This week Monochrome Madness is hosted by Sarah from Travel With Me. She has chosen everyday objects. While at the beach, I happened to see this bit of trash roadside near in Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately it is an everyday object!
Thanks Leanne and Sarah!
Leanne is motivating me to convert another of my color images to black and white. This time her challenge is on travel. This image was taken in Portland Maine, October 2022. Although I like the richness of the red/orange brick, I think this also works well in monochrome.
See her original post at https://leannecole.com.au/monochrome-madness-4-travel/
We can be on edge, meaning we are anxious, frustrated or irritable. In photography, those words can take on a different meaning. This week Patti challenges us to show images that are on the edge and gives us a broad definition.
So I hope my pictures fill the bill.
I’ve looked over the edge of many mountain tops of our Sierra Nevadas, but this beautiful scene is one of the most spectacular–taken from Ananda Village.
When photographing flowers, we try to get the petals and centers sharp. Sometimes when we take the shot we find wings that are sharp and edgy.
Horizon lines give us a delineation between land and sky. Sunsets make this edge spectacular.
Buildings and windows provide photographers with endless edges. Here we have a large window with smaller edges that together provide an amazing reflection. Taken at Mare Island (a former Naval Base).
Also at Mare Island, a naval ship’s design forms an edge that accents the U. S. Flag.
Sometimes when you get down low, you find a simple mushroom can give you folds and edges. Hint: Don’t lay down on the grass in a senior community. Everybody who passes by asks if you’re okay!
Visiting Niagara Falls was on my bucket list. I was amazed at the amount of water (3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second) spilling over the edge of three falls. This picture is of the American and Bridal Veil Falls.
Now for a different kind of edge. This is more of an artistic definition. From Cambridge Dictionary: edgy adjective (unusual). Unusual in a way that is fashionable or exciting.
On a whim, I took a beautiful, colorful lotus blossom and put it in black and white. I thought that gave it an edgy look. It’s become a favorite.
Thank you Patti for this wonderfully edgy trip through my archives. It was truly fun. Remember to link to Patti’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you post your reply. Last week Tina had us sharing our favorite images and why we took them. You all had great and varied favorites, and I enjoyed them all.
Next week Ann-Christine will be leading the challenge, so be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Is monochrome black and white? Is black and white monochrome? You may be surprised at the answer. I was after I did some research. Here’s what I found.
Black and white is the result of only using black or white and shades of. The shades of meaning grayscale. Here are some black and white photographs.
Monochrome photos contain variations of only one color and nothing else. Meaning, different shades of one color like blue, red, green, etc. Here are some of my examples.
Now here’s something I learned from my research. Since black and white photos contain variants of the color gray ranging from absolute black to absolute white, all black and whites are monochrome images. But not all monochrome, by nature of their dominate color are black and white photos.
Here are some of my photos shot in color, converted to black and white and then I added a sepia tone. This process puts them in the monochrome category.
How do you shoot black and white images? My research suggests that we shoot in color, so we get the additional tonal range that color provides. Then convert your photos to black and white when you process. I photograph in color. If I see a great deal of contrast, I use Lightroom to take a quick look at how it would look in black and white. Then I edit in NIK Silver Efex.
There’s so much more to editing black and white images, but let’s save that for another post. Here are two of my favorite black and white images.
Are you ready to show off your black and white or monochrome images? I’d like to see them. Did you shoot them in color and how did you process them? When you post, remember to link to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find your wonderful images.
I enjoyed seeing all your photos using primary colors. Sofia gave us such a fun challenge. Next week, Donna will be challenging us. Be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
I love black and white images when done right. Meaning, not every shot is suitable for black and white unless you know how to burn and doge with ease. Since I’m not artistic, I wait for the picture that is suitable for black and white. Thank you Patti for having me explore my black and white images and the concept of monochrome.
Who would have thought a beautiful lotus flower would be suitable for black and white? I did after processing this in color and then playing around a bit.
