I know, I know- it almost seems like a crime to take a photo of the beautiful colors of Moab and turn them to black and white. However, I have been playing with something we’ve been talking about in my photo class- using gradient maps to create black and whites- so here we go!
Here is my current favorite cloud photo. I captured this one through the car window as we were driving to Moab; I think we were already in Utah by this point. It reminds me of a giant flying saucer hovering over the road. Can you tell I was a child in the 1950’s?
Just had to try the big rock in black and white!
I sometimes get bored editing landscapes- a little clarity and contrast, maybe a little vibrance, some dodging and burning, some sharpening- and done. Since joining the photo group, I’ve tended to use Nik Color Efex Pro or sometimes Silver Efex (both photoshop plug-ins) to edit my landscapes – because that’s what they all use in class. Now I am trying to use Luminar, because Google, who bought the program, is no longer supporting or updating the older programs. And we all use the TK Actions panel as well.
I decided to try doing a black and white in Luminar- but I ended up having to do a lot more more afterward in Photoshop, because I couldn’t figure out how to get the look I wanted. And when I was done getting the look, I decided I really wanted a color image after all.
Here is the black and white, edited in Lightroom, Luminar, and Photoshop. This was taken in the Matanuska Valley in Alaska.
And here is another view from a slightly different angle (and with a different focal length) of the same scene, edited mostly in Lightroom, with just a little work in Photoshop.
Sometimes you CAN have it both ways!
And now that I see them together, I think I like the black and white better after all. Maybe.
We stopped at a pullout to walk down to the water after we crossed this bridge in Alaska. I was standing there taking photos when another truck pulled onto the gravel- and then surprised me by continuing on through the water to the other side. I started photographing the now distorted reflections – but then along came another truck. Time to leave!
A sad view indeed . . .
The Goodwin fire has been burning since Saturday, I think- and is over 4400 acres, forcing the evacuation of the town of Mayer and other small communities southwest of Prescott. And no, it is not contained or controlled. If you look closely at the photo, you can see one of the planes that were flying over the fire this afternoon. With this area’s still vivid memories of the 2013 fire that took the lives of 19 hot shots, fire is taken very seriously here. Although we are in the monsoon season, no rain is in the forecast.
A monochrome view:
These blinds have become favorite subjects of abstract photos over the years. I don’t like them as blinds, but there is something about the light and shadows that captures my attention and makes me grab my camera.
Here are yesterday’s gerbera daisies- this time in black and white.
It is pretty much guaranteed that, when I can’t find anything to photograph, a subject will appear during a walk in the neighborhood!
A found abstract:
This is from my walk a couple weeks ago at Watson Lake.
When we were out driving around Sunday, we stopped at Watson Lake for a short while. There was some snow on the ground, but what interested me was the high water level. Areas that we could normally walk through in Watson Woods were flooded, which made for some nice reflections.
Same photo, tighter crop. . .
A grainy black and white daisy for a dreary day . . .
I’m going through some of my Alaska photos looking for some suitable images to bring to my photo group this semester. I’m considering this shot of the tracks along the Turnagain Arm.
Our son-in-law took us for a drive over to Eklutna Lake, which was not yet completely frozen. The icy shoreline proved irresistible to kids and dog who immediately were running and sliding and having a great time.
I realized I haven’t posted as many black and whites as usual- and I do love black and white. So I converted today’s image into a monochrome, although I think I like it better in color.
melinda anderson photography 