Picture This

Picture This!
Just Black And White (No Grays)

Staff  |  Jan 1, 2009

Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Just Black and White (No Grays),” and readers have responded with a wide range of high-contrast black and white images, from architecture to portraits to dreamlike scenes that add a heightened sense of mystery to an already abstract form. Many of the images resemble pen and ink drawings, with others playing into the line and form potential so apt for this genre. In fact, we received so many excellent entries that we have expanded to an additional page for this feature.

Museum Of The North

Richard Hansen created this near surreal scene using figure, sculptural, and architectural details found in the University of Alaska museum. Original was photographed with a Canon PowerShot SD800 IS with an exposure of f/3.2 at 1/160 sec.
© 2008, Richard Hansen, All Rights Reserved

Grand Canyon Railroad

Brian DeShong got in close to these details of a locomotive and modified the original, shot with a Pentax *ist DL with a Tamron 28-105mm lens, using Threshhold in Photoshop.
© 2008, Brian DeShong, All Rights Reserved

All That Jazz

Taken at a jazz festival in New Jersey, this lyrical photo was made
by Linda Hollinger with a Nikon COOLPIX P5000 and an exposure of
f/2.7 at 1⁄60 sec.
© 2008, Linda Hollinger, All Rights Reserved

Drying Crab Apples

This “botanical” is prime for graphic treatment, created by Larry Dickerson. Original was photographed with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi and a Tamron 18-200mm lens; exposure was f/8 at 1/320 sec.
© 2008, Larry Dickerson, All Rights Reserved

Beach Bikes

Bill Walters sent us a thumbnail of the color shot and then this derivation in stark black and white. He wrote: “What initially caught my eye…was the colorful display. In black and white I liked the interplay between the tires and spokes.” This is the essence of abstraction and recognition of the interpretive power of the medium. Original shot with a Nikon D40x and a Nikkor 18-200mm lens.
© 2008, Bill Walters, All Rights Reserved

Classic Paris Portrait

Resembling an etching or pen and ink drawing, this photo of the Eiffel Tower was created by Robert J. Metz on his first trip abroad with a digital camera, the Nikon D70.
© 2008, Robert J. Metz, All Rights Reserved

American Rodeo

Details and composition add to this abstraction of cowboys at a rodeo in Ft. McDowell, Arizona. Edward H. Mertz made the original shot with a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
© 2008, Edward H. Mertz, All Rights Reserved

Praying Mantis On Screen

Approaching a near “Op Art” sensibility, David J. Griggs used the stark contrast to counterbalance intricacy with repeating patterns. His original shot was done with a Nikon D70.
© 2008, David J. Griggs, All Rights Reserved

Zebras

What better subject to express high-contrast black and white than zebras, and while you’re at it why not take two? Barry Grivett made the original photo at the Denver Zoo with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel and a Canon 28-135mm IS lens.
© 2008, Barry Grivett, All Rights Reserved

Old Wagon In Snow

Resembling an etching, this photo of an old wagon in a snowy field in Saskatchewan, Canada, was made by Ken Eliasson with an Olympus E-500, then edited in Photoshop using the Threshhold effect.
© 2008, Ken Eliasson, All Rights Reserved

Orsay View

Irwin H. Segel made this photo of the St. Augustine Church in Paris through the huge clock in the Musée d’Orsay. His original was made with a Nikon D80 and a Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens.
© 2008, Irwin H. Segel, All Rights Reserved

Mannequin

This fascinating image is of a CPR mannequin, part of a series of photos made by Christian L. Campbell, who invites readers to view the collection at his website, www.artfulpics.com. The original was made with a Canon EOS 40D and a Canon 100mm macro lens.
© 2008, Christian L. Campbell, All Rights Reserved

Aerialist

Jan Wolyniak tells us this intriguing image is of a balloon aerialist performing in Ann Arbor, Michigan, against a background of construction cranes. Original was made with an Olympus E-510, with edits in Olympus Master software.
© 2008, Jan Wolyniak, All Rights Reserved

Brooklyn Bridge

Perspective, form, and line create a seductive combination in this classic New York scene, photographed by Mimi Katz with a Nikon D200 and a Sigma 12-24mm lens.
© 2008, Mimi Katz, All Rights Reserved

Jeanne

The original image by Gary Potts was shot on Plus-X film with a Minolta AL 35mm rangefinder camera, then scanned with a Nikon Coolscan 4000 and processed in Photoshop CS3.
© 2008, Gary Potts, All Rights Reserved
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