On a recent road trip, this old dairy barn was photographed. The sky was beautiful, the leaves made such a lovely carpet, the light was just right. Notice how it falls on the gate leaning against the fence.
Both were shot with a Canon 5D (in color) using a 16-35 mm lens. The Black & White rendition was converted using a Photoshop plug-in I discovered recently called Silver Efex Pro by Nik Software. It’s an amazing program and has helped wean me from the addiction to the darkroom. Which means I’m shooting less film, storage headaches are decreasing along with trips to the lab to have negatives scanned.
Now that we’ve discussed all that, which do you prefer of the two?
By the way, Nik Software allows a download of a 15 day trial for all their products. And there’s no watermark on your work so you can actually SEE what the product does. And no, Nik Software doesn’t advertise on my site. No one does! I love the freedom that comes with that. Maybe not as much as I’d love some income?
I think both have charm. The b&w is stark, sad, the colour on the other hand is full of life and happiness. It interesting what you can do with just one photo.
Comment by Mac Sokulski — November 7, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
I love them both!
Comment by Amy @ The Q Family — November 2, 2009 @ 11:04 am
I love autumn’s colors, and that picture is lovely. But, the b & w is sooo mysterious, totally different feeling, and yes, so many textures. I feel a story coming on with that one!! Probably like the b & w best! You’re so good.
Comment by Clay Mama — October 31, 2009 @ 8:16 am
B&W or Color? Love them both! Prefer the B&W. I think the composition of the image is wonderful.
Comment by Pops — October 30, 2009 @ 7:57 pm
Hi Tammie – as always great photos and I love the B/W much better……adds to the mood!
Comment by Lisa at Wanderlust Women — October 30, 2009 @ 6:36 pm
Hi Tammie
As much as I love the fall colors and feel the crispness in the air with your color shot, I also prefer the black and white version – for the drama I guess. There is a lot more going on in the sky in the B&W.
Comment by Karon Leigh — October 30, 2009 @ 4:27 pm
Tammie, I always love your B&W, but this time I think I like color for the old barn…it’s great either way though. Love You
Comment by Lynn Allen — October 30, 2009 @ 4:23 pm
The black and white…in my opinion at least. It creates a mood and makes you wonder about the story of the place whereas the color photo is simply a beautiful shot. I almost always go for black and white though – nothing like creating contrast and conflict where none exists. Someone once told me the mark of a true photographer was making something look amazing in color. Anyone can make a b & w photos. I gotta say – I whole heartedly disagree! 🙂 Be well!
Comment by Sarah — October 30, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Hi Tammie – Great shot of the warehouse! Very “moody” with a lot of great textures. Well done. 😉
Kevin (from Nik Software)
Comment by Kevin — October 30, 2009 @ 1:08 pm