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Friday Slide Show: Monotones
4 October 2019
On several occasions last month, we found ourselves taking a break on the patio with the M.Zuiko 12-200mm zoom by our side. We thought we might get a shot of some wildlife if we sat around patiently for a while.
There's quite a bit of wildlife here in the middle of the city. Coyotes, raccoons, skunk, gophers, roof rats, field mice, snakes, to name a few. Then there's the insect population. And the birds.
We had in mind a butterfly or two (a few varieties visit frequently) and a hummingbird (which keeps a clock-like schedule).
So we sat. And sat. And then a butterfly floated by, zigzagging irrationally. We missed it of course. And then the hummingbird came chipping over to the lemon tree. But when we picked up the camera, we spooked it.
So we sat. But this time with the camera ready.
And when the hummingbird returned (because they use up what gasoline they manage to acquire very quickly), we did get a shot or two at 200mm but it was devilishly difficult to guess where it was going before it left the frame. Or find it afterwards.
We're going back to static subjects. They're composed.
But meanwhile, we thought we'd select a few of our favorites from sitting around with that long lens we returned today.
For some reason unknown to us, we decided to convert the color images into monochromes. Color was not a unifying theme since some days were brilliant sunshine and others fog. But by emphasizing the tonality rather than the color, they hang together. The disparity appears as variety.
We used Lightroom to do that, applying a colored filter to bring out particular contrasts in specific images. Green for the watering can, yellow for the foliage, for example. Oh, and with a vignette where appropriate.
Don't worry, there are only eight of them. We didn't just sit on the patio, after all. We took a nap, too.
