Hey, Steve!
I came across your site about a year ago, and I have to say that you do very fine photography and interesting articles about everything (Thanks! Steve)! Thank you for that, and keep on going! My name is Tobias Kovarik, I am 20 years old and I live in a small town in northern Austria, near the Czech border. I just started photography, so I’m a rookie. My fascination for photography always rooted in this magic moment. That blink of an eye. That split of a second when the shutter of your camera clicks and you captured movement, momentum, light or just the mood of the moment and it’s emotions. It’s like you captured a little piece of life. It’s like you’re freezing one moment in time and creating a window to the past, which you can keep forever!
I shot the following two pics on a late afternoon in October. It was on the pasture behind my fathers house. The person on the picture is my father just spending some minutes with Negro, one of his two horses. I used my Canon EOS 7D in Shutter Priority Mode and my Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime lens.
In post-production I decolorized the pictures, did a little sharpening and added contrast and vignetting.
I love the pictures, Tobias. I love the Pony too. Sweet!
Must also clarify that I like the digital conversion of the second shot better, but first shot is great for what it conveys. There is really a connection there as Bob said
Peter/Garry
I think Tobias did a good job with digital B&W conversion here. He’s got the ‘eye’ and without that ‘eye’, he wouldn’t have converted a digital shot to B&W with that range of tone and contrast. Having said that, I must also say that he’s done a better job in the second shot than the first…
However, I do concur with both of you. I used to think I am very good at B&W conversion digitally, until… one day… I played with Tri-X. Nothing can really replace the feeling it conveys. I encourage Tobias to get his hands on a secondhand EOS (dirt cheap on the Bay) and a couple of rolls of Tri-X. He deserves it!
@Peter: I feel the same, except that I do film for colour too, I don’t think digital can touch Velvia and the like. I expect you could get similar with Photoshop etc. but that’s not my bag.
Tobias, nice photos but please forgive my honest feedback on Digital B&W conversions these days and in general all digital B&W. I have spent countless hours in the dark room, (years ago) and I just don’t get a connection to digital B&W as I do with film B&W (silver gelatin print or good B&W inkjet printing). Is it just me or does anyone feel that digital B&W just does not have shades of grey that have “life” to them?. They all seem to be compressed into a narrow range of shades near the middle shades or the lower end of the grey scale. I am always drawn to film B&W for its sense of life, light, a full range of tones, especially from the middle to upper high levels. Digital color is exceptional today but regradless of what I see in digital B&W it just looks lifeless, have we just become accustomed to average B&W? Just look at the masters of B&W photography and view the prints they produced, for me the difference is night and day. I am converting back to film for B&W and for color will stay with digital, anyone else out there feel the same way?
I agree, Peter. Although sometimes I see a wonderful rendition from digital. It takes a lot of work. I prefer B&W film though. There is a depth, dynamic range , 3D quality to it.
hmmmm….Tobias…you just reminded me of why I started shooting in the first place! (I’m an old man…LOL)…you get “it”…you make the connection. Making a good photo is about capturing something with intimacy that hopefully other people will connect with in an emotional way when they view your work.
You have “it”…keep going on the journey! These shots are wonderful.
Great work. Your dad should be very proud of you! Keep it up
Wonderful! Very intimate.
Both shots are lovely, the top one is probably my favourite though.
Very nice shots.
Hey, Tobias, that first shot deserves a nice, large print. It’s beautiful, and captures a very sweet moment. I love it.
Beautiful