This photo is a local building in Salisbury, NC. The story behind the signs on the side of the building is that in 1917 the soft drink Cheerwine was first produced in Salisbury by the Carolina Beverage Corp. Cheerwine later became a registered trademark in 1926.
You may never have heard of Cheerwine. It is a very sweet cherry flavor, burgundy-colored, highly carbonated soft drink which is available in most of the southeastern United States, from West Virginia south to Georgia but is better know in the Carolinas and Virginia. However in April 2005, other regions of the United States began to bottle Cheerwine; mainly through Pepsi distributors.*
I have to admit it’s too sweet for my taste.
Due to physical restrictions I couldn’t get back from this building very far and have a clear shot so I ended up shooting close and upward with a wide 28mm focal length, resulting in a much distorted view. I corrected as much as I could in Photoshop CS4 but was limited by the boundaries of the photo. I again went for low saturation in post-processing and even took the sky to gray tones to make the building pop a bit more.
*Cheerwine information – Wikipedia
Maybe it’s time to “invest” in that 17 – 40 mm lens (or whatever the Nikon equivalent happens to be)! Even so, it’s a fine image. Personally, I wouldn’t worry at all about the distortion. As much as I’ve traveled through the south, I’ve never heard of Cheerwine. Maybe it’s because I never drink soda; still, my observational skills must be getting pretty poor if I’ve never even noticed a sign or an ad for the stuff.
Oh, it’s not a case of not owning the right lens, I was shooting that day with a 24-70mm zoom. The shortfall was mine, I couldn’t seem to find a better angle from which to capture the whole wall — I’ve already decided in the near future there’s going to be a rematch. :-)
I don’t believe Cheerwine is a big seller except in places where there’s a bit of a “cult” following. I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed any large advertisement for it either so your observational skills are probably fine.
Thanks, and have a great weekend!
I think you produced a fine image considering all the barriers. This is my first introduction to Cheerwine, but I’d like to try some! Have a great weekend.
Thanks, Don. If you’re ever here in the mid-atlantic states you’ll have to find some. It’s very sweet with a strong cherry flavor. I hope you’re weekend is good as well.
I now want to try Cherrywine! Love the tone/color you used in the photo, great sky.
Thanks, Yvonne. If you ever get a chance you should at least taste Cheerwine for the experience. It’s a bit too sweet and strong for my taste.
I like the building, the clouds, and the distortion. It works well for me and, no, I don’t want any Cheerwine. I don’t like the taste. It’s a bit over the top for me.
Paul, I agree with you. It’s a bit over the top for me as well, but some like it. Hope you have a great weekend my friend!
love the tilted angle and your framing, it makes the static building look so dynamic
Yz, I appreciate you comments feedback. The more I look at this photo the more I like it. I was not so sure at first. :-)
Nicely done with the image Earl. I like it also. Not so sure about wanting to try the cheerwine. Trying to stay away from high fructose corn syrup. :-)