting for its rider to return. Canon 20D Single photo processed as a pseudo-HDR image in Photomatix Pro, then tone-mapped twice using extreme settings to produce a grunge look. Desaturated in Photomatix Pro to convert to B&W.  Nik CEP Darken/Lighten filter applied. f/8 1/200 sec. ISO 400 28-200mm lens @ 57mm