The Hunt ~ Mono Monday!

"Come To Life"

Eramosa Karst Conservation Area Trails, Saplings & Blackberry

Fall is morphing our trails and forests with rapid abandon here in Ontario. For someone like me, aka the nature photographer, it means I go into a photog frenzy. If I don't get out to shoot the textures and colors and various weather of this season, I become feverish, mumble things like "must... find... gumboots..." and I begin to channel Grizzly Adams.

Well, maybe it's not that bad.

But I spend almost every waking moment looking for great subject matter. And if you haven't visited one of the many trails in Ontario yet with your camera, you're missing the showstopper known as Autumn. It's even a great season to work in B&W believe it or not.

Tonal values seem heightened this time of year. Contrast and texture can be found in almost any light any time of the day because of how low the sun is much earlier than ever. And even midday photography has a defined and chiseled light, not as direct and hard as early summer. Find some compelling natural lines, like the small trees seen here guarding a blackberry thatch, and the late afternoon light coming from over my shoulder making them pop, and you have a gnarly and whimsical nature scene.

I could have leaned towards a very stark exposure, enhanced further with the much overused spike in contrast and sharpening that seems to be so popular the minute anyone wants instant drama in post production, whether that was the intent initially or not... but I didn`t want to downplay the soft tangle of the brambles while keeping the saplings part of the whole scene, instead of separating them too much by making them stark white. I am learning more and more about intent, and how to creatively express what my eye was impressed with, and then process the image so that it replicates that scene as closely as possibly... maintaining the scene`s integrity.

Anyway, I`m hoping that those of you that haven`t ever enjoyed an Ontario Autumn get a chance to do so, and those of you who`ve taken it for granted get out there to one of your local park or conservation areas, get some fresh air and get some compelling photography, whatever that means to you and you alone! I`d say more, but I`m feeling that call already this morning.

Gotta go! And thanks for the ramble!

Just Because!

I've decided not to do Floral Friday today. Just because. September has rolled in and soon the kids return to school all day. Work resumes at it's fastest pace. The summery days of setting a schedule full of nothing will be gone. We went for a wander through the Eramosa Trails the other day for one last lazy afternoon outing and these images pretty much sum up how wonderful it is to enjoy God's green earth and my family before the bustle starts once again. 

Obviously I took my camera.... just because you never know what you'll see worth photographing.

Just because you may discover how wide the blue blue sky is that day with bits of nature rising up to meet it.

And just because it's good to be able to freeze happy, contented, quiet moments like this. To have them to look back at when your son's gym clothes are missing, your daughter's trip money is suddenly due, your dog has dug up yet another dead squirrel, and after the washing machine has pooched out again in the middle of the load of school uniforms!

You know what I mean. So you can remember that life doesn't always look like a mangled episode of "Malcolm In The Middle..."

September's here. Brace yourselves. And keep the camera handy.

Thanks for the ramble!

5 Things I've Learned ~ Mono Mondays!

"Where Even the Rocks Grow" - Eramosa Karst

(1/50 sec.@ F/8, ISO 160, 18mm fl, kit zoom, mono pod, overcast light, pattern metering)

Having to do a B&W every week has really helped me realize what tips and principles I've needed to apply to each ramble I go on. So I thought I'd share what I've learned over the last couple years with all of you. Ready? Here's five things everyone needs to remember if they want to make better B&W images... beginner or not.

1) When at all possible, refrain from allowing the camera itself to convert your color photo into a monochromatic one on the spot. If you haven't figured it out yet, your camera's auto settings are good for one thing, generalizing every scenario you give it. Including your B&W's. Your camera comes with software, basic perhaps but better than the actual camera, to put on your computer... somewhere in that small program is a way for you to convert the image yourself, controlling your contrast, brightness, etc... so that you get a B&W that pops. The version your own camera gives you will generally be flat and with a minimum range of tones.

2) Lighting is STILL important. You can't just ignore your exposure or settings because you won't be looking at it in color. On the contrary, now you need to pay desperate attention to the light. The quality of shadow and highlights is always key to begin with. Don't relax that simply because it's B&W. Subjects and shape alone can't carry the bulk of the image, as folks tend to let a color image do. Worried you may not get the light just right? Shooting in Raw is key for me. It allows me to edit and tweak areas that need some help later on without destroying the initial quality of the file.

3) Refrain from "image salvaging". I'm referring to those that constantly go through their weaker images left over from a shoot and decide to try them all out as B&W's when they don't work in color. I know I've done it, I'm not too proud to say. Instead, train yourself to look at a new composition and see it's color and monochromatic possibilities before you take the shot. B&W conversion shouldn't be a last ditch effort to save a shot. This is something I've emphasized to myself every time I explore a new subject. And it pays off. I knew taking the image above that I was going to love it as a B&W.

4) Remember Tone, Form, and Texture. Great range of tones comes from sizing up your light, weather conditions, subject, and knowing then how to get a good exposure of your scene or subject. Again, you may have to be brave and get out of those auto modes. Tones are important, and can be tweaked further in editing. It comes down to this... your blacks should be black, your whites nice and white, and a wide variety of greys in between.

Form should be taking the starring role in your composition. Too often people snap a photo of a scene they like without knowing why exactly they like it. B&W makes you aware of what one thing is anchoring the scene, grounding it. It is what needs to grab your attention, since color won't.

Texture becomes a way to enhance and ensure your image has detail and definitive light. Texture isn't popping? You need better light, lower in the sky, or coming from the side so as to highlight all the details that make up an engaging B&W,

5) Lastly, B&W can be useful for subject studies. Scenery or weather/lighting conditions not ideal? Sky looks flat and cloudless? Go tight. Close framing of unusual natural elements, story telling shots of a single subject on the street, wild perspectives of close architectural elements... could give you the best shot of the day.

Black and White. More versatile than you thought. And these are just the tip of the iceberg... but these really are second nature for me, so I thought I'd share. Any other key tips you can't live without when it comes to B&W? Leave them in the comments section! Thanks for the ramble... and have a good one.