Beachscapes

Earlier this month we went to the Beach.  I wandered out there one morning and brought along my camera (there was suppose to be people with me ... ahem).  I've already mentioned my opinion on landscapes.  I'm not very fond of making them, or looking at most of them.  I don't know if I mentioned that when I first got a camera I had no intention of pointing it at people.  I believe that was mostly fear.  That changed, and I believe I can probably change my outlook on landscapes too.

I've been fascinated with black and white images recently.  I've been seeking them out, landscapes, portraits, fashion, photojournalism, old, new, it doesn't matter. 

When I talk about black and white, I mean black and white.  I don't typically like sepia tones, and I don't generally like "dark grey and light grey" pictures.  I like dark black, bright white, and only the necessary detail.  If it doesn't add to the story I'd rather it go detailess.  I am not one of those people that will whisper in reverent tone about exquisite shadow detail.  Its not my thing.  I like shapes and lines, detail tends to distract me.

Digital images converted to black and white by simply desaturating the image don't usually do this.  They tend to me the dark grey and light grey images I mentioned above.  It also feels like using Lightroom to make them is also not the easiest way.  I've been spending some time to learn various ways to create black and white images with Photoshop that I like.  I'm not quite there yet, but I think I'm on the right road.  I am going to combine these two goals together, and I hope to spend some time this summer making more black and white landscape images.  ( As an aside there are a thousand ways to do this, there are tutorials all over the place... some search terms to try if you are interested are gradient mapping, the black and white adjustment layer, and the various layering techniques to darken and lighten parts of images. )

The previous paragraphs come across as opinionated.  That is because they are.  I don't think my preference is "right", it is just what I like.  You (probably) disagree, even if just a little bit.  I also can think of black and white pictures I really like that don't fit what I outlined above... there are always exceptions.