Colorado shots - comments?

[Mule]

Second post - just back into photography after 20 year vacation. I feel like Rip VanWeenkle with the technology that's out there. If you don't get the reference, ask your parents. Anyway, recent shots from Colorado and I'd welcome feedback. Thanks.

[Knight]

They sell cameras that take color pictures now LOL Serious now , i really like 2 and 4 . Well Captured and Welcome to Photography Review

[WesternGuy]

Mule, the first one is a little washed out, but the others are just fantastic. Even with a 20 year vacation you do not seem to have forgotten how take great images. I particularly like the last one - would love to see it in colour if you have it.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[Mule]

Thanks for the comments. I'm open to criticism and welcome any feedback. I'll upload a color version of the last photograph although there wasn't much color to the shot. Knight, I couldn't find the color button on my new Nikon D80. I figured I thought for a while that it must have been the black and white lens I purchased.

Seriously I shot almost exclusively in B&W in the old days. As you might guess the biggest difference is the number of shots I can afford to take and the speed of digital processing. I hope to pick up a copy of some editing software soon. The basic program that came with my Nikon doesn't seem to do much and I can't manipulate RAW. I'm considering the jump to Photoshop.

I'll toss in one other color shot just to prove I figured out where the color button was on my camera.

[SenorNikonMan]

They sell cameras that take color pictures now LOL Serious now , i really like 2 and 4 . Well Captured and Welcome to Photography Review

Good one Knight!

Great shots there Mule! Or should I call you Ansel?

I've been meaning to ask this, when you are shooting digitally but you plan on converting them to B & W, do you shoot the same as you normally would and just remove the color after the fact or do you shoot differently to begin with? If it is the latter, what do you do different? What about the contrast? How is that different between color and B & W?

[Mule]

I shot these and then played with color vs. b&w when I loaded them on the computer. As I said earlier I always liked b&w so I tend to lean toward shots that may compliment b&w when I'm looking through the view finder. I agree with others who say that our world is so full of color and video that b&w tends to draw the eye to explore something deeper. I'm sure there are others here who could reflect more on the subject and I would be interested in their thoughts.

[Loupey]

Nice post, Mule!

In the absence of color, one must play to the strengths of B&W - its ability to focus the attention on shadows, textures, patterns, and contrast. I've always felt that simple landscapes and subjects make "better" B&W subjects than complex ones. That said, I think your two portrait shots in the middle are too wide/busy for B&W IMO.

It is often much more difficult creating great B&W images than great color images because of the fact that you're working with so much less (color). You've got to make up for it with perfect execution of composition, lighting, and subject.

I think the last one in the first post is the best. Give it more contrast and eliminate the bottom grasses to make it stronger. Or add more grass if this is a cropped image.

As for working with B&W, I used to love developing and printing it. Now I can't figure out how to do a decent conversion with PhotoShop.

Welcome to PR - hope you'll stick around.