Moody Mount Bonnell – Austin, Texas

The mood can shift quickly, especially when the light begins to fall, and I apply a monochrome treatment to the image. Today’s picture looks and feels very different from yesterday’s with the rich pastel colors. Same camera and lens, at the same place, more or less.

I really like yesterday’s photo. The image showed promise, and I worked it hard in post to craft its look. Today’s, on the other hand, was a quick black and white conversion, and I wasn’t expecting much. Yet, I unexpectedly like it. It goes to show that a photograph is not truly finished until after the processing.

That said, all the post-processing in the world can’t change a fundamentally weak image into a fabulous one. This picture works for me because of the balance of the elements within the frame. I like how the people are randomly scattered, all doing their thing. There is an undeniable sense of depth. And finally, the smartphone photographer and subject adds an interesting foreground element. The black and white just adds that extra level of abstraction.

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