This is Part II of the series on Black & White (B&W) photography, here showing a few images of African wildlife taken during a trip through the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, in November 2015. It is really amazing how well some images of large animals in the wild lend themselves to B&W conversions, adding drama and a sense of intimacy at the same time. As before, these are all monochromatic renderings of digital photography files rendered in Lightroom applying the Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin from the Nik collection.
Tag Archives: EOS 5D Mark III
B&W magic (part I): People
Kicking off a new series on Black & White (B&W) photography. More accurately, these will be monochromatic renderings of digital photography files. When and how do we decide whether a photograph will look better in B&W? Is it possible to imagine a B&W composition before pressing the shutter? There are a milliard ways to render a color file into a monochromatic image. Contrast, balance, structure, grain texture. Darker reds? Lighter greens? Sepia for a vintage effect? In these series, we will use Canon files rendered in Lightroom. In most cases, the (now free) Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin from the Nik collection was applied. Part I of the B&W series is about People.
Table View, Western Cape, South Africa
Meet the family
From top left:
EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
EF 11-24mm f/4L USM
EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
EF 40mm f/2.8 STM “pancake”
EOS 5D Mark III w/battery grip
EOS 7D Mark II w/battery grip
Not in the picture:
EF 1.4x III Extender
UWA magic (part IV): People and wildlife in their environment
Ultra Wide Angle lenses are not for portraiture. But they can deliver excellent images documenting people and wildlife in their environment. Here a few examples using Canon’s EF-S 10-22mm, EF 24mm L f/1.4 and EF 16-35mm L f/2.8 II UWA lenses.
HDR photo shootout at “Mercado Del Progreso”, Caballito, Buenos Aires
Adjacent to the “Primera Junta” subway station, in the corner of Rivadavia and Barco Centenera, is the “Mercado Del Progreso“, a landmark in the neighbourhood of “Caballito”, one of the most traditional “barrios” of Buenos Aires. The Mercado has been a meeting point for Caballito regulars since its opening in 1889. Today, it retains much of the original charm of its metallic structure and its iconic central ceiling window.
In the morning hours of a regular weekday, Mercado Del Progreso is one of those ideal places for a photo shootout of urban activity in the midst of a historical site.
The selection below was taken with the Canon EOS 5D MarkIII and EF 16-35mm and EF 24-105mm zoom lenses. All six are high dynamic range (HDR) images, merged from 5 different original exposures using HDR Efex Pro 2 from the Nik plugin collection. They were further processed with the Color Efex Pro 4 module to enhance structure, and the Silver Efex Pro 2 for B&W conversion.
Roxy Laksa: Probably the best laksa in the world…
In the hawker centre of East Coast Park, Singapore, award-winning Roxy Laksa makes what probably is the best laksa on the planet.
Food photography VI: Restaurant Umberto, Naples
Restaurant Umberto, in Naples, is truly an institution in the south Italian city. Here a few dishes from a recent visit photographed using available light on the 5D3 and the 40mm pancake.
Pasta with octopus:
Pasta with vongole:
La pizza:
Food photography V: NOBU Hong Kong, avantgarde Japanese cuisine
The NOBU restaurant in Hong Kong functions in the Intercontinental hotel and has magnificent views overlooking the harbor. Main chef Nobu Matushisa received classical training as a sushi chef in Tokyo, and lived in Peru and Argentina. One of the 25 NOBU restaurants all over the world, NOBU Hong Kong showcases Nobu’s signature dishes, as well as new creations using local ingredients with emphasis on freshness and surprise.
Here is the NOBU crew in action:
And here is one of the two dinner set menus offered by NOBU Hong Kong. Outstanding, sublime japanase delicacies from the ocean and the land, prepared in a superb cross-over, modern style. All photographs taken with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EF 24mm f/1.4 L II lens with available light.