More B&W images to come in 2011.
When I first started out shooting pictures it was with black and white film. At first I had someone else processing my film for me and as time grew on I started doing it myself. One of the amazing things with Black and Whites is the lattitude you have for control over your images. I loved messing around with different developing times. Some of the film I would push up to 3 full stops and some I would pull down to 2 stops. One gave a nice contrasty look while the other left the images dull with a very somber mood. Since I have made the switch to digital I have not found a great way to convert images from color to black and white. I recently downloaded the trial version of Nik Software Silver EFex Pro and I am loving what it can do. It really gives you unlimited control over your images. I have not sprung for the full version yet but I plan on doing so in the very near future. Although the images you see here on my blog are a not nearly as clean as or clear looking as they would be in print you can get a good idea of how the conversion process can really add mood, atmosphere or feeling to an image.
This image is more that just a shot of an old building, it represents a great day out with 2 other photographers as we explored the lesser know parts of Oregon. Getting out of your comfort zone is hard to do for a lot of photographers including myself. The major body of my work is Sunsets, Sunrises and Waterfalls. Although I do love to shoot these old buildings I find them hard to shoot and get the right feeling in the final image. Since my love for black and white still is in my heart today, I plan on working more on them this year and creating a new body of work for clients to choose from. In the past I have been pretty disappointed with some of my conversions and now I feel I will have the correct tools to make an image attractive and print worthy in the Black and White medium.
Also new in 2011 is my blogging. I was really bad about it last year and many people probably decided to not follow me anymore. I can’t blame you, I don’t follow people who don’t post on a regular basis either. This year is gonna be different. I plan to blog here more about the images I post over on Flickr and my website. I also have a few longer blogs to write up about the Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood. I will be including images and history about each one and how it came to be today and why I love to photograph them.
So here’s to 2011, I wish you all the very best in the New Year!
Cheers, Darren
I’ve got you in my reader, Darren. I just went out yesterday with another photog to shoot some abandoned places around North Central Oregon, some places I wish I would have known about last July! One of them you’ve been to, though. I’m looking forward to more posts from you.
Darren, I look forward to following your blog in 2011. I love seeing your B & W’s. I learn from you. I love this place too! Now I will have to looking into turning my shots of it from color into B & W. Thanks Again!!