Throwback Thursday – 08Dec2016

I occasionally see posts titled “throwback” this or that. As near as my limited intellect allows comprehension of fads or memes, it apparently requires showing something from a time gone by. 

Whoa . . . too far back! 

How about I interpret “throwback” slightly different? I’m going to share recent photos as if we were back to the days of film and I were shooting in B&W.

Well, I’m cheating a bit. Were these actual photos shot on B&W film by yours truly, they would look mighty sorry. Imagine, instead, these were shot on film by a version of me that knew how to shoot B&W film, had the use of high-end equipment, always shot with the camera mounted on a tripod, hand-metered everything, and produced results worthy of sharing by developing the film in his own darkroom. 

You can click on these photos to see a larger version in a new window or tab, and you can also go HERE to see the SmugMug gallery. 

In reality, even given all the above assumptions, I still don’t think I would have been able to produce photos as good as what you will see below. The processing is a mix of DxO Optics, Topaz B&W Plugin, onOne Suite, and DxO Film Pack. 

. . . here goes nothing . . . 

The ship on the previous shot is the Celebrity Legend. That shot was taken from the Old Kona Airport State Park. this next shot is taken from the shore along Ali’i Drive. 

. . . as is this shot . . . 

As far as B&W shots go, I’m pleased with these simple conversions to B&W.

I consider waves and lava fairly difficult to show well in B&W. It can be done, but it takes the right scene. 

Birds can go either way . . . I’ve had pretty good luck with both color and B&W versions. These doves were more beloved when we were only exposed to them for a week or two at a time. Going on five months now, I wish they would shut up once in a while, especially very early morning. 

Something I never quite achieved as a film photographer . . . shooting in-town scenes. As scenes go, this rendition of the Kailua-Kona waterfront seawall meets with my approval. 

These next two shots, also along the Kailua-Kona waterfront, finds me inclined to share them . . . ergo, why they are here. 

Those are both film conversions. Unfortunately, I did not write down which two films ‘looks’ these two are meant to duplicate. 

The above photos border on what some people call “street photography” . . . except they are not dramatic enough and do not show the human condition with sufficient impact to transform them into “true” street photography. 

However, we also went out during one of Kailua-Kona’s street fairs. A half mile of Ali’i drive is closed and filled with vendor tents . . . which fill the street with tourists and locals. 

These then, are as close as I’m likely to come to street photography. For them not familiar with my photography, if you take all of the photos that have appeared on my blog and count the number of people you see in them, you will come well short of the number of people in this next series.  

Oddly enough, I think these types of photos look better in B&W . . . except for when I shoot something like this:

Those are very colorful but you can only guess at that . The first of the two photos would be an explosion of different hues were it shown in color. As it is, it’s not all that impressive in B&W. 

But, yes . . . people, singly or in crowds, render pretty good in B&W. 

Two versions of the same scene, seconds apart and developed slightly different. 

I think this next photo shows the diversity of human one can encounter in a relatively small area. Physically and emotionally, there is quite the contrast of subjects in this shot. 

I thought this was just cute . . . 

The following is another scene that is awash with color. Rendered in B&W gives the place a bit of a run-down look. 

I forgot to adjust the orientation of this next photo. Despite having guidelines on my viewfinder, a lot of my photos tend to have a few degrees of clockwise tilt. Always been so, despite me trying to correct it. 

The same seawall from the previous photos, only with lots of people around. 

The next shot is of a local artist. All of the stuff on the table is of his own design and make. 

These last two B&W shots show some of the wares on storefronts of the souvenir shops dotting Ali’i drive. 

For reference, I’m closing with color versions of some of the above shots. 

Honest, when I started this post, I thought I would not be very happy with the B&W shots. Now, at the end of the post, I stand corrected . . . at least when it comes to this particular B&W series, I’m pleased with the results. 

I might go so far as saying the color shots at the end suffer in comparison. 

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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. . .  my FP ward  . . . chieken shit.

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