So…I got another new camera (yeah…it’s an addiction). It’s almost a requirement of my cameras that they be able to take a decent shot of the Tennyson St. Signal on the line out to Golden. I’m also in a Flickr group that has a monthly themed competition. This month’s theme is “Richard Steinheimer.” Let’s see…that means backlighting and B&W, LOL. Combining the Tennyson St. Signal Test and Steinheimer-esque photography yielded this shot:
[tup] [Y][tup] Chris; really good shot for first time out the box. Seems like the camera can see better than the eye. Thank you for sharing the pic. Keep up the good work .
A lot of it is in the ‘eye.’ I’ve got some shots in the photo box that I think may be pretty good (but not great) - and that were taken with a Kodak Instamatic.
Chris has a great eye for a great photo - and would still be turning out great stuff with an Instamatic.
Good stuff - I like the back lighting of the clouds.
Jim - I actually processed it as color first…the B&W conversion was only for the Rail Visions entry. The B&W has grown on me over time though. Here’s the color version:
I will admit that some of my lack of enthusiasm is due to that I very much do not like greyscale. Even with Ansel Adams prints, I say to myself, “Wow, I bet that would be beautiful in color”.
I am aware that greyscale photography is incredibly more technically demanding, and that it takes a refined eye to fully appreciate the finer details and nuances that B&W affords. It’s just that my approach to photography is diametrically opposed to greyscale, in that I like to see (and take) photographs that are bursting with color.
However, if anybody can do justice to greyscale, it is you, Chris.
You’re certainly not alone, Jim! I think a lot of people have problems with B&W work. Honestly, I did for a long time, too. It was until I started looking critically at B&W work and trying to understand why (some of) it works. Unless one is completely color blind, we naturally see the world in color, so deleting it from a picture seems unnatural to us. However, I think that the lack of color can force us to contemplate light and form in a new and different way. In time I learned to appreciate that, especially when looking at work from photographers that have really mastered B&W. I saw a John Fielder print in person once and I just about had to pick up my jaw off the floor. He was one of St. Ansel’s apprentices and I fully believe that he has equaled and surpassed the master in his skills!
I’m still a little up in the air about this shot. I like both versions and waffle back and forth about which one works better. After posting the color version, now I’m starting to lean that way again! The transition from gold to blue in the sky is fascinating.
Either way, I will say that I’m thrilled with the new camera. It’s ability to handle a HUGE amount of dynamic range (14.2 stops according DXOMark’s test) means that I can work with light in news ways that simply wasn’t possible before. There are subtle tonalities in the shots that I just couldn’t get with my previous gear. There’s going to be a long learning curve to make the most use of it all, but it should be a fascinating journey and it’s one I’m definitely looking forward to!
Calvin: Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn’t they have color film back then? Dad: Sure they did. In fact, those old photographs are in color. It’s just the world was black and white then. Calvin: Really? Dad: Yep. The world didn’t turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too. Calvin: That’s really weird. Dad: Well, truth is stranger than fiction. Calvin: But then why are old paintings in color?! If their world was black and white, wouldn’t artists have painted it that way? Dad: Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane. Calvin: But… but how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn’t their paints have been shades of gray back then? Dad: Of course, but they turned colors like everything else did in the '30s. Calvin: &nbs
Chris, I really liked the B & W shot as first seen several days ago…But…this color version really looks so dramatic, beautiful with the back lit light & resulting colors.
May I ask / comment: Why did you not choose to include to have just the bottom line an image of the distant horizon…Sort of giving a “base” to the photo.
The angles just weren’t working for me unfortunately. I really would have liked to include some tracks on the horizon, too. Unforunately, without a ladder or something, there was no way to get the elevation needed to make that work here. So I just did the best I could at the time.
But yeah…some kind of base to the shot could have added something to the shot.
