Christmas Day

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted January 10, 2016223 views11 comments

This was Christmas Day in the Sierra Foothills near my hometown of Columbia. Based upon a suggestion from Harley, I converted this to B&W.

Nikon D-7100
Nikkor DX 16-85mm
Converted using a B&W adjustment layer.
Tonal adjustments with TK's Luminosity Masks

A processing note: The Black and White adjustment layer in PS allows one to adjust the tonal value of colors separately. That is how I darkened the blue sky and parts of the reflection without affecting overall contrast. It is a neat way to convert a color image to B&W in PS.

Please see the large version. Thanks!

Your thoughts are always appreciated. cool

--P

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Richard Wong on January 10, 2016 at 7:37 PM

Fantastic scene Preston. I like the B&W treatment here.

Registered on February 2, 2006, 79 Posts, 2629 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on January 10, 2016 at 10:48 PM

This is a very dramatic scene and composition.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Alberto Patiño on January 10, 2016 at 11:50 PM

The detail in the large version is a real treat. The selective contrast adjustment really gives a very unique feeling ot the image. But the composition is also beautiful. I like this a lot!

Registered on December 2, 2014, 278 Posts, 1736 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on January 11, 2016 at 1:17 PM

This looks almost like an infrared photo with that contrast between sky and land. The still water is a very nice detail, I really enjoy this one!

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on January 11, 2016 at 5:11 PM

Almost appears to be IR. Very nice comp and conversion to BW.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 11, 2016 at 8:27 PM

Preston,

This is killer! Ok, I mean beautiful, awesome, etc. etc. What fabulous rendition of the Sierra Nevada foothills. I'm with Roel and David in that IR look. That came to mind even before reading the comments. Have no fear though sir, it's not a negative in the image what so ever. The contrast and tonal separation is great throughout.

No nits or suggestions. A beautiful scene and beautifully processed.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on January 14, 2016 at 5:03 PM

Excellent. The B&W works great. Excellent idea! sad

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by D.A. Edwards on January 15, 2016 at 2:48 PM

The B+W treatment makes this a work of art, Preston.

Registered on October 8, 2014, 226 Posts, 1187 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on January 16, 2016 at 8:13 AM

I missed this one Preston, Beautiful shot and the tonal gradations are sweet. Not much to improve upon. I might try to increase the contrast in the reflection area, as it looks a little flat compared to the sky. If the sky wasn't so great, I wouldn't be able to compare it to anything. Nice shot.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on January 17, 2016 at 3:38 PM

Preston,
Is it possible for an image to be both powerful and restful at once? For me, this one is. I love the shot and am glad you did it in B/W. Great memory of Christmas Day.

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 15, 2016 at 6:47 PM

Wow! I love this image, Preston. Fantastic job on the processing and composition. I just love looking at this!!!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments