Cruise Chronicles – Monochrome Memories

Back in 2012, I posted some ruminations on black and white images following a visit to New Orleans. Certain scenes lend themselves to monochrome conversion in post-production. The French Quarter, with its 19th century appearance, can produce images that look like old daguerreotypes…provided you can exclude modern elements like autos, satellite dishes and tourists wearing Geaux Tigers t-shirts.

Our recent Baltic cruise produced some photos that struck me as opportunities to remove the color and emphasize the light, shadow and contrast aspects of the picture. Often, the existing scene is rather devoid of color. The sky and land are already just dark and light patterns. But sometimes, removing the color is the only adjustment needed to make the shot worth keeping.

God Fingers Over the Baltic Sea (10 May 2019)

Catherine Palace, Pushkin, Russia (15 May 2019)

This was the only shot in this presentation that actually had vibrant color. The Catherine Palace outside of St. Petersburg (shown in the Day 8 post) is quite colorful. The walls are bright blue and the onion domes are a stunning gold. I removed the color on a whim and was struck by how the domes became more reflective and shiny.

Fountain, Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo (23 May 2019)

The fountain above is in Frogner Park which we visited our last day in Oslo. It is at the base of the hilltop that holds Gustav Vigeland’s magnificent Monolith with its surrounding sculptures.

The weathered stone is a dull beige color and the staining around the block seams is evident. I believe when all the color differences are removed, one’s eye can concentrate on and appreciate the lines and symmetry of the composition.

Tallinn, Estonia (16 May 2019)

In Tallinn, Estonia, there is this mysterious monk-like figure placed against the thick wall that surrounds the old quarter. I thought the medieval wall made for a good background. While the sliver of light through the window provided the only bright green in the otherwise-brown and gray composition, I prefer the image monochrome.

Oslo Opera House (23 May 2019)

Sometimes, the monochrome urge hits because the scene is primarily an interesting presentation of lines…and is already devoid of color. The Oslo Opera House has an arresting design. The roof slopes to the ground and the public is free to walk up and around the top of the building. The entire exterior is white. Positioning the camera to make something of the lines is the challenge. This particular image was essentially monochrome from the start. The key is the portion that is sky. If that sky were clear blue, it might have been interesting to emphasize that one colorful element of the picture. As you can see, the overcast day just added to the colorless scene.

Lake Mjosa, Norway (22 May 2019)

Late afternoon and the sun had moved behind the far hills. The indirect light, calm reflective water surface, dark islands and distant mist make a pleasing composition. I’m extra pleased with this one because it was taken through the window of a speeding train. The ride back to Oslo from Lillehammer paralleled the shoreline of Norway’s largest lake. As I described recently when I posted a shot of wind turbines made from a speeding car, raise the ISO and lower the f-stop/aperture. Then you can shoot with a faster shutter speed and reduce blurs due to vibration. Good thing digital ‘film’ is free since most of the shots were jettisoned because they included poles or parts of trees, buildings and whatever else passed in front of me.

To conclude – even for a post-production Luddite like me, removing the color from a digital image is an easy, one-step process. In these selfie-mad times, even a simple black and white portrait can be better than you think.

Cruise Chronicles – Day 16 – Last Day in Oslo

This would be our last full day in Norway. In a wonderful coincidence of travel plans, our good Wisconsin friends, Tom and Kathy would arrive and spend the day with us before joining Tom’s brother in Oslo. They’ve been here before and offered to share some of their favorite sights.

Before meeting them, we walked through our Barcode neighborhood to the new Opera House.

Completed in 2007, it is quite striking…all white granite and marble with a roof that slants all the way to ground level so anyone can walk up and see elevated views of the waterfront and city.

Oslo Opera House by Raphael Konieczny (from the Wikipedia page)

From the Top of the Opera House, Oslo (23 May 2019)

With the cloudy skies, there was no color in the scene. This encourages one to make the image all black and white and concentrate instead on the lines and shadows.

Dressed for the Opera House, Oslo (23 May 2019)

Some might say that Beck should have worn something colorful this day. Draped in red, she certainly would stand out. On the other hand, I think she fits into the monochrome scene quite well.

Oslo Opera House Interior (23 May 2019)

Between the materials, lines and angles, I found the Opera House, inside and out, to be a fascinating playground for image-hunting.

After Tom and Cathy arrived, we set out for Frogner Park. The park, Oslo’s largest, was a private estate in the 18th century. By the 20th century, the manor had become a public park with its central feature being the Vigeland Installation, an 80-acre showcase in the center of the park where 212 bronze and granite sculptures designed by Gustav Vigeland are displayed.

Man Under Attack From Genii Spirits

By Gustav Vigeland, Frogner Park, Oslo (23 May 2019)

The Park and its sculptures are the most popular tourist attraction in Norway. Bad news - visitors come by the busloads and between the selfie addicts and children who want to climb all over the art, it’s not easy to get clean shots. Good news – a shower came and drove the tourists away. Bad news – the overcast skies cast a dull tone on my images.

The Monolith by Gustav Vigeland

Frogner Park, Oslo (23 May 2019)

Perched on a hill that is the highest point in the park is The Monolith. Carved into a single piece of granite by three workers over 14 years, 121 human figures comprise Vigeland’s crowning achievement.

One of the Figures Around the Monolith

By Gustav Vigeland, Frogner Park, Oslo (23 May 2019)

A circular arrangement of 36 figure studies surround the Monolith. While little bald naked babies are common, a full range of human expression is also present…male and female, from young to old, and from happy to sad.

After the park, Tom and Kathy took us to the end of the Metro line where there is a restaurant perched high on a mountainside. There we savored hot soup and apple cake.

Holmenkollen Ski Jump, Oslo (23 May 2019)

The last stop of the day was on that same Metro line a couple of stations down the mountain. Here was the famous Holmenkollen ski jumping venue. Not as impressive in the off season, one of the world’s premier ski jumping hills would look much more interesting with snow, 70,000 spectators, and some fool Finn soaring above it all. Sorry but it’s May and this is what you get.

We bid Tom and Kathy farewell with our thanks for a great day and returned to the apartment to pack for the trip home. The following day, we flew back to Newark where the gratitude of homecoming was tempered by the fact we had to drive back to Maryland during rush hour…on a Friday…before the Memorial Day weekend. It took a half hour to cover the quarter-mile to enter the Jersey Turnpike. Welcome Home indeed.