Experimenting

5. January 2015

When I was 14, I got my first camera, a Minolta SLR (analog of course). Immediately, I fell in love with photography and experimenting with light and settings. Though, in that age, I inevitably relied on my pocket-money and my parents good will of paying the various film developments. Accordingly, I quickly learned to think and plan the picture I wanted to take in advance – an important live lesson. I could not take 100 pictures of the same item or scenery and later process the pictures for contrast, light and cutting out unwanted disturbances. The goal was clear: take a picture as good as it gets in the first place. Look, think, shot!

Now, many years later, I take pictures with my DSLR, my pocket camera and smartphones and can draw on unlimited resources. Taking pictures with such an ease is great fun and I only need to buy some more terabytes of storage. But still, I take my pictures according to the same intention: I first have the picture in mind and then I click. Avoiding retouching and cutting out unwanted bits might also result of my laziness and impatience working with photo editing programs.

Since I started my blog end of September 2014, I spent more and more time selecting pictures out of my archives for my posts. Thus, I started doing more and more post-photo work. My new year resolution is to learn more skills on picture editing. There are lots of 0815 shots in my archives where some minor editing steps could change the focus, drama and tension of the picture.

I came across the Architecture in Black and White Photo Challenge of Paula and Cardinal Guzman and decided that their challenge would be a good starting point. Therfore, I took a shot of the Otto Wagner Church in Vienna. As it is on my running route, I always use its golden dome for orientation and estimating the distances. To focus on the bright golden dome, my landmark while running, I unsaturated the rest of the picture.

Finally, I changed it to Black and White.

Which one do you prefer and why? Do you have any suggestions for improvement? I am happy to read your comments and feedback!

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