When B&W Calls

"Then She Gave Me Flowers..."

Today's image is a return to my love of B&W. It's been a while since I felt compelled to convert an image into B&W, usually the images are more along the lines of cityscapes, or portraits, or heavy on design elements and contrast. But as I realised the quality of sidelight coming through the window against my poinsettias, I knew the textures and highlights being rimmed in light would be completely at home monochromatically.

My good friend and mentor Bob Grauer, who's work you can view here, said in response to my previous post about "Flat Lighting" that you can't go wrong when you "listen to the light." I liked it so much that I wrote his words down and tacked it up near my kit bag.

I knew with the image above (which you can click on to see it enlarged) that it was the light that called to me, but it wasn't till I realised that the best way to showcase that light was in my custom Platinum B&W processing that I knew what my vision for this photograph was going to boil down to. 

That's the excitement of photography... have you converted to B&W lately to showcase the right light?

Thanks for the Ramble gang! Have a good one!

Don't Miss Them ~ Telephoto Tuesday.

"Nestled In Sun & Sand"

I get an idea in my head and can't shake it. Nothings right until I can make it happen. This was my frame of mind Sunday evening. We're were out for a stroll along the beach at Van Wagner's, and I knew there was a cool little tree way out by the rocks and water further along the trail. I knew the scene should look amazing with the light from the sunset warming it all. I knew that it would look haunting if I waited till twilight too. I knew I wanted a photograph of it.

We got there and the clouds vanished, a murky haze settled over the water as the temperature suddenly dropped, a wind picked up... and my idea went out the window to be continued in better sunset/twilight conditions.

But as we wandered around waiting for the sun to drop before everything went cockeyed, I realised I shouldn't waste the time. There was still lots to photograph. Tucked my telephoto on the camera and started noticing the details. I started getting photos of the way the seaweed (for lack of a better term... maybe lake weed? kelp? someone help me out here) stranded on the winter shoreline had dried around rocks and silt. Details weren't in the cards to begin with but you use what you have. And in the end, it's a good thing I did. I got some images that were studies in texture, shape and sidelight. And didn't mind that I had to return later for the others... and return I will. That little gnarly tree in twilight is still the goal.

But thank goodness I improvised and didn't miss the details either.

Have a great Tuesday gang, and thanks for the ramble!