Power of Black and White

I still miss black and white film (but not the darkroom!).There was just something special about loading up your camera with Tri-X and heading out to specifically look for B&W shots. This is the old farm house near Pensacola, NC, that I have photographed many times - this time just two weeks ago, with my Nikon D-80.

The Mind's Eye

Which version do you think a French Impressionist painter would have put to his canvass? The first is image is what my Nikon D80 captured (near Hot Springs, NC). The second image is from my Windows 7 computer (listening to a little bit of Led Zeppelin on Pandora Radio!)

Appalachian Autumn

One of the great TVA projects between Corbin KY and Newport TN along US 25. Notice how the 135mm lens brings the background closer to the foreground, almost making the background appear to stand up. This is the real beauty of telephone lenses - their ability to "compress" your picture.

The picture is heavily Photoshopped by the way, with both the background and the foreground being selected separately and lightened accordingly, with some contrast changes also.

Why Photoshop Is Important

Before and after: the 1st picture shows what my camera captured; the 2nd shows my mind's eye so to speak. As an artist, I see nothing wrong with Photoshopping my pictures - as a photojournalist, the rules are different however.