3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

Nebraska

Using Lightroom 4: Black and White Conversion

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Using Lightroom to Create Black & White Images

I am a person who sees in color and therefore my photographs are in color, but sometimes color is distracting and facial expressions and emotion get lost in the “clutter”. Black and white photography highlights the face, the eyes and expressive personalities. It doesn’t just work for people, but black and white photography works for animals as well.

Take for example this gorilla from the Omaha Zoo.

Gorilla at the Omaha Zoo
Gorilla at the Omaha Zoo

I’ve seen some amazing black and white photographs on the photography section of the WordPress blog.  So, I thought I would try my hand at using Adobe Lightroom to see if I could achieve the same thing. I love Adobe Lightroom, it’s easy to learn and no matter how many times you edit your photo you can go back to the original without worrying about losing data.

Stand Alone Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 Program | PC/Mac Disc$10/month Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC + Lightroom) subscription

It’s not as simple as clicking the black and white button. I also adjusted some of the underlying color tones and increased the clarity to bring out the details and shadows.

Black and White Lightroom Example
Click for bigger image and more detail

This is a time I wish my WordPress template was wider for images. If you click on the image you can see some of the changes in a bigger format.

The original black and white threw too many shadows around his eyes, but the adjustment lighten brush solved that problem.  I also used the adjustment brush to sharpen his nose, darken highlights in the fur and increase the clarity in the creases. There really was a lot I did to this image, so much so I couldn’t list them all.

Many photographers learn by watching YouTube videos but sometimes there is nothing like settling down with a book for inspiration. If you have a friend who loves photography and is creative these make great Christmas or birthday gifts.

Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual Third Revised EditionThe Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow

Photo info: This gorilla lives at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, it’s one of my favorite places to visit.  I posted earlier about the Gorilla exhibit, give it a read, it’s pretty amazing. If anyone visits Omaha contact me and I’ll be more than glad to take you on a tour.

Black and White Photography Hints and Tips

5 digital photography tips only the pros know

Black-and-white photography is a quick way to make a classy portrait photo or atmospheric cityscape. However, the black-and-white mode on your camera is not the way to do it. In that mode, the camera sensor only captures a fraction of the information …

Kim Komando: 5 digital photography tips from the pros

The major don’t of black-and-white photography. Black-and-white photography is a quick way to make a classy portrait photo or atmospheric cityscape. However, the black-and-white mode on your camera is not the way to do it. In that mode, the camera …

Black And White Photography Tips – The SITS Girls

Learn how to capture emotion, texture, light, shadows, and more with these black and white photography tips.

Black and white photography – Digital Camera World

In this black and white photography tutorial you’ll learn best camera settings, subjects and monochrome conversion methods for your photo editing software.

4 Tips to Help you Decide Between Black and White or Color

Half Color. There are many differing opinions when it comes to black and white photography. Some photographers love it, and shoot black and white exclusively, while other photographers absolutely shun the notion and shoot only in color.

U.S. Marine Upstages Huey Lewis

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Being a Mother of two U.S. Marines I’ve gotten to where I can spot a United States Marine in a crowd. Maybe it’s their presence, the way they stand as if at parade rest, but I really think it’s because of the distinctive haircut.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of seeing Huey Lewis and the News in concert. However, for a time this Marine had all my attention. Reminded me of my Marines.

A Marine upstages Huey Lewis and the News
A Marine upstages Huey Lewis and the News

It’s not uncommon for Marines to act as security at public events, my son David has signed up in California for a few gigs. Although I don’t think he’s gotten any gigs like Huey Lewis yet.

I tried to get this security guards attention from a far, but he wouldn’t be distracted from his task and wouldn’t make eye contact. He just kept scanning the crowd. When he walked to the side I took off for the side rail.

After stopping him I asked “Excuse me, are you a Marine?”

“Why yes Mam I am” and he looked at me quizzically.

“I knew it, my two sons are Marines and I could just tell.”

Turns out he was last active in 1997 (? doesn’t look old enough) and after a little bit of chit chat he gave me a firm handshake and told me to tell my boys “Semper Fi”. I walked away with a smile on my face.

Now I can’t think of Huey Lewis without thinking about my Marines.

Music By Huey Lewis

Greatest HitsSports (30th Anniversary Edition)

Learn More About Huey Lewis

Huey Lewis and The News to kick off RAGBRAI

The Sioux City RAGBRAI Committee announced Monday that Huey Lewis and The News will headline the concert lineup on Saturday, July 18, in the Tyson Event Center parking lots, the day before the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa begins …
Collection: Huey Lewis and the News videos

Official video of Huey Lewis and The News’s I Want A New Drug from the album Sports. Buy It Here: http://smarturl.it/3xyujuLike Huey Lewis and The News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hueylewisandthenewsFollow Huey Lewis and The News on …
Other songs that have ‘Blurred Lines’

My lawyer! The 1980s rocker Huey Lewis accused Ray Parker Jr. of copying a “Ghostbusters” song riff from the 1984 hit “I Want a New Drug” by his band, Huey Lewis and the News. Reports at the time said they settled and signed a confidentiality agreement.
Drawing the line: Four famous copyright feuds

Not Huey Lewis, apparently. In 1984, the musician brought a court case against ‘Ghostbusters’ singer Ray Parker Jr for allegedly infringing on his song ‘I Want A New Drug.’ The settlement agreement included a confidentiality clause, which Parker later …

 

I Saw the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile

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“I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner, That is what I truly wish to be ..”  now everybody sing!

It’s the Wiener Mobile!! I’ve heard about it, I’ve seen it on TV, but never seen it in person. Today at lunch it drove the front door and I yelled out, “Oh my look it’s the Wiener mobile!”  The scheduled visit was at Walmart in Omaha Nebraska and to Walmart I went for lunch. (alas no hotdogs were available for eating outside)

Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile
Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile

The photo above is an official Oscar Mayer event photo taken on an iPad and automatically sent to my email with all sorts of social media possibilities. They are very well connected to Twitter, Facebook, blogging from the road and of course Kraft Foods has a very complete website.

It goes without saying  I took photos of my own, in my own style and I’m going to post them next week. But I was so excited to see the Wiener Mobile I had to post it today!! I even got a Wiener Mobile whistle!

Until next week and the full story eat an Oscar Mayer hot dog and sing a happy song.