Category Archives: travel

Fun Photo Friday — The Golden Arches


It’s another Fun Photo Friday, and this one’s a two-fer.  Not only are we going to take a look at some fun photos of Arches National Park, we’re also going to experiment (again) with Color Filtering Before Converting to Black & White.

First, let’s take a look at the drama of Arches National Park (click on an image to bring up enlarged versions in a slide show):

Now for a little return lesson on the use of color filtering in black and white conversions.  Take a look above at “Dead Wood” and “Reflections of Nature.”  Below you’ll see the same images converted to black and white.  The left side conversions were filtered for green; the right side red.  The green filtering will cause the sky to lighten and will darken the red earth, and red filtering will have the opposite effect.

To best compare the effects, open the green- and red-filtered images in separate windows (which as the added advantage of enlarging the images) and alternate between the two.

First, “Dead Wood”:

Now, “Reflections of Nature”:

When converting a color image to B&W, always remember to experiment with color filtering for the best effect.  Start with the two extremes — Dark Green versus Dark Red — and adjust the intensity as needed.

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The Island of Ibiza


Today I present to you the charming Mediterranean island of Ibiza.  Ibiza is located in the Balearic Islands, which together with Majorca, Minorca, and Formentera form an autonomous community of Spain.  Ibiza is a great place for photography in general, and black-and-white photography specifically.  The rich textures of cobbled streets and old buildings lend themselves quite handily to B&W conversions.  But don’t let the occasional splash of color pass you by.  Even those can be real gems (click on an image to bring up an album of enlargements):

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Remembering John Steele — 82nd Airborne, D-Day


In keeping with Monday’s Memorial Day blog I dedicate today’s Fun Photo Friday to the memory of John Steele, Sainte-Mère-Église, and the church upon which Private Steele of the 82nd Airborne hung suspended for two hours before briefly being taken prisoner by the German Army, escaping, and later rejoining his brigade.

You will recall this famous incident from the movie The Longest Day, in which Private Steele was portrayed by Red Buttons.  That church remains to this day standing silent sentinel over the town square.  Hanging from a spire is a continuing memorial to Private Steels (see black-and-white photograph below) — a mannequin dressed in battle gear and uniform suspended by a parachute canopy and shroud lines.

Inside that church you will find some decidedly unusual stained glass windows.  Look at them carefully.  You’ll see reminders of that day in the form of airborne patches and armed troops gliding to earth beneath silk canopies.

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