FOLLOWING THE CURVE (PART 2)

If this looks familiar you must have visited my blog a few days ago. Today I tried the same image as a black and white version. I had this in mind when I took the shot but later at home, in front of the computer screen, the play with the color contrast appealed to me as well. Now, with both versions on hand, I think the monochrome version supports the graphic impact of this photo better. The Z-shaped curve of the clouds and the edge of the field are better pronounced.

As much as I like the relativ new B&W presets in Adobe Lightroom Classic, for the finishing of this image I used the well trusted NIK Silver Efex Pro 2. In Lightroom I started with the same Camera RAW settings as for the color version, opened the photo as a Smart Object in Photoshop, and finally applied NIK Silver Efex Pro 2 as a filter. I still love the way how global and local adjustments interact with each other in any program of the NIK Suite. The final touch was made with a subtle dodging and burning layer in PS, mainly in the lower half of the photo.

FOLLOWING THE CURVE

Farm on a hill with clouds, near Sherrill, Iowa

A couple days ago I mentioned I would share another photo from the “cloud chasing” tour that evening. Quite some time ago I made a mental note about this old farm on a ridge not very far from our home here in eastern Iowa. I have driven by several times over the years and always thought this would make a nice foreground or middle ground for a photo with a dramatic looking sky. Well, this week I had my chance. The lush vegetation makes for a nice color contrast to the clouds in the sky. The curved edge of the field leads the eye to the farm structures and from there the curve continues in the sky. Now I’m thinking about a black and white version of the image…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2017 #2 - DUBUQUE RAILROAD BRIDGE

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4 ---------

This is the railroad bridge over the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. The photo was made during a little river walk on the first day of the year with family and our grandkids. At the end of the bridge is the only railroad tunnel in Illinois, only a quarter mile long. I have tried this shot many times before over the years and never was totally satisfied with my results after reviewing it on the computer screen. This time most leading lines have some light that intensifies them and even the clouds point in the same direction. The shadows of the rivets on the right hand side of the bridge tell you exactly where the sun was located. A shot like this can only be made with the same outcome at this time of the year.

The bridge is almost 150 years old, still in use, and has been a favorite subject of mine any time I go on the river walk and since we live in the Dubuque area.