Category: Photography – Black & White

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Black and White Books Photographers Photography Photography - Black & White

Printed in Italy

Printed in Italy? Not what I might have expected. Maybe printed in Hong Kong, or China, or …? The wonderful new book about Ansel Adams by Andrea Stillman is – yep – printed in Italy. Published by long time Adams’ publisher Little, Brown – I wonder why it was “printed in Italy”? But, that’s just a curiosity.

The book itself is a delight. “Looking at Ansel Adams: The Photographs and the Man” shares Stillman’s insights and perspectives as Adams’ former assistant. She’s selected twenty of his photographs for exploration in the book. “Ten of the twenty are among what I call Ansel’s ‘greatest hits'”, she writes. But she also includes ten others – less familiar Adams’ images. Her scope is just right.

Two years ago this month, my late friend Chris Gulker and I drove south from Menlo Park to take in a unique exhibition of Ansel Adams prints at the Monterey Museum of Art. It was a very special trip for the two of us – Chris was a very talented black and white photographer and he was an avid student of Adams’ work. I walked Chris through the exhibition in his wheel chair – taking it slow and listening to his commentary on each photograph along the way. He blogged about it.

Along the way, we met up with the owner of this exhibition’s “Museum Set” – Adams’ daughter Anne Adams Helms. She was spending a few hours at the museum and enjoyed talking about her Dad. Chris asked about the difference in the way Adams printed his images over the course of his lifetime – and Anne talked about how the prints evolved to be darker late in his life.

One of Chris’ favorite Adams’ images is perhaps his best known – Moonrise. In the book, Stillman tells the story of this image – illustrating the evolution of Adams’ prints as he darkened the image over the years. The print of Moonrise at the exhibition was one of the darker ones – the Museum Sets having been printed late in his life. Chris just loved it – perhaps his most favorite image.

I learned a lot from this trip to Monterey with Chris as we shared our feelings about the special black and white imagery of Ansel Adams. Stillman’s personal remembrances in her new book bring back those memories to me again. A very special work – highly recommended!

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Aviation Black and White Lightroom Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II

Heading Home

Heading Home - Endeavour - 2012 (B+W #3)

Here’s a final photo of the space shuttle Endeavour departing Menlo Park and heading for Moffett Field and points south.

This version – the last of the shots I took Friday morning as Endeavour passed overhead – shows a wonderful sun angle complemented by treatment in Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2 and Adobe’s Lightroom 4 to darken the sky and kick up the contrast just a bit. A friend suggested it needed some clouds in the sky – but I don’t think so!

Seeing Endeavour pass overhead was a special experience for me – an emotional one. Hard to believe that we’ve now retired these amazing orbiters – the ones we came to marvel at when they launched so beautifully in the Florida sky and that we wept for when they didn’t return home again. Endeavour’s now heading home. I hope the spirit of the space shuttle program lives on – it was an amazing time!

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Aviation Black and White Menlo Park Monochrome Photography Nik Software Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II

Endeavour Again

Space Shuttle Endeavour - Menlo Park - 2012

Here’s another view of the space shuttle Endeavour on its tribute flight over Menlo Park – this version in black and white.

This was shot as the shuttle and its 747 carrier aircraft were departing to the south heading toward the flyover at Moffett Field. The sky was darkened with a red filter and adjusted using Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2. It’s got such a completely different mood with this treatment!

Once again with this shot, I was lucky that the aircraft were turning in towards me – providing the illusion that I was almost flying alongside!

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Nik Software Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon PowerShot S95

The Master’s Tools – Fort Ross – Sonoma Coast

The Master's Tools - Fort Ross - 2012

Last weekend, I was in Bodega Bay for the Sonoma Coast Workshop led by Derrick Story. This was my third workshop with Derrick – and the second taken alongside my photo buddy Doug Kaye.

Derrick is a great teacher and his workshops are among the best I’ve ever experienced. The groups are small – which makes everyone feel open and sharing – and this particular venue was just outstanding.

The shot below is from Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast. Doug pointed out this amazing room – I thought of it as the carpenter’s master suite – and I shot this image with my tiny Canon PowerShot S100. It was post-processed using Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2 and Lightroom 4 – a great combination for this kind of nimble, lightweight photography on the move!

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Black and White Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II

Pulgas Water Temple – The End of Hetch Hetchy

20120714-105558.jpg

Yesterday, my photo buddy Doug Kaye and I walked the gardens of Filoli and then made the short drive north on Canãda Road to the San Francisco Water Department’s Pulgas Water Temple. The site is only open on weekdays – so this Friday morning was a perfect time to stop. There were a couple of other photographers there – seemed like one doing a model shoot and another doing an engagement shoot.

This image was shot with my Canon 5D Mark II using the Canon EF 24-105 f/4 IS L lens. With my back flat against one of the columns and my lens at 24mm, I took the shot straight up. It was post-processed in Lightroom and converted to monochrome using Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2. I then did a final tweak to it on my iPad using Nik’s Snapseed. I also wrote this post and uploaded the image exclusively using my iPad. Here are some earlier shots I took at Pulgas a couple of years ago – over on my Flickr site.

