Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette (Hong Kong 2)

I realize the WPC Challenge has changed its theme to Fray this week.

But there are so many good photos which I still haven’t got the chance to show on Silhouette.

One of them is the photo below.

This photo has so much mood in it, especially the clouds and the sea.

It is an image taken by my friend CP Chan on one of his fishing trips to the fishing rafts in the New Territories in Hong Kong.

Our eyes (and brains) are always caught by something which we have never seen before. To me, this is one of those!

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast (in Waterfalls)

This is a last minute entry to this week’s WPC - Contrast.

Here are 5 images of waterfalls taken in various parts of China.

These include waterfalls from Jiuzhegou and Yunnan.

They have all been converted to Black & White to specially depict the Contrast in waterfalls.

There is contrast between the running water and the adjacent stationery landforms.

Usually within a waterfall,  they are make up of a number of big and small falls.

There is a contrast between the powerful waterfalls and the resistance of the nearby rocks.

I don’t think I am able to adequately describe the contrasts in the photos, for this, I will leave you to respond in your comments .

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast (B&W)

Different colors can create a dazzling contrast but the picture here shows that a big contrast can be produced in Black & White.

The picture was taken in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

The light was coming from the side. It creates a good contrast between the various parts of the Buddha face.

The carvings at the edge also shows a good contrast!

 

Dubrovnik After Dark in Black and White

It was already dark when we walked down the street of cobble stones, with tall stone walls like canyon on both sides. We wandered alone down deserted streets and alleys of the Dubrovnik old town.

We discovered the best time for a stroll through Dubrovnik’s Old Town is after dark. We passed by deserted shop windows which looked very different at day time.

The Dubrovnik old town at night is as beautiful as it is during the day.

We glided down Dubrovnik’s main street, the Stradun and  strolled past churches and shops closed up tight for the night. The shop windows were very appealing.

As we reached the end of the Stradun, we  turned to the square on our right and discovered this elegant Rector’s Palace which was  the seat of power in the old city-state of Dubrovnik.

This beautiful building is a harmonious mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. The original palace was modeled after the Roman imperial palace, with some influences from Venetian palaces. There were two gun powder explosions in the 15th century and an earthquake in the 17th century which destroyed part of the palace. The existing building was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century.

The central portico features beautiful archways and a second story mezzanine. The most beautiful part is the portico with the open ceiling and archways.

Further stroll brought us to the nearby beautiful Luza square where we  found the Church of St. Blaise, who is  Dubrovnik’s patron saint. St. Blaise was also the protector of the Independent Republic of Ragusa. The church is easily recognizable by the statue of the city’s patron, St. Blaise on its top! This 18th century Baroque church is one of the most recognizable Dubrovnik attractions.

Our empty stomachs reminded that we still did not have our dinner yet and we should be looking for a suitable restaurant.

This restaurant by the side of the alley looked inviting but at this time of the night, it was all full.

This restaurant really looked nice and it was blissful just to sit here and have alfresco dinning while gazing at the beautiful buildings nearby with the nights on.

After dinner, we walked our way back  to the hotel along the hilly driveway with roadside lights guiding our way.

When we reached our hotel. it was already late and we collapsed onto the comfortable seats by the pool while others opted for an evening swim.

We were happy that we were given another fine and blissful day and an enjoyable evening!

Dubrovnik in Black and White

Can never forget the colors of Dubrovnik – the blue sky, the azure Adriatic sea water, the terracotta roofs, the green island offshore, just to name a few.

Dubrovnik reminds of me of the interesting fortresses, the walls, the churches, the houses, the beach etc.

Some of the images, however, appear to be even more interesting in B&W.

This image was captured while walking up the walls of Dubrovnik – lots of terracotta roofs, the blue sea and the green island – all underneath an arch!

We always started the day first having our breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. What a wonderful experience is to sip your coffee/ tea while gazing at the panoramic view of Dubrovnik, with the sea breeze gently caressing your face!

There were also some quiet moments for reflection as one saw the bell tower against the serene sea and quiet hills as background; while the roofs showed an ever repeating pattern of tiles.

After walking one complete round of the Dubrovnik walls, we took a rest nearby a seaside fortress. The sun was setting and your eyes gaze out peacefully on the horizon.

By this time, we were all hungry and scouting around to look for a restaurant for dinner!

After dinner we walked back to our hotel – a place we have breakfast, a bath and some sleep. Some took the opportunity of having a swim in the beautiful swimming pool, while I walked around the hotel and took a couple of the photos.

These B&W photos show the celebrities who have been staying in the hotel.

I am sure you will recognize some of them.

Some of them are conductors, pianists,  film stars, members of the royal family.

So, it was just another day in Dubrovnik which we will never forget!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Black and White

I am happy to see that Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week is Black and White.

I have been playing around converting the photo below taken in Bostwana from color to B&W. The original photo was very interesting but I think the B&W is not in any way inferior.

I came across a blog post which suggests that we should not preset a camera to B&W when we want B&W photos; but rather do a post processing on it. His other advice includes taking it on a grey day when the light is soft and use the lowest ISO.

I have some slides which were taken 20+ years ago and they have become decolored.  Converting to B&W seem to be a good way of keeping the photos interesting.

The photo below was taken in 1985 at Brighton Beach. I have shown it before but I couldn’t help showing it again as a B&W in a collection.

Another photo taken in the same year is the Stlker castle in Scotland below. Like the other one, it become decolored and I think this is the best way of rescuing it.

The photo below of the pyramid in Cairo, Egypt was taken in year 2000. Again, it has become decolored. B&W gives this a different mood.

My picture of Istanbul, Turkey taken on a cruise when the sun was setting was almost monotonic, with a purple taint. The converted picture below seems only have changed the picture from pink to B&W.

Some of the pictures below are taken in more recent years. I can never forgot the difficult climb up the Wu Yi mountains, China when the sky was grey and misty. The photo below of mysterious mountain with a pavilion and tourists climbing up like (white) ants has implanted deeply in my mind.

The picture of West Lake, China below was taken last Winter. Post processing it to B&W does not make a big difference to the image as the picture was almost grey in  color when taken.

Back to the West. The picture below was taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia last May. It gives a different feel than the usual picture of red roofs to the houses.

Still on the same subject of Dubrovnik, the B&W picture below shows a close up version of the individual houses or structures in that picturesque area.

The picture of Trakai, Latvia has always been shown in color. The picture below is my attempt to show it in B&W, giving it a special character.

How can I forget the beautiful Langkawai, Malaysia with the sun just rising and a boat lying on the shore . . . . .

I like both colors and B&W. Although, in the real world, it would be nice if many controversial issues would just be in Black or White so people do not have to fight over various shades of grey. Maybe, I should set up an opinion poll to see whether you like Colors or B&W!