How do you decide when to take a picture in black and white as opposed to color? In the film days, it was actually a decision you had to make but with digital, it always starts as color. Most cameras have a black and white mode, but you’re kinda nuts if you use it*.
Most of the time when I take a picture and decide to process it into a B&W image, it’s because it either has really strong lines and contrast or it has very little in the way of color to start. That was what I found here:
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Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 12.0-24.0 mm |
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1/60 s |
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2009:12:19 12:30:21 |
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f/5.6 |
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Ari Brown |
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200 |
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Normal program |
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15 mm |
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Tags: B&W, building, garage, ghosttown, lines, wood
Posted in Photos, Technique | No Comments »
I posted a picture of the bridge of the ferry Hyak a while back. The huge and almost universally outdated ferries that ply the waters of the Puget Sound are a constant symbol of life in the North West, but unless you actually live on an island or commute to one, it’s not something you actually ride every day. Grey’s Anatomy not withstanding, these are things seen from afar, so when I do get a chance to ride one, it’s a lot of fun. Here is another picture I took on the same trip. Since the maximum capacity for most of these ships is based around cars, they usually have capacious passenger decks with few people on them. Getting a few shots of the uncrowded lines of the upper area and smokestack isn’t that hard, but I always love the mix of simple colors and shapes.
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Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & no lens info |
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1/400 s |
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2008:07:18 14:42:03 |
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f/7.1 |
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Ari Brown |
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200 |
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Normal program |
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105 mm |
Tags: ferry, hyak, lines, railing, smokestack
Posted in Photos | No Comments »
Pigeons on a telephone wire – classic picture, right?
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Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 24.0-105.0 mm |
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1/4000 s |
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2009:04:04 14:58:38 |
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f/4.0 |
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Ari Brown |
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100 |
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Aperture priority |
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75 mm |
Even so, finding the right shot can be hard. I wanted the simple lines and symmetry in the wires. Sun should be up but not right overhead. You need some pigeons in there, right? Well I was out shooting radio towers and I just saw this out of the corner of my eye. Want more? Hit the jump for the rest of the post.
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Tags: animals, B&W, bird, geometry, lines, pigeon, sepia, telephonewire
Posted in Photos, Technique | 2 Comments »
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Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 24.0-105.0 mm |
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1/1000 s |
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2009:02:25 14:58:29 |
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f/8.0 |
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Ari Brown |
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200 |
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Aperture priority |
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73 mm |
I can’t explain why the port fascinates me so much – maybe too much of The Wire, Season 2 or something. Seattle is a huge port town, even though it’s easy to ignore. There are also some great parks where you can watch the action. I went out on a day far too cold to take some pictures, but didn’t really like anything I shot of the cans (heh… cans), trucks, or ships. I do like the lights though. When you’re working around the clock, I suppose you need to see what you’re doing. During the day, it’s just a 12-armed monster. Love the shape though – I like how it looks in sepia too.
Tags: B&W, light, lines, port, sepia
Posted in Photos | 1 Comment »
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Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 50.0 mm |
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1/800 s |
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2009:02:18 14:43:29 |
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f/22.0 |
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Ari Brown |
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200 |
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Aperture priority |
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50 mm |
I went out to see what I could see the other day. I have this big photo-collecting problem: I’m always ready to go after lunch, which is about as bad of a time as one could pick for most pictures. The only thing left at that time are bugs and flowers (macro stuff) or super high-contrast stuff, like the side of the Group Health office up the street. I usually find it pretty darn ugly, but in the late day winter sun, the lines and reflection caught my eye. This was shot with my little 50mm cheapo lens. I sure do love how sharp it is and the colors always look great too.
Tags: architecture, lines, reflection
Posted in Photos | 1 Comment »
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Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & no lens info |
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1/320 s |
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2009:02:12 14:33:08 |
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f/5.0 |
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N/A |
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200 |
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Normal program |
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100 mm |
Walking through the Arboretum, I came across this. In the middle of the path in the reed marsh, a letter A, spelled out of broken reeds. I’m thinking it’s probably a creation of human hands, but there were lots of reedy bits… who knows – maybe a natural coincidence? Either way, between the setting and material, I liked it. I guess lots of other people do too – Flickr has a whole pool of photos of just one letter, and it definitely beats some of the other things I found in the marsh.
Tags: A, letter, lines, nature
Posted in Photos | 2 Comments »
The north end of Myrtle Edwards Park in Seattle abuts one of the remaining industrial sites in the area. What is it? Some sort of silo and conveyor system. My friends and I speculate wheat and corn. We have no idea. I love the stark lines and the fact you can actually see some working industry right next to the
biotechs and
stoners on the waterfront.
- ApertureValue: f/11
- DateTimeOriginal: 2008:08:16 12:12:42
- ExposureTime: 1/250 sec
- Flash: No Flash
- FocalLength: 24 mm
- ISOSpeedRatings: 100
- Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Tags: Conveyors, lines, MyrtleEdwardsPark
Posted in Photos | No Comments »
“And here we see the reclusive Black Flag, in it’s natural habitat.”
Seriously though, the Zoo is a great place for pictures of almost everything, even when there are no animals around. I loved the lines and silhouette of this fence. I just keep staring at the picture, and I think it’s because it reminds me of something. Whatever it is, I like.
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ApertureValue: f/7.1
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DateTimeOriginal: 2008:12:16 15:24:54
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ExposureTime: 1/640 sec
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Flash: No Flash
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FocalLength: 100 mm
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ISOSpeedRatings: 200
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Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Tags: blackflag, fence, lines, stick, zoo
Posted in Photos | No Comments »
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