Black & White - Day 1

Today, I focused on composition: Which subjects would make for a good black and white picture? I took a photo in black and white and then another in color to see which better suited a given subject. I was surprised at what was successful as a black and white photo and more often, what was not. Examples are below.


Flowering Tree
I can't decide which I like better. The color of the bushes is really beautiful here, but the white of the flowers, which was my focus for this photo, is more prominent in the black and white photo. Also, the glare on the windows is more obvious in black and white, which I like. (b&w: 1/200 sec., Color: 1/320 sec.; Both: f/8, ISO-800)














Fire Alarm
This was fun because of the contrasting colors which to a colorblind person would appear to be the same color. I admit, I am partial to the color photo in this case, purely because of the colors. But, I also love the textures and many shades of gray that appear in the black and white photo. (Both: f/4, 1/1250 sec., ISO-800)














Bike at Night
I definitely like the black and white better of these two. The flash (which made a wicked cool effect) totally distorts the color in the bottom photo. This is the Canon's built-in flash. I'm hoping to buy a hot-shoe flash soon. Any suggestions? I'm considering a Vivitar. (Both: f/3.5, 1/60 sec., ISO-200)

















Black VW
Finally, here is my favorite of the day. What can I say? I love a beautiful, shiny car. This VeeDub was black. Combined with the grays of the overcast skies and the asphalt street, it seemed a natural for a black and white mug. I also love the bird flying overhead that was caught on the upper-middle of the hood. (f/8, 1/60 sec., ISO-800)

What is 'The Mapril Project'? Well, I'll tell you:

The Fun Stuff: The Mapril Project is a month-long blog project starting Wednesday, March 31 (the 'M' in 'Mapril') and ending Wednesday, April 28 (the 'april' in 'Mapril'). I'll take my camera with me everywhere and post at least one picture each day. Every calendar week will have a different theme. My ultimate goal is better synergy with my camera, a Canon EOS 20D. But I hope to take some pretty pictures in the meantime.

The Peer Stuff: I have many good friends who are excellent photographers. I'm hoping to get lots of feedback and advice from you, so don't be shy about leaving little messages!

The Nitty Gritty Stuff: Here's the plan for each week's theme:
Week 1 (Wed., March 31 - Sun., April 4): Black & White
Week 2 (Mon., April 5 - Sun., April 11): Natural Light - I will shoot the same subject each day for seven days at different times of the day each day (Monday: Dawn, Tuesday: 10 a.m., Wednesday: Noon, Thursday: 2 p.m., Friday: 4 p.m., Saturday: 6 p.m., Sunday: Sunset)
Week 3 (Mon., April 12 - Sun., April 18): Action
Week 4 (Mon., April 19 - Sun., April 25): Color - Each day will have a different color to focus on (Monday: Purple, Tuesday: Blue, Wednesday: Green, Thursday: Yellow, Friday: Orange, Saturday: Red, Sunday: Pink)
Week 5 (Mon., April 26 - Sun., April 28): People
*I may have to change some things around to suit my schedule, but this is the plan for now.

The Caveat Stuff: The photos you see posted here will have only minimal (if any) changes to the originals that come off my camera. I'll stick to editing the lighting and some cropping where necessary, but no color editing, in compliance with what I understand are journalistic standards. I'll be using Microsoft Office Picture Manager for any changes I do make.

Cheers!

--MC

More Previously Published Work

More NENPA eBulletin Photos
These are links to photos I took at the New England Newspaper and Press Association's annual convention on Feb. 5 & 6, 2010 published March 27.
Event Management Workshop (2 photos)
Local Government Reporting Workshop (2 photos)

Previously Published Work

Check out these Web sites for samples of my previously published work:

Laura Grill - Boston Folk & Jazz Musician
I took each of the pictures you see on Laura Grill's Web site. *This site is still under construction.*
LauraGrill.com

NENPA eBulletin
These are links to photos I took at the New England Newspaper and Press Association's annual convention on Feb. 5 & 6, 2010.
NENPA Convention 2010 - Please scroll to the middle of the page.
Audio Gathering and Editing Workshop (2 photos)
Matchbin Workshop
Suburban Newspaper Market Workshop
Visual Reporting Workshop (3 photos)
Managing Change Workshop
Downsizing Your Paper Size Workshop
Outselling Your Conditions Workshop (2 photos)