Category Archives: B&W Photography

A Path in the Woods – 1

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131211_PV_Path Abstract 2 by © 2013 Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @70mm, f/22, 1/10 sec., ISO 200

Yesterday we had our second snowfall of the year.  Today was a bright and crisp winter day.  A friend and I went out to Peace Valley Park to take a casual “walk in the woods” with our cameras.  There was an image just waiting to be taken from every point we stopped.  We didn’t get very far on our walk because of numerous photo stops along the way.  It was a beautiful way to spend a morning.

It was a dreamy setting, so I thought I would add to the feeling by creating an abstract of a “Path in the Woods” with a vertical pan.  The pan blended the shadows and the highlights of the morning sun along the path creating a bright abstract.

Back at home I worked with the image to create an opposite illusion of a dark gloomy path leading to who knows where.

131211_PV_Path Abstract 1 by © 2013 Karl Graf.

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Where Did the Sun Go???

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131210_Sunflower in Snow by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/8.0, 1/80 sec, ISO 1600

This spent sunflower hung its head over when it couldn’t see the sun.  The ice crystals added to the “over the hill” state of the flower.  Even under the weight of the snow and ice, the stalk remained strong.

I normally do not use the presets in Silver Efex Pro, but this one (film noir #1) seemed to highlight the image I visualized.

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First Snow

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131209_Leaf in Snow by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f2.8L @ 62mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec. ISO 800

Fall color is gone.  We just had our first snow fall, quickly followed by freezing rain.  I got up early to capture the moment before it melted.  The fresh snow was covered by a thin layer of ice leaving interesting ice encased shapes.  To capture the contrast of the dark leaf against the bright snow, I over exposed by +2 stops.  Treatment in B&W captured the dreariness of the morning.

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Death Valley: Titus Canyon – III

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131205_DV_Titus Canyon_III by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 45mm, f/8.0, 0.3 sec, ISO 400

Black and white granite markings laced with thin red lines decorate the narrow canyon walls at the bottom of Titus Canyon.  The formations range from random lines, to indian pattern, to letters.  Since I am the KGG the III, this pattern caught my eye right away.  To bring out the contrast, the rocks were spritzed with water.  It was amusing watching our workshop instructors racing back and forth between the students spritzing the walls with water bottles.  I forgot which gave out first, the light, the water, or our instructors.

 

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Death Valley: Rhylolite Merchantile

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131203_DV_Rhyolite Mercantile by Karl Graf. Canon 7D, EF 24-70mm f2.8L @ 70mm, f/11, 1/640 sec, ISO 400

Rhylolite is a old ghost town just west of Beaty, Nevada.  See the following site for a brief history of the settlement:  http://www.rhyolitenevada.com/rhyolite_history_settlement.html.  There is a lot of history behind this little settlement.  We were here a very short time for a quick shoot.  It will be a place that I go back to.

This image was taken in the bright early afternoon sun.  The color image looked very blah.  Black and White gave it a little punch.

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Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – Tracks

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131201_DV_Tracks by Karl G. Graf. Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 270mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 200

No these are not Chuck’s footprints!  As I admire the grandeur around me, I try to remember to look up and down as well as side- and backwards.  This time as I looked down, I was treated by a little critter’s path along the sand.  Micro scenes like this abound everywhere just waiting for one to notice.

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Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – Depression

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131130_DV_MesquiteDunes_Depresssion by Karl G. Graf.  Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 135mm, f/11, 1/60 sec, ISO 200

Back to Death Valley.  Chuck Kimmerle commented on one of my past blogs regarding the traps of “Following the Leader”.  He stressed the importance of creating one’s own image, not to follow some other expert.  I fully agree with Chuck.  I tend to get bored very quick when I line up my tripod with a group to capture that iconic image.  It is nice to have a shot or two, but they end up as a reference … not one of my favorites.  When I am with a group, I tend to wander very quickly away and get lost in my own explorations.  This is where I find my most enjoyment.

For this image, I was following Chuck’s foot steps and saw that he had put down his tripod.  I looked forward and to sides and saw some nice shapes of dunes, but nothing excited me.  As I was about to trek on, I looked back and saw this interesting small depression between the dunes.  I quickly walked back to get a perspective that I thought was interesting.

 

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Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – Ripples

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131128_Mesquite Dunes - Ripples by Karl G. Graf. Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 280mm, f/11, 1/90 sec, ISO 200

This was one of Chuck’s stops.  He even put down his tripod to take an image.  What caught my eye was the contrast between the smooth dune face and the ripples on the down hill side.  I also liked the “scallops” on the dune’s edge.

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Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – Waves

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131127_Mesquite Dunes - Waves by Karl G. Graf. Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 98mm, f/22, 1/4 sec, ISO 200

This image was taken along the trail of Chuck Kimmerle’s footsteps.  He did not stop here, so must have not thought it was interesting.  The mini-scene reminded me of a set of waves rolling into shore.  I worked the scene from multiple angles and came up with this as the view that most depicted waves.  I actually was thinking B&W when I took this image.  The shadows and early morning light provided the sharp contrast along the sand ripple edges.

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Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – First Light

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131126_Mesquite Dunes - First Light by Karl G. Graf. Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 280mm, f/22, 1/2 sec, ISO 200

First light across the dunes was a dramatic sight.  The dune directly in front of me caught the brilliant first light of day, while the dune behind was still in shadow.  This moment lasted only a few seconds.  If you look hard at the background dune, you can see traces of sunlight on the tops of the ripples.  A moment later everything was in bright sunlight.  I was lucky to be set up and just waiting for the sun to break.

I experimented with this image to create a B&W version.  I felt that the bright area was just too much in the B&W version.  I like the warm tan sand contrasted against the grey background shadow in color version.  Below is the B&W version.  Choose for yourself.

131126_Mesquite Dunes - First Light B&W by Karl G. Graf.

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