A question of taste

I am becoming something of a fan of black and white photography, come rain or shine, and no matter what the subject. It is giving me an extended run for shooting around mid-day, now that the sun is too high in the sky for my taste.



85mm f/1.4 AF Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/3.5. Matrix metering.  - ⅓ EV compensation. Mono conversion in Lightroom. ISO 50



© 2019

Cow and tree

Part of my editing policy is never to delete an image in editing software on the day of the shoot. The reasoning behind it is that I am too emotionally attached to the subject; it's all too fresh in my mind of what I was trying to achieve when I fired the shutter. I may also not have made the right decision as to what worked best at the time.

The above photograph is one such example. Having given it a couple of days for things to settle, I open Lightroom to start the deletion process for the last shoot and immediately see the composition staring me in the face.

A bit of distance can pay dividends.

24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/1000 second at f/4. Matrix metering. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2. ISO 100



© 2019

Tree on Nine Barrow Down

What I like the most about black and white photography is the ability to transform the mood of a scene. It's a fine Spring day, but the dense early morning mistiness that covers the Purbeck Hills in Dorset refuses to lift. I try to pierce the strong haze with the use of a polarising filter, but to no real effect.

Instead, I create a quality that wasn't there at the time by converting the picture to mono; boosting contrast; adding some brutal burning-in, and finally a large dollop of film grain.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2. ISO 50



© 2019

Major Repair Area 3

The restoration programme of Salisbury Cathedral, commenced in 1986, is in its final phase. Major Repair Area 3 - under  the scaffolding adorning the east end - is scheduled to be completed next year, meaning the work will have taken 4 years less than it took to build the church in the thirteenth century.


12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 50



© 2019

Going up

"It's getting more like New York every day..." quips a passer-by, as I stand waiting for the light to change. He is referring to the plethora of construction work currently going on, with the expansion of Bournemouth University.

A tad exaggerated, I feel, but tall buildings appear to be going up at an alarming rate in the town. Most of it appears to be student accommodation, but whatever its use, it's too good an opportunity to miss with a camera. 

Top: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 100

Middle: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 100

Bottom: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 100

© 2019

No joke

Monday morning, and I decide to have a day out at Corfe Castle station, photographing the Heritage Railway. It's a clear blue sky over Dorset, and by the time I arrive at mid-day the light is horrible; not good for landscapes, at least in full colour.

As I shoot I'm already thinking about converting the final images to black and white, but end up sepia toning and adding various ageing effects, in the hope of producing something interesting.



All images converted to mono in Silver Efex Pro 2, but 'aged' and toned in Analogue Efex Pro 2.

Top: 12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/8.  Matrix metering. - ⅓ EV compensation. ISO 50
Middle: 12 -24 mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8 Matrix metering. - ⅔ EV compensation. ISO 1600
Bottom. 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 200



© 2019