The Mystery of Black and White

There's something mysterious

about black and white photography. Perhaps it's because we are so conditioned to seeing the ancient imagery from the early days of the art, or perhaps its because the absence of color leaves a bit to the imagination.

These days, digital cameras, color corrected monitors, and photo printers make color imagery saturate our daily lives. We see in color, we shoot in color, we print in color. Perhaps this too contributes to the added interest in the black and white realm.

The opening image

is one I see almost daily on my morning commute. This particular day, the soggy winter's rains had finally ceased and the glorious golden sun peaked through and made the landscape surreal. This lone tree stood bathed in warmth still drying out as marked by the moist dark streak of bark along the trunk.

Editing this image in Adobe's LightRoom gave me a great deal of control over the image. I was able to darken the spring grass and sky for a more striking contrast for the subject.

Enjoy!