Spring Tree. Nikon D200. 105mm Micro Nikkor. ISO 1000. 1/400 sec at f/4.8. May, 2013. Copyright 2013 Joanne Mason.
Let me describe what feels like an interesting phenomenon. Normally, shooting for black and white, one wants to try and think in black and white, to previsualize the scene in black and white (even though I’ll never use the black and white presets on the camera – I shoot raw). When shooting spring flowers and trees, though, I don’t see the black and white until after I start editing. The color, which is often exuberant, is what attracts me in the first place. But then when editing I find I want to render the image in black and white which seems to better portray the essence of the scene. In the black and white image I can still sense the lush color of the original, but the black and white feels like a more sensitive (and sensual) rendition of it.
