Photography is not black and white

This is one of my favorite photos that I have captured. It was during the praise and worship of a service at church. I, of course, shot it in color and then adjusted it to greyscale. I have little understanding of why anyone would want to shoot in just black and white digitally because one can capture the image and adjust it later using more information than pure greyscale. I mean, I love black and white photography, but if one is going to shoot, then just shoot with the greatest resolution and information including chrominance because you can always go to B&W from color, but not the other way around.

I shoot RAW format most all of the time, which allows for adjustments later. While there are still arguments between film and digital, no one can argue that it is absolutely great to have the ability to review your shot immediately after capturing it with digital. I feel much more comfortable snapping away, especially at such a live event such as music because no matter what, timing is everything. A singer's lips may look awkward one moment, but the next moments everything looks natural in that fraction of a section of the capture.

While I would love to buy a nicer zoom lens, the Nikon 55-200 VR (vibration reduction) lens is pretty sweet for its price. Shooting on this Sunday morning allowed me to capture inside without as much worry about my hand movement as much and allows for a bit slower shutter speed. However, I still sometimes push process these types of pictures because slower shutter speeds also can lead to blurring if the subject of the picture is moving as well. So I'll set the shutter to a little faster speed and get a darker picture, but I can still bring out the details in the shadows. One thing I've learned is that blown out highlights just cannot be recaptured. Once it reaches white, then no details can be brought out. This is true of any photograph, film or digital.

I have learned quite a lot after I purchased my Nikon D40, but there is so much more to learn. Perhaps I'll never venture out as a National Geographic photographer, but I can still enjoy the experience of capturing and processing photos. And with digital, I can do it without the chemicals and darkroom, although I would love to learn it.

Just as there are photography standards like the rule of thirds, etc., rules were meant to be broken and there really is this process of creativity that just cannot be quantified. So have fun and happy shooting!

200mm f/5.6, 1/50 sec., ISO 400
Sing unto the Lord, 1 March 2009