Cones in Black and White

I couldn't resist adding one more black and white photo. I am amazed at the vast differences between cones from trees. It is interesting to me that while the purpose of each cone is the same- to grow and spread the seeds of the tree- the shapes and sizes they come in are widely different.

Black and White Detail

Black and white photos are some of my favorite ones to look for when I am out with my camera. Trying to see the contrasts of tone rather than color, is a rewarding challenge. On these grey days of winter, though, it seems like much of my outside world is black and white anyway so finding an interesting subject seems easier. This chain was part of a memorial sculpture in a nearby park.

Silhouette Beauty

Trees in winter have a unique beauty as they contrast with the bright gray skies. I was actually at the local zoo today to take a look at the baby elephant, but as cute as she was, it was this tree that caught my eye. Without leaves, the lines and curves of the branches are so interesting.

Columbine Black and White

I love the graceful shape of the Columbine flower. I love the long delicate spurs flowing from the bottom and the way the petals unfold on the top. Since I especially wanted to highlight the shape and lines of the flower, I found a black and white version to be most successful.

Shell in Black and White

The black and white version of this shell shows such wonderful lines and texture that I couldn't resist adding one more picture today! I hope you enjoy it!

Macro Beauty

I have a special place where I stash extra odds and ends of cash that come my way, in order to eventually buy the totally unnecessary, but wonderfully cool, camera equipment or digital software that I want. Today, I splurged on a macro lens from Nikon. I am planning a hike with my husband and some friends, into a beautiful area of wildflowers near Mt. Rainier this weekend, and while I imagine most of the pictures I take will be of the vast fields of flowers in this particular area, I am always more drawn to the beauty in the details of individual plants and insects.
I actually started out to the camera store in search of a polarizing filter which will be a necessity for good exposures of the mountain, sky and fields of flowers, but it turns out that the lens I have been eyeing was sitting right there waiting for me at a price I could afford! How could I not buy it?
Anyway, I tried it out in the backyard while my granddaughter was napping and I think it will be lots of fun this weekend!

I love the fluffy details in the yellow 'mini-flowers' and the feathery pink center! Of course, since I am still working on black and white photos, I played a bit with this one that way too.

I think this version shows off the beautiful texture even more! I am not sure which one I like better.

Black and White Calla Lily

I love black and white photography and one of my goals this year is to learn to create finished images that look more like the ones in my head. To that end, I have been reading and working through the concepts in John Batdorff's book, Black and White- From Snapshots to Great Shots. What an inspiration! His photos are incredible.
While looking for images that will convert beautifully to black and white, I saw this calla lily  tucked into a corner of the Portland International Rose Garden. I loved the way the light shone on it to highlight all the details of this simple flower. I think it makes a wonderful black and white.

Peaches times four

I love  the way early morning light makes objects glow and highlights their form and texture. These peaches were on my kitchen counter this morning and the light was wonderful. Of course, I couldn't just post one copy of the resulting picture! I played with different filters and Photoshop mixer brushes til I had four very different versions. Each one shows a unique view of a very common peach!

Dead Leaves- Blah to Beautiful

I spent a lot of time trying to decide how to begin this blog. Which picture should I use? How much should I share? Would anyone care? I finally decided to just jump in and share what I am working on and tell a little about what I did to create the finished project.
This photo was taken earlier this week while I was out walking in my neighborhood. The leaves were hanging over a fence and I loved the texture of them and their simplicity. As you will see in the following description of my process, they were hanging against a purple fence. I felt that the color really distracted from the texture that attracted me to them in the first place, so this ended up being a tinted black and white project. I also just began playing with a new Photoshop filter called  Fractalius. I use it very lightly, but I love the texture it adds.

I love the way this turned out!