Reflections

Even though the spring flowers are providing lots of colorful inspiration, I’ve thought in black-and-white lately for a variety of reasons.

So, as Peppermint and I explored the State Arboretum of Virginia this week, I paused to work on this image. As I walked by this area I noticed a plein air painter set up underneath a tree and focused on this general vicinity. It did look lovely, with hints of green against a bright blue sky, reflections of subtle colors in the water.

But, as I thought about the composition from where I was standing, I wasn’t captivated until I imagined it in black-and-white. So, I shot about a dozen frames from different perspectives and then returned home and opened the Silver Efex Pro.

This was my favorite rendition, edited using the Fine Art Process filter and Agfa Pro 100 speed film. I used some Agfa film in my younger years, and I always liked the richer feel it gave, but most of the time I stuck to the trusty, and readily available, Kodak Pan-X or Tri-X films.