In previous post, I mentioned that I love black and white photography.  Colours affect the mood, vibe and overall impact of a photo.  Stripping out the colour can place more focus on the angles, shadows and tones.

The photo on the left is the original photo that I took of an icy/snowy log at beach.  I chose to focus on the front of the log and blur out the background. I was fascinated by the snow and ice because they reminded me of tear drips.

I like how the photo turned out but I felt that the colour wasn’t adding anything special to it. I chose to create more contrast and convert the image to black & white. By removing the colour and adjusting the levels, I placed more focus on the ice, shadows and tones in the photo. I feel that the photo on the right is more interesting and overall stronger than the original.

Taking photos is a passion of mine. Generally, I take them in colour and then convert them to black & white.  I feel that there is always room to improve and enjoy adjusting the levels to add a little something more to a photo. The change can be subtle or more dramatic. I feel that there is always an opportunity to increase the strength/power of a photo.