April 16, 2010 9:30 pm
Manual, Bounced Flash, ISO 400, SS 1/40, f/4
Pattern Metering, AF-S
I rarely take or convert photos to Black & White. I know that it should make a photo seem timeless, but I almost always prefer a color photo over a black and white one.
When we put the girls to put on Friday night I intentionally took a series of photos (ok, it was 52 photos in 8 minutes) to try and find ONE that that I would want to convert to B&W of Vince reading Skippy Jon Jones to the girls. (As a side note, if you haven't introduced Skippy Jon Jones to your kids, you are missing out...very funny books).
It felt different knowing that I was taking a picture that would I would convert to B&W.
I wanted to show a connection between them and this story and was drawn to this one where they have similar expressions.
post-processing
Cropped to a square to focus attention on the subjects. Used a hue/sat layer to desaturate color, following by a grayscale map to add a bit more depth to the darker elements, then added a vignette effect in the corners to draw attention to the focus of the photo - the storytelling.
I struggled with a bit of noise, which was odd at ISO 400 and my focus seemed to fall back. I know I was focusing on Alena's eyes in most of the shots, so something is not quite right with my 35mm or my technique. I've been trying to use single shot focus and recompose, but I don't think its working as well as back button focus with continuous focus. More trial & error is warranted, but I used to get super sharp images using BBF & continuous focus.
okay i really laughed out loud!!! when i read the comment about 52 photos in 8 mins! that is so me! hehehe. i agree with you about preferring color. i do LOVE bw so much, but when it comes to pp'ing my own photos, i almost always keep it in color. i think i want to try to incorporate more bw into my photography. anyways :) i just love this shot! so beautiful and meaningful!
ReplyDeleteLove how the girls seem to be pondering the book as dad reads! From here, the photo is sharp and clean and timeless! Great job!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, Sarah. Really perfect. LOVE how the photo truly tells the story, with the expressions of the girls and Vince reading out loud. Love the vignette, too.
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