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.