Monday, May 23, 2011

On the Road - Classic car in B&W with a little texture...

Cuba is full of vintage cars aged to perfection. I feel like I'm in a time warp when in Cuba, seeing so many old American cars on the road. Recently Raul Castro announced that potential car ownership may change for Cubans, opening up the new ability to buy and sell cars, and obtain new ones. How this will effect the charm of Cuba with all the wonderful vintage cars? I hope they will at least maintain their positions of taxi's, I would miss seeing the character of all these classic cars on the road!

This car was photographed as it rounded the Malecon, Cuba's waterfront. It seemed the perfect subject for a black and white photograph. I added a layer of texture to give the photo a worn and vintage look. Black and white photography allows the viewer to take in all the qualities of a subject without the connotations of color. Light, shadow, texture, pattern, and tonality become more important.

Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 is my favorite black and white conversion method. The latest version has quite a few new features including dynamic brightness, structure and fine structure, amplify blacks and whites, selective color, and even a few borders. I absolutely love it with my infrared photography!  Have fun in the digital darkroom! ~ Deb

(Reposting lost post from previous Blogger issues, sorry for the lost comments)!