This photo is one of those ones I work on for a long time before arriving at a result that I find acceptable… I frequently find myself initially disappointed by the results from a scene I was expecting to be awesome. On this occasion, the photo was missing that thing, you know? That something, that spirit almost. The presence that makes it “wow” worthy…
In three specific cases, I’ve found the solution to this problem to be making the photo black and white. That is something I usually reserve for social photos where the B&W treatment helps convey a sense of emotion where the color in a scene may detract from it. I have another reason for avoiding B&W, and that is I feel its cheating… Before I get my head blown off over this, let me explain:
By removing color from a photo, you practically remove half the criteria for its to be judged on. All you are left with is composition, subject matter, and other details such as noise level and contrast. The issue is that those ‘other details’ are often associated with the stylized type of photo that usually gets B&W treatment, and thats fine, but it does make post processing a great deal easier and less involved. Those who know my work often notice the lengths I got to, ensuring that a photo be damn near perfect before presenting it to the world.
With these things in mind however, I understand that B&W is the same as any other photographic tool. And when used correctly, it produces wonderful results. I’d just prefer it wasn’t used as a mask for bad processing, thats all! I have similar thoughts on HDR and its prolific nature among amateur photographers, but thats a rant for another day…
The story behind this shot…
I had the pleasure of spending several months with my good mate Will before he returned to the UK. And during this time we found ourselves in some very interesting locations, presented with stunning landscapes to capture. The name “photomish” has been coined for these adventures, leading one into the middle of nowhere and back again with many digital goodies on one’s memory card!
On this particle occasion, I emphasized our need to be quick with this scene… We had a 60km trip ahead of us to make it to ‘St Bathens’ (more on that coming up soon!) for the sunset, and roughly half an hour to make it there. Needless to say, despite my heavy right foot and the speedo pointing well past the legal limit, we didn’t make it. We also ran out of fuel on the return leg. Oh well… This is the sort of thing I love doing, getting out and about with awesome people and sharing a love for photography!
[...] Otago, HDR, Landscapes, Photography, Travel Following a post I made a couple of weeks ago entitled ‘Race Against the Setting Sun’, I thought I would follow up with another photo taken the same evening… When I say we were [...]