Sawhill Ponds Under a Mid-Day Sun (The Advantages of B&W Photography)

The Mid-Day Sun, Sawhill Ponds. Boulder County, Colorado, 2016

I normally traipse around the Sawhill Ponds area at sunrise or sunset–you, know, that so-called “golden hour” photographers love which, in reality, can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Today, though, we were out among the ponds at close to mid-day with Mr. Sol hanging high like a big golden pie in the sky. Absolutely not ideal according to the accepted Rules o’ Photography. ‘Twas true that the light was not particularly interesting or flattering. It just powered out of the sky with unrestrained force creating, on the close-up and more intimate level, deep shadows and bright highlights…or, with the grand-vista landscapes, a horrible flattening of the scene.

The solution? How about converting those boring mid-day images to black and white? Here is an example of what I mean…

First, here is a typical Sawhill Ponds landscape as it crawled right out of the camera, with no post-processing. Very, very flat = very, very boring:

Sawhill at Mid-Day, Original File. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

Did I say boring? Yep! Now, see what you think after converting this same image to black and white using Nik/Google Silver Efex software to work with contrast, structure, and overall tonal range:

Sawhill at Mid-Day, #1. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

I don’t know about you, but I definitely prefer the monochrome version–and I especially like the soft detail in the reflective surface of the water in B&W. By the way, can you spot the small airplane in a left-hand turn up against the darker foothills?

Here are a few more example photographs which I thought looked much more dramatic when converted to black and white on this sun-bleached day…

When you know you will be converting to monochrome in post, try looking for patterns, forms, shapes and/or textures. In this case I have a main pattern (the field of trees) but with an anomaly to the pattern (the two bent trees) as a primary subject to add interest. Yes, a simple shot of the field of trees alone might have been slightly interesting for the many shapes, forms and textures to be found…but the inclusion of those two deformed trees, for me, made all the difference:

Sawhill Trees, Mid-Day. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

I really liked this next one because so much is going on. Maybe too much? You be the judge.

First, you have the primary subject–the gorgeously-formed tree. But then you have several other secondary subjects–the woman on the trail (María Rosa!), the sailplane being towed aloft with a rhyming parallel jet contrail, the trees on the right “pointing” at the various aircraft, the cirrus clouds in line with the aircraft, the trail leading off into the distance which also lines up with the aircraft, and so on. Like I said, lots going on:

Planes and Trees. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

This is one of my favorite trees in the area. I have photographed “The Patriarch” in just about every season with a winter image one of my favorites. Who knows how much longer the tree will be able to hold its arms aloft before gravity and age finally force payment of their ultimate toll:

The Patriarch. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

The sailplanes at the local Boulder airport were hyperactive today with pairs like this taking off every few minutes. The thermals must have been popping what with the 80-degree temperatures–or there was some sort of special soaring event. I liked the duality here–two planes, two clouds, both partially linked:

Sailplane Tow. From Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

I aimed at a section of bark that was in full shade to be able to capture the entire dynamic range within the viewfinder’s rectangle. Then, in post, I was able to add the amount of contrast I wanted:

Cottonwood Bark. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

Finally, a classic landscape…er, pondscape, captured under a mid-day sun:

Sawhill Pondscape. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

Lest you think that color images are impossible at mid-day, here are some examples that might disprove your thoughts…

Post-processing the above image into color seemed to work, although personally I think it is slightly too postcard-ish for my more unconventional taste. Translation: the photograph might work as something nice to frame and hang on your wall, but it doesn’t qualify as a higher expression of art:

Sawhill Pondscape. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

If you insist on mid-day color, maybe the best bet is to try working on something more abstract, such as this detail of flowing water along the creek:

Flowing Water, Abstract. Sawhill Ponds, Colorado, 2016

The moral of the tale: Don’t despair if you have to photograph Under the Mid-Day Sun (Song by Adam Lambert and Steve Cooke). There are always possibilities!