Assignment 3 Monochrome

An Encounter With Nature. 

The Aim of this assignment , is to produce 10 monochrome photographs. Converted from colour. manipulate tone and contrast. Use high and low key. 

For this theme . Amongst all the other possibilities that I could have photographed. From Street, people, Architecture, and land scape. These were just a few that came to mind. I decided on wild life. Nature so much more diverse in subject. I had asked my tutor if I could use my previous work . As I have so mush wild life photography taken in the rain forrest that I love. I could have just used the theme, "Bird life" from my window. But thats for something special I have in mind for the future.  So I agreed , As the latter , like street, and so forth, has all been done before, and so many do so. Wild life is my Theme. 

Some of these shots have been taken in the wild and others in a park. They have been taken within the last two weeks. I would have liked to have used others. However, I will put a link at the base to another gallery of my previous work. And also, a link to the  original colour pictures. 

High ISO had been used, to combat some of the low light under the canopy. 

Low key and shape :

The Horn Bill.

The horn bill:

The Hornbill is a funny bird, its beak so large. Its character can be quite curious.

As I settled for the 2 hours in sweltering humid heat. This bird took interest to what I was up to. As laid on my back photographing some other wild life.  The Horn bill came right up to me , looking in my bag. This enabled me to get in amazingly close, to capture and compose this picture. 

f 2.8 1/1000 sec ISO 800  145 mm

Texture : 

The peacock: 

As close encounters go. This was a lucky day. Making my exit, this peacock blocked my way. Pointing my standard zoom to the fill the frame . The bird kept walking closer. So close,  walking round me, summing me up. Again I changed to the 60 mm macro and shot this picture.  Head shot, side lit from the sun, filtering through the canopy. 

f 2.8 1/80 sec ISO  320 60mm macro 

Texture, shape and contrast :

Two Pigmy Elephants:
 Cooling off.

These wonderful creatures indigenous to Borneo, play in the water. Totally submersing them selves. patience  pays off. Waiting for the right moment. Its no good complaining of heat. Sacrifice of comfort, pays off when doing nature photography. As I captured these two cooling off. At the same time showing affection for one another. I was hoping for a heart shape to appear in the trunks. 

F9 1/400 sec ISO 400  200mm

Contrast : 

A fruit Bat:

 Hangs cooling it self through its wings in the hot humid climate. This is a rare sight to see , As two other behind me, fold up as the sleep in the day. Bit like an up side dow flasher.  

F2.8  1/800 sec  ISO 800 200mm 

Tone: 

The stork :

Trying to capture this bird was quite hard. The Auto focus, was going wild , trying to focus between the branches, Even with spot focus, I switched to Manual focus in time to take this shot. 

F5 1/80 sec  ISO320 170mm 

Shape:

 A diving otter 

I love otters. As they are so family oriented. The babies sound like a human baby crying. I had visited this family some time ago. They had just had babies , Now they were in full play teaching the off spring the ways of survival. Although these otters are protected. Not in the wild. As once used to be trained to catch fish for the villagers. They are now hunted for meat and there fur. 

F4.5 1/320 sec ISO 500 95mm 

Low key tone : 

Otters play in the shade:

The family of otters. Again, sitting and waiting for the right moment. 

You can take a dozen of photos , and not capture the right moment. Its like fishing. Its the waiting!

Lighting was the hardest part in most of these pictures . As your often shooting with high lit back drops. And moving subjects. Or under cover of trees. Where its dark. 

F5.6  1/400 sec  ISO 500 stop down 

High key :

 A Praying Mantis:

 10 mm in size: macro!

This was  challenging as being so small. And fast moving. I found this little Mantis on the bush in the back yard. It looks beautiful in colour, as well as black and white. The focus was critical. Holding the camera with a 60mm F16, fixed the focus on M . Moving the camera back and forth to get this shot. Depth of field being so shallow. I try not to use flash. As this gives unrealistic light to what the eye sees. And the depth would have made the back ground more distracting. 

F16 1/60 sec ISO 640 60 mm macro 

High key : 

A Flying lizard :

Hanging from a leaf after landing. 

An encounter, that I think was luck, or angels shone down on me that day. As I stated to walk down the path. This shadow flew by my face.  I looked to the bush that the shadow rested on next to me. And there! This flying lizard hung , trying to right its self after landing. As fast as I could. Changed from my zoom to my 60mm 2.8 macro. As the lizard was not bothered by me. I took advantage , to try different lenses. And angles to get this lovely circular composition. That looked good in black and white. All these pictures were taken with monochrome intent. however . This one is wonderful in colour also. To see the changing colours that this amazing creation of nature displays. As it attempts to blend in with its environment. 

F4.5  1/200sec  ISO 500 60 mm 

Mid tones. BulBuls bird

Taken out side my living room window. Sadly locals love chopping down trees and have no wild life value. This tree had been shopped twice before during my stay here. This time I put a sign on the tree , "protected for wild life photography". So I have managed to collect some beautiful images of the birds that visit this tree. And HD video also for a later project. 

Again . Many hours sitting, waiting for that right moment. And moving very slow. Not to scare the birds. 

F3.5  1/500 sec ISO 100 200mm 

Once I started producing black and white. I discovered that many pictures I have in stock, make more impact. They express them selves more in monochrome, then in colour. Especially if the colour is not dominant. EG . Street photography. 

Statement in brief :

The  theme:

 I chose, Wild Life. As it is different subject most would chose from most other assignments. Giving more of  a challenge. This theme being wildlife. As Wild life is so diverse in size shape and texture. As well as subject. 

Giving much scope for black and white photography. I have seen Wild life in monochrome in National Geographic. Taken in Africa. It stand out so much. 

I feel I have achieved my goal here. Expressing to the viewer, the elements that were available to me at the time.
These photographs gave me great pleasure in showing. As they remind me of the encounter I had, so close to nature that day. They show the wonder of what one can see here in Borneo. Monochrome taking the distraction of colour. Shows this more evidently.

In saying this in my statement. I would like to offer my link, where as this assignment gave me the inspiration to convert some of my previously taken photography. An convert it to monochrome.

www.amphibious-photographer.com
Link for colour versions of this assignment. look for OCA extra :
http://www.diveactive.com/http__www.diveactive.com/OCA_extra.html