DITCHING THE COLORS

When I go for a walk I try to make it a habit to look for light and subjects that may benefit from a certain way the light touches them. This corner of the historical Star Brewery in Dubuque found my attention. It was a colorful picture with red and orange brick stones, a blue staircase, and greens and yellows from the tree, plants, and flowers. But I had this imagination of a black and white photo with some contrast when I looked through the viewfinder. The blacks suppress all the not so important elements and the highlights bring out the graphic impact of the staircase. It is the image I had in mind.

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR

THREE LIGHT SOURCES

Staircase, Meissen Cathedral, Germany

The Meissen Cathedral has many interesting architectural details. When I was ready to leave one of the chapels and stepped into this spiral staircase, I knew immediately I had a picture. The light that came through the small window and from the room behind me was complemented with light from a small lamp in the staircase. The mix of daylight and incandescent light from the bulb were actually well taken by the camera (white balance was set to Auto), but I knew only the development of the photo in black & white will do justice to the subtle impact of all three light sources.