Black and white gurus on the net say that grey days are good days for black and white photography. The even light is good for capturing textures, dimensions, shapes and shades of grey. So, that’s what I did for today’s One Picture a Day. What could be better for exploring shades of grey than a slate roof? (Hmm, I think I just thought of a good link-bait title for this post!) I’d say there’s about 50 shades of grey here.
This photograph was taken at ISO 400 f/5.6 1/125 sec at 55mm, cropped. I had to stick the camera up in the air above my head to get a good angle on the roof. I also had to step away from the subject further, again to keep a good angle, hence the crop.
Black and white in digital is all post-processing. I’ve been following various suggestions on the net. I took the original photograph in color in RAW, to preserve as much information as possible. Using Aperture, I desaturated the image. Then using the Curves too, I pulled the red curve “northwest” and the blue curve “southeast.” Finally, I desaturated again, using the Saturation brush applied to the entire image. I went back, then to play with contrast, etc., to get just the right, well, 50 shades of grey.
This image was taken with a best cheap Nikon lens, the 18-55mm VR. We praised this lens yesterday and several other times in the gallery. Perhaps its only downside is its plastic build. Professionals who use it don’t have a problem with its optics, but they question its durability for professional use. I am not a professional, so mine will probably last me a good while. As long as I don’t drop it while photographing 50 shades of grey, if you know what I mean.
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