Category Archives: Black & White

Automobiles, Black & White, Photoshop, Russell

Silver Efex Pro 2 Volume 2

July 26, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

A look at the remainder of the default filters in the Silver Efex Pro 2 filter from the Nik Plugin Collection.

Original Image

Fine Art High Key Framed

Triste 1

Triste 2

Wet Rocks

Full Contrast and Structure

Silhouette

Dark Sepia

Soft Sepia

Cool Tones 1

Cool Tones 2

Film Noir 1

Film Noir 2

Film Noir 3

Yellowed 1

Yellowed 2

Antique Plate 1

Antique Plate 2

Pinhole

My Original Creation

That should close out our look at the Nik Plugin Collection.

But I cannot complete this post with out wishing a hap, happiest birthday to long time Photography 139 supporter, Russell!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Automobiles, Black & White, Photoshop, Road Trip, Travel

Silver Efex Pro 2 Volume 1

July 22, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

I thought now would be a good time to take another look at a filter from the Nik Plugin Collection. This time, we will look at the default filters in the Silver Efex Pro 2 collection. There are 38 of them, so I’ll split this into 2 posts.

The Silver Efex Pro 2 filter is a quick, easy, and powerful way to convert any image into black & white with a myriad of options.

Here is the first batch.

Original Image

Neutral

Underexposed

Overexposed

High Contrast Harsh

High Contrast Smooth

High Structure Harsh

High Structure Smooth

High Key 1

High Key 2

Low Key 1

Low Key 2

Push Process 1

Push Process 2

Full Dynamic Harsh

Full Dynamic Smooth

Full Spectrum Inverse

Full Spectrum

Grad NV 1

Grad NV 2

Fine Art

It is the same subject, with the same composition, but each filter suggest a slightly different emotion. Will look at the rest of the filters soon.

Birthdays, Black & White, Flowers, Jay

Daisylicious

July 8, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

Here are a few daisies from the Iowa Arboretum.

I was surprised how spry their daisies still are considering that my daisies went the way of the dodo bird almost a month ago.

PARTICULARS

CAMERA: SONY SLT-A65V
ISO: 100
FOCAL LENGTH: 60mm
APERTURE: f/5
EXPOSURE: 1/100
DATE: 07/03/2016 – 20:01
LATITUDE: 41.93805°
LONGITUDE: -93.86141°
PHOTO ASSISTANT: A gentle summer breeze
EDITING SOUNDTRACK: “Clean My Wounds” by Corrosion of Conformity

Before you head out, I decided that starting on July 1, I wanted to wish “happy birthday!” to any subscribers that I know the birthday of AND have a photo of.

The first person to meet those criteria is Jay.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!

For he’s a jolly good fellow! Which nobody can deny!

Angie, Black & White, Carla, Kim, Monica, Photoshop, Railroad, Shannon, Steph, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 42 – TRANSPORTATION

July 4, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

Considering that today is a holiday of some note, I’m pleased with the number of submissions.

Since today is a holiday of some note, I’ll make this quick. Here are the submissions for TRANSPORTATION:

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Angie DeWaard 1

Angie DeWaard 2

Angie DeWaard 3

Stephanie Kim 1

Stephanie Kim 2

Christopher D. Bennett

Carla Stensland

Shannon Bardole

Monica Kewer

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

SUNRISE/SUNSET

Since Naima is waiting patiently to go on a walk, I’ll just point out that you don’t have to take this theme literally. Also, my quick advice is as follows. Think about what you put in front of the sunset or sunrise. That might make the picture. The other advice is don’t necessarily take a picture looking at the sunset. Turn around and look at what the light has done behind you. Finally. Wait at least 5 minutes until after the sun has gone down until you quit your scene. At least 5 minutes.

No Housekeeping today. Giving it the day off.

Animals, Black & White, Christianity, Flowers, History

04-18-07

July 2, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

A picture of Karma, some flower pictures, and a Thomas Merton quote is what I found in the folder named 04-18-07.

Looks like deer photos will be the feature in the next walk down my memory lane.

Black & White, Flowers

Mmmmmm… Delicious!

June 30, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

I don’t have the best hollyhock patch this year, but the ones I do have, the area insects find to be quite tasty. Leaving designs that I like to photograph.

Obviously this image might have been touched by Photoshop, but we don’t need to get into all that jazz.

PARTICULARS

CAMERA: SONY SLT-A65V
ISO: 160
FOCAL LENGTH: 60mm
APERTURE: f/4
EXPOSURE: 1/100
DATE: 06/28/2016 – 11:15
LATITUDE: 42.05529°
LONGITUDE: -93.87072°
PHOTO ASSISTANT: Naima
EDITING SOUNDTRACK: “She’s Got A Way” by Billy Joel

Angie, Becky, Black & White, Carla, Flat Earth Joe, Jodie, Steph, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 39 – SKY/CLOUDS

June 13, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

This week’s theme seemed to really inspire lots of people. Including first time contributor and conspiracy theory enthusiast Joe Lynch. Who wanted it known that those aren’t clouds in his picture. They are chem trails. Dropped by “them” on the “masses” to dumb us down or make us easier to control or more violent or something. Wake up people!

