Experiments in black and white

I've recently attended a short course on black and white photography. There were two principal components: taking b-w photos (what to look for that will make a good b-w image); and processing b-w images. I've not yet had the time or opportunity to go out deliberately to take monochrome images, but I have been looking at some of my existing images to think about their potential for black and white.

This colour image is one that I've posted before (sunrise approaching Reykjavik).

Below is a black and white version.

I'm not sure what I think of this - the original was so close to monochrome that I'm not convinced that this version adds anything to the visual impact. I prefer the original.














This colour image (right) I posted in August, together with (below) the best I could then do for a b-w version (slightly differently cropped).


But here is another b-w version, created with the new software that I've been learning to use (Silver Efex Pro):

It's a much better quality b-w image,and in terms of the clarity at the top of the picture, it's better than the original.

Here are some others I've been experimenting with:

 Harbour church, Torshavn (Faroe Islands)

 Reflection, Torshavn small boats harbour.

 Reflections, Torhavn.

Gullfoss, near Reykjavik.

Amber sleeping

Autumn miscellany

A few other images that didn't fit into the previous posts.

This first one has technical issues! It's not quite sharp, because the light was fading fast, I was hand-holding the camera and had the long lens fully extended, which meant that - not being able to get a fast shutter speed in the gloom - I couldn't quite hold it steady enough . . .there's a bit of blur. But I so liked the image that I kept it. I had spent ages, crouched and getting cramp, while the heron sat still with its head retracted into its neck . . . and then, suddenly, it extended its neck, ready to fish off the 'No Fishing' sign. Additionally, there was a visually distracting group of people walking along the far bank of the lake, to the left of the heron. In cropping them out, the bird has ended up rather too central in the frame. But I wasn't going to get another chance at the shot, so it's here with all its imperfections!

Autumn in black and white

Unseasonal flowering

The warm weather persisting late into the autumn has produced some unseasonal late flowering:

Autumn in close-up

Autumn Crocus

Autumn trees

These images were taken, in this order, during one afternoon - you can see the light fading, and the slight mistiness forming in the air, through the sequence.

Autumn leaves