Sunday, August 21, 2011

Color me gray

 Hiking in the Tuolumne Meadows wilderness of Yosemite this weekend Alice and I were surrounded by one awe inspiring vista after another.  I took almost all of my pictures in color but while I was processing I noticed a few looked better in black and white.
 Sometimes the color can overpower the shape and texture of the subject and grayscale is a better choice to show off the subtle details and form. 
 I think these photos look nice in color but they seem more interesting in black and white.
Today's digital cameras allow us easily to slip between color and black and white modes or the color mode can be altered in post processing.
After market software is available just for converting color images to grayscale to better control the tonal range of the pictures.
It is easy to see how Ansel Adams became enamored with Yosemite and the grand vistas and  landscapes.
I don't shoot in black and white often but there is something in Yosemite that just cries out for the simplicity of a black and white image.

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