From Wikipedia:

The Pulgas Water Temple is a stone structure in Woodside, California, USA, designed by architect William G. Merchant. It was erected by the San Francisco Water Department to commemorate the 1934 completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and is located at the aqueduct’s terminus. In 1938, the original water temple was replaced with the current design.

The water temple consists of fluted columns arranged in a circle, upon which a large stone masonry ring with the words “I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people” [from Isaiah 43:20] are inscribed. There is a large, tree-lined reflecting pool to the east.

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Aviation Black and White Monochrome Photography Nik Software Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II

The Solent Mark III Flying Boat

Short Bros. Solent MkIII - Oakland - 2009

Imagine boarding this flying boat in Southhampton, England for your journey to Johannesburg, South Africa in the late 1940’s! With several stops along the way for overnight rest – as the plane only flew during daylight hours.

According to the museum’s commentary, the flying boat made “overnight stops along the route in such exotic locales as Augusta, Sicily; Luxor, Egypt (landing on the Nile); Lake Victoria and at the head of Victoria Falls in what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with the final stop at Vaal Dam outside Johannesburg.” I suspect you got to know your fellow travelers pretty well by the time you arrived in Africa!

This is a Short Brothers Solent Mark III Flying Boat on display at the Oakland Aviation Museum near the Oakland International Airport. The museum offers tours of the flying boat on Saturdays and Sundays – and is also offering a unique dining experience onboard the Solent on the second Saturday of each month.

The image was shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and post-processed using Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2. A red filter was used to darken the sky and add contrast – and the image was tightly cropped to emphasize the body of the flying boat. I happened to stop at the museum on July 4, 2009 and captured this image as the foggy skies were beginning to breakup over the airport.

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Black and White Half Moon Bay iPhone 4S Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White

A Walk at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Yesterday, we took a walk through the “tunnel” of trees at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve north of Half Moon Bay. This image was shot using my iPhone 4S and adjusted in Snapseed on the iPhone itself – pretty amazing how you can hold such great photography tools in your hand these days!

Fitzgerald black and white

These trees were planted in the late 1800’s by Juergen Wienke, a German immigrant who named the area “Moss Beach” and opened a hotel in the area.

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Black and White Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II Stanford

The Power of Black and White Photography – An Example

Angel of Grief - Stanford University - 2012

I learned so much about the power of photography in the short time I had with my good friend Chris Gulker before he passed away in late 2010. For most of his work, Chris was dedicated to creating powerful black and white images – and he did so with great passion and flair. His images were almost always of people – and, sometimes, about events with people in them. Late in his life, he began shooting portraits – mostly in color – for InMenlo.com. But his passion remained the black and white photography he loved.

What is it about these images – when they shed the color that we expect? How do they become even more “powerful” – when losing that colorful dimension?

In my experience, going to monochrome is a fascinating way to explore images – first looking at them as originally shot in color – and then moving them to monochrome, shedding the influence of the color, and just getting down to their essence – of light and shadow.

This image of the Angel of Grief is an example. It’s a classic piece of memorial statuary located near the Stanford family tomb on the Stanford University campus. It’s tucked away in an out of the way place that you come across while walking. It’s so striking when you see it – a memorial to Henry Lathrop, brother to Jane Stanford, based on an 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story.

Late in May, I took Lily for a walk through this area – including the Arizona Cactus Garden and the Stanford memorial. I had along my Canon 5D Mark II with the 135mm f/2.0L lens. The late afternoon light was streaming in from the upper right of the image. A powerful sculpture – in powerful light.

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Black and White Golden Gate Nik Software Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II Photoshop San Francisco/California

The Golden Gate from Fort Barry

Night from Day - San Francisco - 2011

Last December, Doug Kaye and I met up out at Rodeo Beach and then traveled up to Battery Mendell and Fort Barry. This image of the Golden Gate Bridge and the skyline of San Francisco was shot from Fort Barry Road just above the Point Bonita Lighthouse. From here, you’re down closer to the water than elsewhere on the Marin Headlands.

This image was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens at 200mm. The exposure was 1/800 at f/6.3, ISO 100. This version was post-processed in Adobe Photoshop CS6 using HDR toning, Nik Color Efex Pro 4 (detail extractor and tonal contrast) and, finally, in Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2 where final contrast and toning adjustments were made. My goal was to make a moodier version of this image through the post-processing.

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Black and White Nik Software Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Canon 5D Mark II Photomatix Pro

The Barn at Pierce Point Ranch – Point Reyes

The Barn - Pierce Point Ranch - 2012

Wrapping up this week’s tour of black and white images from Point Reyes and Inverness is this shot of a favorite of mine – the barn at Pierce Point Ranch on Point Reyes. This particular version incorporates great detail in the barn siding – from initial processing as a single-shot HDR (High Dynamic Range) image using Photomatix Pro. I then used Nik’s Color Efex Pro 4 Detail Extractor filter to further enhance the detail before doing the final processing in Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2. A red filter helped darken the sky to keep your attention on the planks of the barn.

When I shot the image, I wished that picnic table wasn’t there – but after seeing it for a while I’ve grown to like it being there! Not much layering in this image – just the shadows from the overhang up top and the bit of fencing on the left side. Still, this is one of my favorites from last Saturday’s Point Reyes adventure!

Here are a couple of earlier versions of images of this same barn shot on an earlier trip about 18 months ago.