My B&W pictures from a little while ago....

usayit · Nov 18, 2003

Hi folks,

Since I am new to this forum, here are some of mypictures of me experimenting with black and white from a couple years ago. All taken with 35mm black and white film.

#1
When I first moved to NJ from TX, my cousin took me for my first trip into new york city and to the museum. Boy did I feel like a little country boy in a big city! This was one of the first sights that greeted me:

#2
A couple shots shots from the museum

#3

#4
This one came out a little dark. But it is still one of my favorites. Its also a little dark in print and chose not to "fix" it for this posting.

#5
Back at home, I managed to catch my roomate's cat asleep. What a cute little thing! I cannot believe that I actually did not wake it up with my flash.

The next few pictures were taken in black and white. I had just bought my 35mm scanner used and was trying to learn how to use it. I also wanted to learn a little about photoshop so I colorized the flags.

#6
A few months later, I moved out into my first new ( oldish ) home. Nice viewpoint of our flowers with our neighbor's flag in the background.

#7
A shot of a nice restaurant in New Hope, PA.

#8
I love the look of old machinery. This one was hidden at the old train yard.

#9
Finally, one of my favorites. I worked in NYC several months after 9/11. I, like most in the area, were still attempting to grasp the reality of what had happened (my family was lucky ). I commuted in and out of Penn station for a year and this memorial made of parts from the twin towers was there to greet me. One morning, I came in really early ( before the daily rush of people ) and setup my tripod on the second level and waited. Took many shots but there was always something out of my control that took away from the shot. This was my best from the roll. A framed ( not colorized ) print of this picture now hangs on my wall in my office.

Thanks for looking. Comments as always are welcome....

bogleric · Nov 18, 2003

The subway picture has a very interesting perspective. The depth is nicely captured and the lighting / shadows make it a great capture of a true subway tunnel. I really feel like I am down there.

There is something little missing in the picture, perhaps if the oncoming person was a little closer, or the menu board in the foreground was a little to the right. Just something to allow a contrasting human like emotion to what appears a extremely cold underground world.

terri · Nov 18, 2003

A very nice group. Unfortunately #3 is appearing as a red X for me, for some reason. :? Of them all, for me the first museum shot (image #2) is a total eye-catcher. Very dramatic and appealing.

Are you doing digital colorizing? I am a traditional hand colorist so this kind of thing stands out for me.

It's nice in these images to have the color focused on the flag.

usayit · Nov 18, 2003

Thanks for the comments thusfar....

I fixed the url for picture #3.

Yes.... The colorization of the flags was done with photoshop after scanning the B&W 35mm film with my HP photosmart s20. Took a little while to learn photoshop's tools and interface. I had to also experiment with various shades of red and blue. The three flag photos are three of a set of four that I have framed together in my hallway. The fourth B&W in the set was actually done backwards. It was a colored shot that was converted to B&W with the exception of the red, white, and blue flag. A project to help me learn photoshop basics and to have a nice balance set of four B&W photos with colorized flags. On its own, I feel the 4th picture of the set looks better in its original color. Therefore, I am posting the original:

Thanks for lookin.....

mrsid99 · Nov 18, 2003

Quite an impressive collection in my opinion and remember B&W is not my favorite.
I'll agree that the armored knights on horseback is the best, you could almost think they're actually riding toward you.

Shubin · Nov 18, 2003

Thanks for posting these...

I like the second one the very best. I can hear the muted echos of the footsteps of the gallery viewers in the distance. I love the shadows. I like the perspective.