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Elaine Mueller Tweedy
           (570) 575-1705

Project 52 - Week 2: Black and White

1/13/2017

14 Comments

 
Black and white is not a new theme to this blog.  If you go back to April 22, 2016 in the blog posts, you will see my first go round with black and white.  Repeating a theme is actually a good thing.  Here's why:
  • we can see if our perspective has changed
  • we can look for the areas of improvement
  • we can see which animals are still laying around doing nothing for most of the day!
I've decided to pull out one of the subjects that I used the last time around.  Barney (the barn cat who decided he liked houses instead) is an ideal candidate for black and white photos, as his coloring lends itself well to good contrasts. 

In April of last year, he was fast asleep on a large ottoman.  The photo below was taken this past week.
Picture
I swear to you, Barney did not lay in this dog bed all year!  Sometimes he sat in the window.
Picture
Either way, he is still voting houses over barns for 90% of his day.

You can see a difference in the images above.  The first image has been converted to black and white using a "classic" black and white conversion, while the second image was converted, then warmed up a bit with a photoshop action.  I used a 50mm 1.8 lens for both images. 

The choice of black and white worked well for both because, in the first very simple image, the color of the wall (a teal blue) seemed to take away from Barney cat.  As a black and white photo, the wall is now grayish in color and Barney stands out more.  In the second image, the brightness of the snow, mixed with the muddy-brown trees and sun behind Barney were a distraction.  They muddled the image somewhat.  As a black and white conversion, Barney's contrasting coat colors ground the image, as does the frame from the stained glass piece hanging in the window (which is why I left it there).

In keeping with the kitty theme, I also grabbed a few shots this week of our cat Harry.  There is a colored version of one of the shots featured on my Facebook page if you'd like to sneak a peek at it.  In the colored version, I am in a bit closer to Harry, so there is less background and he is framed out well from the surrounding kitchen paraphernalia.  The difference in the photo below, is that there are a number of things surrounding Harry in the kitchen since I am further away, and any one of them can distract you, especially if they are in color.  So this is a case for black and white, which helps to simplify the image and bring the focus more to Harry.

This is Harry's favorite spot, on the kitchen island, where he can watch the world go by and stay away from Barney, whom he hates with a cat passion.
Picture
Looks like it's been a kitty week all around.  The only two we are missing are Matty and Gus.  Gus is perpetually camera shy (you can't let him know you are trying to take a photo).  Matty will stare into the camera, but he can be a moving target. 

I did manage to somehow get this last photo of Matty and Barney together.  Barney moved a little, but Matty, as you can see, does stare down the camera.  The last images (Harry and the dynamic duo below) were all taken with the 50 mm 1.8.  In the final image I used a marble overlay on the wall behind the kitties.
Picture
There is loads more to see in this week's blog circle, so grab another cup of coffee or tea, and settle in to read what's been going on in black and white in everyone else's week.  Start with Darlene Dykas Woodward of Pant The Town Pet Photography, serving Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
14 Comments
Jessica link
1/13/2017 04:14:05 am

I love black and white photos! Yours tell such wonderful stories; I especially like the one of Harry on the island and the last one of Matty and Barney together.

Reply
Elaine
1/13/2017 07:40:06 pm

Thank you, Jessica. The Harry photo is also my favorite! :)

Reply
Kim Hollis link
1/13/2017 07:15:18 am

Wow - getting the 2 cats together, you had to be thrilled. Nice job this week!

Reply
Elaine
1/13/2017 07:41:36 pm

Kim: These two are good buddies and often groom each other. I was hoping for that grooming photo, but decided not to wait too much longer and chance losing the image. The ones where Barney actually sat perfectly still, well, his eyes are closed. Typical client problem. LOL

Reply
Lisa Browning link
1/13/2017 09:23:48 am

Beautiful work - these look great in black and white!

Reply
Elaine
1/13/2017 07:42:00 pm

Thank you Lisa!

Reply
Blue Amrich link
1/13/2017 09:31:38 am

Beautiful photos! I think my favorite is Harry on the kitchen island. That one just looks made for black and white.

Reply
Elaine
1/13/2017 07:42:39 pm

Thanks, Blue! I totally agree about the Harry photo! :)

Reply
Kathie Ono link
1/13/2017 10:55:11 am

I love taking pics of cats. I think it's because I have to move quickly with most of them, so I have to be on my toes. Great job!

Reply
Elaine
1/13/2017 07:43:43 pm

We seem to have all gray and white cats, except for Harry. I don't know how that happened...LOL. None of ours are very cooperative, but sometimes you get lucky.

Reply
Rochelle Marshall
1/13/2017 11:49:34 am

WOW- these are all gorgeous! I love the one of Harry!

Reply
Elaine
1/13/2017 07:44:37 pm

Thank you, Rochelle! Harry is a good egg of a cat, but a real cynical photo subject. :)

Reply
Darlene link
1/13/2017 08:48:25 pm

Stunning images, Elaine! I'm in love with the one of Harry on the kitchen island with his eyes averted to the side - gorgeous! I'm going to have to search for your previous 2016 post now :) Props to you for getting the 2 cats together! Great post!

Reply
Emma
1/19/2017 01:02:44 am

Ohhhh so many beautiful puss photos! I love the one of Matty and Barney the most, they're all amazing though!

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