On our return from Elbow Lake, last Friday I got some good shots of Elpoca Mountain. After looking at it again, I realized this picture could be better in black and white. I made the conversion to test my belief. I was not disappointed.
So, today’s post is a simple one, one photograph only: Elpoca Mountain, in black and white.
Black and white photographs are not as simple as they may seem. There are literally thousands of combinations of black, white and every shade of grey in between, not to mention variations in luminance. I think that’s why Elpoca Mountain makes such a good subject for black and white. Its rugged structure presents a multitude of facets to the light and the shading created by the clouds. The mountain is also very colourful with many shades of black, brown, green and tan which reflect and absorb light in interesting ways. I also like the strong definition of the clouds and the striking contrasts in their luminance.
I worked with several combinations of shading and luminance before settling upon this result. I use a plug-in to Photoshop, “Black and White Effects”, a specialty software produced by Topaz Labs.
Very impressive!
That is a striking photograph! Without seeing the original, I think this is probably better!