It's a new year, lots of snow has fallen over the past day, and temperatures are below freezing.  Typical.

But, that begs the question of what to do photographically until the weather is nicer.  Yes, I could go tromping through the snow looking for something photogenic, but I don't really have the equipment for that (meaning boots, thermals, etc.).  So, find stuff indoors to shoot or go through old photos and see if there is anything fun to play with.

Last week at my photography club, it was mentioned that one of the keys to good black and white images is having strong contrast in the initial image.  Good dark areas, definite light areas, shading and texture between.  So, I went and looked for some shots of mine that fit those criteria and decided to see what they look like in black and white.

Golden Eddy

This is the first image I decided to play with.  It happens to be one of my favorites.  But, the textures in the rocks and water, the dark areas of the stream and light of the water all fit what I was looking for.

Eddy

This was actually a lot more difficult to convert than I had thought it would be.  The tops of the rocks are a lot brighter relative to the rest of the image, so I had to tone them down a bit.  The moss on the rocks on the right are a lot darker than I liked, so I had to bring that section up.  Still, I'm happy with the result.

orchid

Here's another image I really like in color, especially the contrast between the yellow in the center with the pink petals.

Orchid Detail

It's surprising how the shades of pink changing to gray makes the petals look like they have much more texture.

Yes, I still prefer the color versions.  That said, the black and white does work well and having that as an option means that I have lots that I can play with until spring.