Category: Photography – Black & White

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Black and White Cuba Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600 Photoshop CC

Streetside in Havana

Streetside - Havana - 2013

On our first morning after arriving in Havana, we went out early on “Dawn Patrol” to catch the morning light. We walked down this street heading to the harbor – and came across this relic up on blocks collecting dust.

I like the juxtaposition of the car and the guy walking toward me. The gradient of the street light on the car body also adds some visual interest.

I processed it in Photoshop using some techniques I’ve been experimenting with – including platinum toning and selective sharpening.

Consider it a work in progress!…

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon PowerShot S100 Photoshop CC

Delta #2 – at the Hyatt Embarcadero Center

Delta #2 - Embarcadero Center - 2012

After I posted my Delta image yesterday, my friend Richard Valenti suggested an alternative treatment – rotating it 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

I think he was right – this makes for a more interesting image! I added a bit more vignetting and a bit of sharpening. Nice!

Thanks to Charles O. Perry for Eclipse – a beautiful sculpture.

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon PowerShot S100 Photoshop CC

Delta – at the Hyatt Embarcadero Center

Delta - Embarcadero Center - 2012

This image is from a photo walk last September at Embarcadero Center.

You may recognize this as part of the fountain inside the Hyatt Embarcadero Center – shot with my tiny Canon PowerShot S100 and post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5.

I love the angles and tonality of this image – and the sparkling lights coming down in the background.

Thanks to Charles O. Perry for Eclipse – a beautiful sculpture.

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon PowerShot S90 Yosemite

Oh Yosemite!…

Yosemite Falls - Yosemite - 2010

Have you been to Yosemite?

I hadn’t – until just a few years ago – even though I’ve lived within a few hours drive for over twenty years. Finally, I took a few one day quick trips in – and came away in awe of the beauty of Yosemite Valley.

This image is from one of those trips – shot with a tiny Canon PowerShot S90. This is early June 2010 – three years ago – when I made one of those one day dashes into the valley. Yosemite Falls was flowing and I was able to capture this image from along the road heading west out of the Valley.

If you haven’t been to Yosemite, you must go. Try to go in the spring or fall to avoid the crowds – but, even with the crowds, it’s an amazing place. You won’t be the same again after seeing it!

See more of my Yosemite posts. Join the club!

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photoshop CC

Welcome to The City – San Francisco

The City - San Francisco - 2012

In late February 2012, I attended a conference in San Francisco – I think the topic was “mobile payments”. I opted to stay at the conference hotel in San Francisco rather than commuting back to Menlo Park in the evening. After checking in the night before the conference, I went to my room and looked out the window – and saw this view of San Francisco as the sun was beginning to set.

I shot this image with my tiny Canon PowerShot S100. I post-processed it today in Photoshop CC using some new monochrome techniques that I’ve been experimenting with.

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Cuba Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600 Street Photography

The view out my hotel window in Havana, Cuba

Early Morning Route - Havana - 2013

In late January 2013, Doug Kaye and I headed for Cuba – for a week long people-to-people cultural exchange organized by the excellent folks at Santa Fe Photography Workshops. We had a splendid time, got some amazing pictures, and met some wonderful people – especially the Cuban professional photographers who accompanied us out into the neighborhoods of Havana.

We stayed at a great hotel in central Havana. It was a wonderful home base for us – very comfortable and clean rooms. On our last morning in Havana I was up early – and took this shot looking down at the street corner below from my room on the 5th floor of the hotel.

I’ve been experimenting with a number of post-processing techniques for taking images to monochrome – and this one seemed to work out particularly well.

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Black and White Cuba Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600

Reflecting

Reflecting - Havana - 2013

One of the best venues during our trip to Havana earlier this year was the public market. We had some very special light coming through the windows over the shoulders of several of the sellers.

I’m working on a new black and white post-processing workflow – and gave it a try on this particular image. It’s one of my favorites from our morning visit to the public market.

I used a warm black toning on most of the image – except for the highlights on him – along with a number of tonality adjustments to add depth to the image.

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600 San Francisco/California

Ready to Roll

Ready to Roll - San Francisco - 2013

I had a great time earlier this year at San Francisco’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. So many interesting things to shoot – it’s a street photographer’s delight!

Here’s one image from the event – two of San Francisco’s finest about to head out as motorcycle escorts for the parade. They’re ready to roll – and focused on their mission. But off to the right, I love the lady raising her hand – like she’s saying “Wait!”

Street photography is so much fun because of what you capture in the moment – sometimes things you don’t even notice when clicking the shutter!

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Aviation iPhone 5 Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photoshop CC San Francisco/California

Rose of Sharon – The National Flower of South Korea

Rose of Sharon - Menlo Park - 2013

This afternoon brought the horrible news of the crash of Asiana Flight 214 – a Boeing 777-200ER with tail number HL7742 – while landing at San Francisco International Airport. The day couldn’t have been more perfect weather wise – so one has to wonder what the cause might be.

As I was editing some photos earlier today, I wanted to try out a new black and white post-processing technique and had picked a recent image I’d taken here in Menlo Park a few days ago of a Rose of Sharon flower – actually a double-flower which is what had caught my eye and caused me to take the shot while on the go with my iPhone 5.

This new technique for post-processing black and white is all about the tonality of the image – and this seemed to be a good one to practice on. So I loaded the image into Photoshop CC and began my editing.

As I was getting ready to share the image online, I did a quick Wikipedia search and discovered that Rose of Sharon – formally “Hibiscus syriacus” – is the national flower of South Korea. I had also just learned – from Twitter – that there were now two confirmed deaths in the Asiana crash. Not sure what this all means – but somehow this image came together this afternoon around the same time I learned of the tragic result. My heart goes out to all of those affected by today’s unfortunate incident.

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Black and White Hawaii Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600

Up Where Parker Ranch Meets the Sky…

Lone Tree #2 - Parker Ranch - 2013

There are so many beautiful places – even in our own backyard. It’s about seeing them in the moment when we’re there.

Fortunately, we have these amazing magic boxes in our pockets that help to us capture these magic moments – so we can go back to them – again and again.

A big part of my love of photography is how it takes me back to these places, these moments – to so many places I’ve been and back those moments that are deep in my memory. That image the camera snaps in the moment helps us go back, remember that special time, that light, those colors, even those smells.

There’s a special place on the big island of Hawaii where Parker Ranch meets the sky. On a drive back from Hawi, we came upon it – and for me it will always be captured in this image. A lone tree in a pasture up there where the ranch meets the sky.

Breathe deeply – and those memories flood in!