Black and White Need Not Be Blah

This weekend my wife and I took a ride through Hunterdon County, stopping for lunch in Lambertville. Lambertville is one of those small pricey towns that are converting every available inch of retail space into an antique store. While many of the building are genuinely old, many more are being restored to look older – or so it seems. Unfortunately, goods and services reflect 2009 prices! But if you look hard enough there are genuine artifacts that show their age in a graceful way.

I’m one of those people who feel that the only way to capture that time capsule is in B&W. When you mention B&W to today’s youthful photographers the “B” words seem to come up – “blah” and “boring.” With a minimal amount of Photoshop magic, B&W and color can be combined to draw the viewer’s attention to that which the photographer wanted to capture.

Take a moment a really look!

Too often, a photo’s vivid color captures our attention and we neglect to realize and appreciate the true detail in a photo. In photo contests, I often wondered how many winning photos would have won if submitted as a monochrome (black & white) photo. Look back at some of the historic photos published in Time, Life and Look magazine (now I’m dating myself!) and you’ll see they were black and white. Black and white photos captured a moment in time, reinforcing the content and what the photographer was trying to capture.

Here’s a great example of how black and white shows the age and character of a portion of the Basilica in Newark, NJ. The building, standing 196 ft tall at its highest point, is largely made of hand carved stone. The horizontal gargoyles are actually 14ft in length. When you take a moment to really study the detail it’s hard to believe that this was all done by hand!

This photo was originally shot in color as 1 RAW photo using an early sample of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. I used the 14-140 lens from the DMC-GH1 to compose the view I was looking for from across the street.  I also used a polarizing filter to darken the cloudless October sky. Final processing was done in Photoshop using Nik Software’s Silver Efex

Tribute in Light – In Rememberance

Each year since 9/11/2002 the Tribute in Light is held at “Ground Zero” in New York City. Two beams of blue light shine into the sky from sunset on 9/11 to the following day’s sunrise. This year heavy rains discouraged the hundreds of photographers the usually turn out along the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River.

Living just a few air miles from “Ground Zero” I experienced the drama of that day in eye’s view of the World Trade Center. As smoke was billowing from the first tower I watched as the second plane impacted. I was part of a group of about 25 people who gathered on the upper parking level at my office. As the plane struck a perfectly synchronized “Oh Shit” could be heard throughout the group. It became an indelible memory, one of the life experiences that you will always recall what you were doing that moment.

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is located in downtown Newark, NJ at 89 Ridge Street in a predominately Spanish neighborhood.  Many native New Jersey residents don’t even know it exists. Some of you who were fans of the HBO series “The Sopranos” may recognize this church as a drive by scene during the opening credits. It is one of many sites of interest in New Jersey that seldom receives its due credit. Entering the cathedral for the first time is an awe-inspiring experience. The building’s interior architectural detail is only rivaled by the exterior construction. State and national recognition has also been accorded Newark’s majestic Cathedral Church, which was designated an historic landmark by the New Jersey Historical Society in December, 1974. Two years later, on December 22, 1976, national recognition was given the Cathedral through its designation as a National Historic Site.

Certain situations, especially indoors, are very difficult to photograph when accent lighting is in use. Digital cameras tend to “average” the exposure. Bright areas can be too bright, while shadow areas lack detail. In these situations HDR, used in moderation, is your answer to capturing the mood of the moment.

(Sept 1, 2009) Over the next few days I’ll be posting many more photos from Cathedral Basilica on my Flickr page. For your convenience you may view them individually, or as a slide show.

This photo was shot on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 / 7-14 mm lens, created from 7 RAW photos tone mapped using Photomatix Pro 3.2

I seem to have found a new niche using HDR, so expect to see more of New Jersey’s famous churches in the future. Please take a moment to leave your comments and constructive criticism. If you’re from New Jersey and know of a church that offers unique architectural detail, please let me know.