At this point I need to explain how I create a black and white image. I shoot all my images in color and process them in color. I then take the images I think might look good in black and white and export them to NIK Silver Efex (lately I’ve even converted them in Lightroom, especially for this post,), play with it and then export back into Lightroom. I liked the way the shadows fell on this flower’s petals.
For shadows I have three examples. Explanations are in the captions.
The next two are reflections that I just processed to black and white. I wasn’t too happy with the contrast of the landscape so I played with a green filter.
Here’s an image of a person sleeping in an area of dark shadows.
I’ll end with images that are among my favorite black and whites.
Thanks for this fun challenge Patti! Please remember to link to Patti’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you post your reply to this amazing exercise. Last week we all enjoyed your variety of responses to Donna’s Messages. Amy will be bringing you next week’s challenge. Be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Yikes, Tracy you want us to post images that are surreal? Can I? Do I have any? Well, I don’t say “no” to a challenge, so here goes.
My first image was truly a mistake. I was trying to take away hay from this alpaca‘s face and ended up with…..
I think a three eyed alpaca is weird if not surreal. I put two more images into Photoshop and used various filters to get the effect I wanted. The first was a diffuse filter which gave me surprising results. For the second I used one of the distort filters which gave me predictable results.
This next picture has no fancy editing. I think this mural’s artist had a surreal bent to begin with.
To be honest, I don’t know what this next image was a picture of! It looked surreal to me in the beginning, but I brought it into NIK Silver Efex to see if I could exaggerate it a bit. Do you think it might have been a puddle and drops on concrete?
Finally, I had fun using Photoshop’s distort twirl filter on this one. I don’t think it’s as surreal as much a fun design.
Thank you Tracy for this great challenge. I had fun with it. When you respond, remember to use the Lens Artists tag and link to Tracy’s original post. And we all enjoyed reliving special summer vibes with Andre last week. Next week Sarah Wilkie, blogging at Travel with Me, will be our guest host. She will encourage us to post Three Favorite Images.
Until then, have fun and stay safe.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us: https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/
“In layman’s terms, photography is quite simply the process of capturing light with a camera to create an image.”… PhotographyTalk.com
When you read the above quote, you realize that Patti’s challenge of Light and Shadow goes to the essence of what we do as photographers. We can’t take a picture without light or the absence of it, shadow.
In fact, in black and white photography you absolutely need the contrast between light and shadow. The image below is Waterton Lake in Waterton Lake National Park, Canada. The success of it in black and white relies on the light, shadows and contrast.
Next we have a sculpture at the River Walk in West Sacramento. On the left see it as it really is, and on the right see the shadow it casts.
Light can also add character to a subject. The way the light hits this old wheel adds to its texture and age and adds shadows.
This aging sculpture in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery is back lit. The sun almost adds a halo effect.
Just changing your perspective changes the image. The feeling of this iconic sculpture in Roseville taken in bright sunlight changes when taken from a different side and in the shade.
And, finally, what do we do when there is no light? We use artificial light. The Tower theater’s sign is shining bright in neon in Downtown Roseville, and a Christmas display lights up this fake house front, putting the people in shadow.
How we use light and shadow creates our own personal photography style.
Thank you Patti for this fun post and bringing us back to the basics of photography. When you post your reply, remember to link to Patti’s post and tag Lens-Artists. Next week’s challenge will be presented by Ann-Christine through her Leya site. So stay tuned!
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us: https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/
This week, John asks us to share anything special about our birthdays. I’ve always had to share my birthday. No, not with another sibling, but a National holiday–Father’s Day! Are there any other June 18 birthdays out there? I sympathize with anyone who shares their special day with a major holiday.
Here’s a photo I have of a shared holiday in 2010. Richard is opening his Father’s Day gift and I’m opening my birthday gift.
Today, I’m sharing celebrations of many sorts. My grandkids have brought me great joy as they’ve grown up. Let’s begin with the older set.
Christopher
Madison
The younger set: Olivia and Ryan
They joined our family when Ryan was 3 and Olivia 10 months. They filled Greg and Jessica’s lives with joy and happiness. Ours too. Here are some fun first times with them.
