Black & White

Not really sure where I am . . . have had a cold for a week, and in this same week there have been anniversaries and parties and graduations and memorials for those who have passed, mixed with all sorts of other things.  Playing in the garden, playing with photos, a bit of this and that, but nothing that just grabs the soul.  Well, not true – we had a wonderful graduation party!  That said, here are some of my forays into processing color into black and white using the B&W channels in the HSL section of Lightroom.  Kind of pleased with the overall results, and maybe learned something . . . what did please me was the simplicity of strong contrasts and subject matter.

Riparian Spring

Riparian Spring

A riparian zone or area is the interface between land and a river or stream, per Wikipedia.  In California, it is a woodland which is rich in biodiversity, with trees, shrubs, and ferns, along with an abundance of wildlife, such as birds, squirrel, and deer.  The creeks they are near sometimes run dry in the summer.  The woodlands are a cool retreat from hot summers, but can be burned to a crisp in a severe wildfire.  For me, they are a bit of heaven – a space away from the subdivisions and roads of settled California.