Here are the submissions for SKY/CLOUDS:

Joe Lynch

Angie DeWaard

Christopher D. Bennett

Carla Stensland 1

Carla Stensland 2

Jodie Bennett 1

Jodie Bennett 2

Stephanie Kim 1

Stephanie Kim 2

Stephanie Kim 3

Stephanie Kim 4

Becky Perkovich 1

Becky Perkovich 2

Mike Vest

An impressive collection of submissions methinks.

BLUE!

This should be easy enough. Almost everybody has access to something BLUE. Blue is even an emotion. My inbox should be just packed full of BLUE submissions.

If you normally don’t pay attention to HOUSEKEEPING, you might want to this week. Or you might be disappointed next week.

HOUSEKEEPING

MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.
2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report on this front. However, if you are reading these words and don’t have a Photography 139 email subscription. Let this guy know. I’ll get you hooked up!

MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SCHEDULING DIVISION

I will be in Milwaukee next Monday for my church’s Youth Group Mission Trip. The deadline for BLUE will not change. However, the submissions will not be published next Monday. More like Friday night or Saturday when I return. However, at 12:01 PM next Monday, the week’s theme will publish and you can begin working in earnest on it.

MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 FACE BOOK IS THE DEVIL DIVISION

Just a heads up that I probably won’t be publishing a link to this here post today. Any time there is a mass shooting I stay away from Facebook for a couple days. Considering the nature of this latest symptom of our country’s disease, I’m sure Facebook is even worse than normal with posts that are racist, homophobic, scapegoating the mental health system, and highly inaccurate with its interpretation of the Second Amendment. These types of incidents always just make me sad. I don’t need anger pile on top of it.

I like to think that humans are mostly decent people. Even if most of the evidence seems to suggest otherwise. Seems like the timing of the Mission Trip is perfect.

That’s all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune again next Monday.

THE CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT TRIVIA QUIZ

QUESTION 17

How many biological siblings do I have? Be very specific.

ANSWER: 2.5

BOUNS

What are their names?

ANSWER: TERESA, CARLA, & JODIE

Animals, Art, Black & White, Flowers, Naima, Road Trip, WPC - Alternate

Don’t Believe Everything that You Breathe

June 9, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

Here lieth a few PERSPECTIVE attempts that weren’t quite up to snuff.

Such a sad and pathetic bunch.

THE CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT TRIVIA QUIZ

QUESTION 14

This year I will be going on my 5th Mission Trip with my church’s Youth Group. Name the 4 places I have already gone: (Hint: 1 place twice)

ANSWER: KANSAS CITY, MINNEAPOLIS, KANSAS CITY, MARTIN (SOUTH DAKOTA)

BONUS

Where is the Mission Trip going this year?

ANSWER: MILWAUKEE

Automobiles, Black & White, Lowell, Nate, Road Trip, Ruins, Travel

Rust Bucket – Strong City Kansas

June 7, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

Another automobile I found fascinating in the car graveyard that is Strong City, Kansas.

I have maybe a couple more pictures left to share from beautiful (cough, cough) to me Strong City, Kansas.

Added a new category in PARTICULARS since I love minutia.

PARTICULARS

CAMERA: SONY SLT-A65V
ISO: 100
FOCAL LENGTH: 18mm
APERTURE: f/6.3
EXPOSURE: 1/160
DATE: 04/03/2016 – 10:46
LATITUDE: 38.39543°
LONGITUDE: -96.53934°
PHOTO ASSISTANT: Nate Miller
PHOTO EDITING SOUNDTRACK: “Straight, No Chaser” – Thelonious Monk from the album STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

THE CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT TRIVIA QUIZ

QUESTION 13

I was born with limited musical skills. What instrument did I play poorly in the Boone High School Band?

ANSWER: TROMBONE

BONUS

Who was my high school locker partner?

ANSWER: Lowell Davis

Angie, Animals, Black & White, History, Movies, Naima, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 37 – EMOTIONS

May 30, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

EMOTIONS was a profoundly unpopular theme. I’m sure destined to hit the cutting room floor if this challenge extends into a second year. Maybe it was the holiday weekend. Maybe people were like feelings? Actually feeling something? No thanks! Back to my mass consumerism, thank you very much*. Either way, Angie was the only person that kept this theme from being a shutout and being the first strike against this challenge.

Here are the submissions for EMOTIONS:

Christopher D. Bennett

Angie DeWaard

Becky Perkovich

This week’s theme is…

PERSPECTIVE

Back when I was compiling the list of 52 themes, I thought about breaking PERSPECTIVE into LOW PERSPECTIVE and HIGH PERSPECTIVE, but I thought it would be interesting, given the choice where people would go. The level of a rat or the level of an eagle. Both animals forage through trash for food, but their perspective on the world is totally different.

However, being high or low isn’t the only definition of perspective. As always, feel free to define perspective any way that you want.

HOUSEKEEPING

RULES

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.
2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by noon on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

That’s all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune again next Monday. Hopefully with a lot of new perspectives on the world.

*Just wanted to make sure everybody knows that I’m a minimalist and that I’m super excited about the new movie coming out about my people.

THE CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT TRIVIA QUIZ

QUESTION 7

Quentin Tarantino famously was once quoted as saying: “When I’m getting serious about a girl I show her RIO BRAVO and she better (expletive deleted) like it.” What one of my 3 favorite movies do I use as a test of the quality of the people in my life? They better (expletive deleted) like it!

ANSWER: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

BONUS

What are my other 2 favorite movies? To earn the point, you must include the year of release.

KING KONG (1933) & PSYCHO (1960)