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/
Black and White allows texture to come to the forefront. It’s amazing how well we can see the texture in an image once we change it to monochrome. To be really effective there must be enough contrast.
This picture of Lake Waterton in Alberta Canada was a pretty image. However, once I changed it to monochrome (I thought there was enough contrast.) I saw the texture in the mountains and water.
This is submitted for Sarah’s challenge which she created for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness. I hope that linking to each works.
Now off to more on my list! Thanks Sarah and Leanne!
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.
When you have thousands of pictures, how do you pick just three? It’s difficult, but Sarah of Travel With Me has given us this challenge. I’ve taken it on and here are my three.
My first photo is of Waterton Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park, in Canada. I like it because when I decided to try processing it in black and white, it took on a whole new dimension, almost like a sketch. I love black and white, so when I think an image has a tonal quality that may fit, I try it. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but this time it did. I typically process black and whites in NIK Silver Efex. This won a prize in the Motherload Fair, Sonora.
Next is a macro that almost took first place in the In Focus competition. This means it made it to the final table. That doesn’t matter to me because I just like it for the color, seeing the hair on the leaf and the water drop that’s just hanging on. I process all my photos in Lightroom and may have brought this into NIK Color Efex. I just can’t remember. I’m sure I’ve posted this before in an LAPC post. This is truly one of my favorites.
My third image is definitely a recent favorite of mine. I love the flamingos at the Sacramento Zoo. I had already taken a few photos of them, looking for a “keeper.” I was thinking sometimes you’re just not in the right place at the right time. I was talking to a docent about the birds who were taking their naps and this one opened one eye and looked at me. I’m so glad it opened it again after I got my camera in position. This time I was in the right place at the right time! This was processed in Lightroom and Topaz sharpener AI. It did take “Picture of the Night” at the Sierra Camera Club general competition.
As I said, I have many more favorites. This was a difficult challenge Sarah, but worth the exercise. Thank you! Remember to use the Lens-Artist tag when you post your reply and link to Sarah’s original pose. Tracy’s Surreal challenge last week brought us many amazing photos to look at. I’ll be posting next week’s challenge, so be sure to check back.
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/
I’ve not been feeling well, but I wanted to get our with my camera. Where to go that’s close? Maybe somewhere I can do macro photography. Of course, Green Acres Nursery in Citrus Heights! And it’s about 10 minutes from my home. I met Marlene there and we set out for some photo penicillin.
I like this particular Green Acres because their flowers are under shade and easier to photograph. We stayed about an hour and then went out for lunch. A short but sweet visit. Here are some images from that trip.
It’s great to have such a wonderful garden nursery nearby that allows photographers to take photos. Thanks Green Acres!
This week Tina encourages us to share photos from other challenges in which we participate or places in which we post. I’m typically not one for taking part in challenges except of course for LAPC. For the last year and a half, I have waited, with joy and anticipation, until 9 a.m. PST for the latest LAPC challenge to be posted. Then I would formulate my response and go through my archives. This was an enjoyable experience as I revisited former outings, bringing back fond memories.
And there I stay. You can call me one-challenge-Anne! But I do post in a few other places. First is the juried competition club Sierra Camera Club. I have gain so much knowledge by having my photos judged and critiqued. I’ve also found critiques of fellow members’ photos invaluable. Here are some of my past entries. With each entry, I choose a picture that will give me feedback in different areas.
The Sierra Camera Club is a member of the Photographic Society of America which I also joined. I quickly joined one of their Projected Image Division groups (PID). Each month we upload two images to be critiqued by the group members. I used the knowledge gained in the Sierra Camera Club to good use while looking at and critiquing the other group members’ photos. It’s all a wonderful learning experience. Here are some of my entries.
And finally, my own group of seniors, Camera Totin’ Days. We go out once a week, take it easy, enjoy shooting our photographs and then eat lunch. Here are some images from our outings.
Now that John, Sophia and I are joining the Lens-Artists team, I’m looking forward to some new experiences. Patti will be leading our next challenge so be sure to visit her Pilotfish blog or to watch for her post in the Lens-Artists Reader section.
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
Each year we look forward to times when nature shows us beauty. In 2020, many venues were closed, but at William Land Park in Sacramento there was no stopping nature and the beautiful lotus flower. This year the lotus came back even stronger. I’ve never seen them on vines that were so tall. It was an amazing site. Here’s what I captured during a recent visit.
In the last picture, you can see how tall the lotus were. Wonderful isn’t it!
Slow Shutter Speed 