Time moves on. All the grandkids have gotten older. I’m just happy that we’ve had the opportunity to watch our grandchildren progress through life. This is truly a cause for celebration!
Oh, I checked, and in 2023 my birthday will be exactly on Father’s Day!
We enjoyed your earth story posts from last week. They were varied and so interesting. Thank you. Please remember to tag John’s post so we can find it in the WordPress reader. Next week Sofia will host our challenge.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, we have easy to follow instructions. Just click this link and join us: https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/
I am delighted to be your guest host for this week’s LAPC. Thank you John for getting us into/onto the water last week.
As much as I enjoy photographing water, I also love black and white photography! I don’t process a lot of it, but when I do I enjoy the texture and depth it gives a scene. It reaches a place in your soul that color can’t. Some images cry out for black and white.
This post is not a “how to” or history lesson, but a vehicle to get you excited about processing in black and white. As photographers, we all have our own unique way of doing that. Some shoot in black and white while others shoot in color and process in black and white.
I’ve watched many videos and attended workshops on black and white photography only to realize there is no set way to create a good black and white image. I have, however, settled on a workflow that produces the results I like. This is my workflow.
First, I always shoot in RAW and in color. That gives me more flexibility and more tonal range to work with. Very rarely do I see the image in black and white before I shoot it. I mostly see color until I get it into Lightroom.
This fog landscape I saw in black and white as I shot it. One of my rare moments.
Once I get my images into Lightroom, I process them in color. If I see an image with a lot of contrast, texture, and tonal quality, I finish the color processing and then look at it in black and white in Lightroom. If I see a possibility for a good black and white, I transfer the color image into Nik Silver Efex. This is where the fun begins.
Here’s a lily in color and black and white. Look at how the various colors, contrast and lighting transfer in tonal quality to the black and white.
Although Photoshop and Lightroom have improved in their ability to process black and white, I still prefer Nik’s Silver Efex. I guess I’m just used to it and I like their presets. Better yet, I need their presets! I’m not an artist. I choose a preset and work on it from there. Nik also has the ability to use more than one preset on a single image. You can use the control points to dodge and burn (darken and lighten). I rarely do this but work more with the contrast and tone of the image. If you like different film effects, there are many film types and tones from which you can choose. Honestly, I don’t change film types but, sometimes, will give an image a different tone color.
This is the color version of Waterton Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada. A foggy day and not much color.
The same image processed in black and white. Adding texture and contrast, created a more inviting image.
While in Silver Efex you can also add texture and do other editing that I prefer to do in Lightroom.
Sometimes the venue calls for black and white photography. One of my earlier black and white images taken while at Bodie a ghost town in Northeastern California.
Here’s another where I think the black and white conversion accents the splash of the wave on the platform. Taken in Pacifica.
Once I’m done in Silver Efex, I then export the image back into Lightroom for the finishing touches. I sometimes continue working on the contrast and light. I love how Lightroom’s tone curve helps with that. For me I like images to have some “pop!”
Also figures in shadow are accented in black and white. This image was taken at the Marin Headlands during one of my first Meetup outings.
Back to the present, my latest black and white conversion is a lotus in the William Land Park pond. It’s beautiful in color, but how do you feel (Yes, feel it not think it!) about it in black and white? For me, the curves, contrast and lighting are accented.
So, this is my method for processing an image to black and white. I’m sure you have your own workflow for black and white photography, and I’d like to know what it is and see your images. This week’s challenge invites you to dig through your archives for black and white images or process color images in black and white. You can also take new pictures and process them in black and white.
As you post them, please explain how you processed them. This will help all of us learn new ways of doing what we’ve been doing for a long time. I hope you are now ready to see the black and white possibilities as you shoot and/or process.
Thank you, Tina, Amy, Ann-Christine and Patti, for giving me this opportunity. I do appreciate it!
Remember to link this post and use the Lens Artists tag. Next week’s challenge will be presented by Rusha Sams of Oh The Places We See: Getting Away.
She will be followed by:
July 24: Beth Smith of Wandering Dawgs: TBD
July 31: Ana Campo of Anvica’s Gallery: Postcards
Slow Shutter Speed 