Monochrome

January 13, 2009 ·

Michael Reichmann

Update, September 1999:

A new article onDigital Black & White Printinghas been added. It discusses issues relating to conversion from photographs shot originally colour film to monochrome and on the new generation of monochrome inks available for ink-jet printers.

Paris - 29Paris 29 — France 1997

Once upon a time if you wanted to do black and white photography, you shot with black and white film.  Today, the digital darkroom allows one to shoot in colour and convert to B&W after the fact.  Though this was always possible in the traditional darkroom it was nowhere near as easy as it is today.

Walking down a quiet Paris street this wall attracted my attention because of its strong graphic elements.  Though not a "landscape" image per-se I used it to illustrate an article onDigital ImagingforPhoto Techniques Magazine, and therefore it finds itself included here.

Taken onProvia 100with a Leica M6 and 35mm Summilux f/1.4 lens on Provia 100.

White Rock White Rock — Nevada, 1997

While shot originally on colour transparency film this giant white boulder in Nevada deserved the purity of a monochrome presentation.  After scanning the image had its colour removed and was turned into B&W in PhotoShop.  This technique is capable of quite excellent results.

Photographed with a Rollei 6008 and 90mm f/4.0 Schneider Makro Symmar on Provia 100

Burnt Branches, Desert Hot Springs, CA, 1998

Near Palm Springs CA, lies the town of Desert Hot springs. I visit there occasionally, using it as a base to shoot at nearbyJoshua Tree National Park. In the winter of 1998 I found this stand of burnt dead trees beside the highway. Perfect subject matter for theFuji 617panoramic camera.

Photographed with a Fuji 617 on Provia 100, decolorized in Photoshop

Georgian Bay Rushes, Ontario 1999

Georgian Bay, off Lake Huron, is one of the most favoured vacation spots for Canadians as well as many American’s from the Northeast. A rugged, isolated coastline it features thousands of islands and bays. Occasionally there’s a soft quality to this craggy coastline as seen here where clumps of rushes occupy a sheltered bay.

Photographed with a Canon EOS3 and 100~400mm IS L lens @ 400mm, on Provia 100.

Rocks and Bare Aspens, 1999

Photographed on Route 168 in the foothills of the Sierra at the peak of fall colour.  I converted this image to black and white because it simply works better as a monochrome. The colour version cropped slightly differently is locatedhere. For more of this portfolio have a look at theEastern Sierra.

Taken with a 180mm Schneider Tele-Xenar lens.

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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.

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