Monday, April 20, 2009

Stretching

This is my first entry to Monochrome Maniacs. I almost chickened out :) But, the only way to learn is to practice. I'd love b&w photos. However, I've rarely created one that I'm happy with. It probably stems from the fact that I do not really understand the "language" of monochrome. I suspect it also results from the fact that creating a monochrome image comes after the fact. That is, I shot with color in mind and then try to convert to monochrome. Perhaps, I need to dedicate some time to taking monochrome from the beginning.

Have a great Monday. Point your browser to Monochrome Maniacs for more monochrome goodness.

12 comments:

Anne said...

WHAT a landscape!! Loved to see it :-)

Anne in Norway.

amanda said...

Russ I think the key to a great mono is the contrast between the grays, whites and blacks and it takes some getting used to. Articles like this can help
http://www.darknessandlight.co.uk/black_white_photography_tips.html.
Enjoy what you do and have fun.
All the best....

Sherrie said...

Hi!
Beautiful shot! You did a pretty good job making it Monochrome! Love all that rugged texture in the photo! Have a great day!

Sherrie

Aileni said...

It is undoubtedly true that you should shoot in mono looking for the contrasts and tones. I had no choice when I started and used then to worry about what made a good colour picture.
It is detail and the range of contrasts that make your very excellent contribution to MM today.
My wife, who blogs as Dragonstar, uses digital but switches to B&W before shooting.
I am a purist (old fogey)and still use film or my archive of prints.
Anyway, you are very welcome here at Mono - please keep contributing.

Bryan said...

I'm riding in the same boat as you, Russ. I shoot with color in mind so monochromes seem foreign to me, which may be why I haven't done Monochrome Monday/Maniacs or Sepia Scenes more often. I don't know why, but I find some of my less engaging color images turn out to be splendid B&W's.

This is an excellent choice for your first entry. As already mentioned, the contrasts are good, and the different depths interest me.

Anonymous said...

you created a great looking b&w! very nice

Daryl said...

Really nice .. gotta trust you eye!

cieldequimper said...

Not bad at all! ;-)

airplane5312 said...

No need to worry. You did well on this one.

Liz Hinds said...

Gosh, what amazing size differences. Because you have to look more it becomes more obvious. (I think but I don't know much about photography full stop!)

The Explorer said...

for the b&w version of this photo, it is clearly shows that its beautiful place, and i bet it will be stunning with colors.

Russ said...

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I love trying learning new things.