This image is from about 25 years ago. It was made with a Pentax 67. The lens was too short and I probably hand held it (with my wife and young kids waiting in the car). It's from Winding Stair Mountain in SE Oklahoma. I was always disappointed that the chrome was not as good, technically, as I wanted because I think the color and the light are so nice. But it's a little soft and requires too much cropping to get to the good part. The reason I'm posting it is to spark a discussion about the use of "painterly" effects to mask technical flaws in what is an otherwise good image. I'm pretty much a "straight photography" type but it does occur to me that good photographs that don't quite hold up technical may still be useful.
BTW, the crosshatching was a simple filter in PS that seems, to me at least, to work nicely with this shot. I do think that more sophisticated work might often be necessary. I don't want to imply this is a way of salvaging an image as much as an alternative processing method that may be better for some shots. I've been enjoying a small canvas print of this one for a couple of days. I'm interested in your responses and hope a lively discussion will ensue.