My Shot
September 2026
The Cello Player by Chuck Eklund
I have always admired musicians. Focused. Skilled. Interpreters of something exquisite that has it's own language. Their instruments seem to become one with them. And the instruments are in and of themselves something beautiful to hear and see. Using Lightroom and Photoshop I winnowed this image down to what I see as the important elements. The hands and the instrument. A high contrast monochrome image allowed me to preserve what is elemental to the image - the hand, the bow, the strings, and the beauty of the wood.
F 1.8, 1/400, ISO 800.
Tokyo Palace by Dorothy Rosenbladt
On our first full day in Tokyo, we took a walk through the city and explored its museums and neighborhoods. The rain fell in torrents and the wind was turning umbrellas everywhere inside out. Late in the afternoon the weather relented and we were able to enjoy this view of the Imperial Palace. I think the drama in the sky and the reflection of the bridge in the surprisingly still water work very well in black and white.
Flowerlight by Richard Mancuso
I have visited the Skagit Valley tulip displays where this image was taken many times over the years. The tulip varieties on view make it an ideal setting for flower photography. In the original color version of Flowerlight, color and light predominate. In the black and white version of the image I wanted to maintain the tonal shading and make shape the other predominant feature of the image undistracted by the vividness of the flower colors. Some minor adjustments were made to clarity and contrast settings in Lightroom prior to converting the image to black and white. Both color and shape emphasize the beauty of the image in different ways and both contribute to the image's appeal.
Nikon D70, 150mm, 1/250 sec, f8.